UK, Italy, France quality decline, now poorer than all 50 states

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everything is about money. These countries have fewer social problems and live longer in better health.

They live longer, including compared to their European neighbors with similar social benefits and problems. It’s just as much cultural and demographics as it is social benefits.

They live longer because they have healthier diets.

Yes, which the government supports in various ways including in schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in the UK right now. Dental care is poor, really poor. I see 40 year olds with missing front teeth.

Do they not have cheap dentures in the UK?

Dental is not covered by the NHS. You are on your own. There are dental insurance providers that according to Google AI cost between 70 to 300 pounds a year. Maybe because dental is not covered by the NHS people don't see it or insurance for it as a necessity?

You know there are Americans with missing front teeth, right?

+1. Only 65 pct of Americans have dental insurance so not sure why you’re acting like the USA is superior in this respect. At least all the British have health insurance even if their teeth get messy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So basically, Europeans are "poorer" on average according to per capita GDP numbers, yet have nearly a decade higher life expectancy than the poorest states in the USA, higher literacy, and much more leisure time.

I think a lot of us would rather be "poor" Europeans by these standards.

I don’t think taxing us more and chilling our innovative ecosystem is going to make us happy. But I think it’s inevitable that we’re going to give it a try. We’ll see how it goes.

Do we actually have an “innovative” ecosystem? A tiny handful of companies control almost everything in this country, from what we eat to where we shop to what we watch on tv.

If I go to Europe or almost any other country there are actual small shops on almost every corner instead of mega chains like what we have here.

Yes, we have a system that supports innovation and we have highly innovative and nimble companies. It’s far more difficult in the EU countries to do the same things. And they absolutely do have great giants and tech, of course.

I get your point about the small shops and I completely agree. I don’t like the landscape either on that front.

However, there is no comparison between what we’re able to “birth” and get going and change direction. It’s not a function of brains, imagination, or hard work. It’s the way are system is designed.

I do think many people don’t realize this. They don’t work with smaller and medium sized companies that have innovative ideas/solutions and watch them take off. Maybe people think this doesn’t happen anymore? It absolutely does happen and in places you wouldn’t expect it.

Except that the US has become the Wild West for AI by saying they won't regulate it, while the Europeans are still going after big tech for consumer protection and data privacy violations. There's a pretty big difference between stifling innovation and protecting citizens against predatory products.

+1M

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all far richer than we are, they have free education childcare elder care and healthcare.
Whoever thinks we are better off is insane.

How are they far richer than we all are? Over and over on this thread, people have posted median and average salaries that show you're incorrect.

Education is free in USA. We also have medicaid if you are poor.

FTFY. Some education is free in the USA. Private universities charge $90k a year for college in the USA compared to having tertiary education at a minimal cost in most of Europe. And you should try talking to a parent of a child under the age of 5 paying 30k a year for daycare so they can work, which would be free through state sponsored providers in most of Europe.

But most European countries don’t provide care for young babies. They have decided to pay women low wages to stay home with babies. Everyone thinks it’s great but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay home for $350 a week in London. Then you have another kid and are expected to stay home another year, and it’s why women can’t go far in that job market.

if european childcare is so great why do they have year long parental leave? lol

Because parents WANT to take care of their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would MUCH rather live in Italy or France in 2026.

Exactly. I'd rather be French or Italian any day. Our nation is on the brink of civil war, shootings are all too common, our cities are stretched out and hard to walk around, we drive huge death mobiles. We have no sense of civility, manners, propriety or respect for rule of law, and we can't even agree that the golden rule is a good idea. How far we have fallen.

And that doesn't even touch how terrible our food is, how fat it makes us, and how little respect we have for our elders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all far richer than we are, they have free education childcare elder care and healthcare.
Whoever thinks we are better off is insane.

How are they far richer than we all are? Over and over on this thread, people have posted median and average salaries that show you're incorrect.

Education is free in USA. We also have medicaid if you are poor.

FTFY. Some education is free in the USA. Private universities charge $90k a year for college in the USA compared to having tertiary education at a minimal cost in most of Europe. And you should try talking to a parent of a child under the age of 5 paying 30k a year for daycare so they can work, which would be free through state sponsored providers in most of Europe.

But most European countries don’t provide care for young babies. They have decided to pay women low wages to stay home with babies. Everyone thinks it’s great but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay home for $350 a week in London. Then you have another kid and are expected to stay home another year, and it’s why women can’t go far in that job market.

if european childcare is so great why do they have year long parental leave? lol

Because parents WANT to take care of their children.

+1. There are some true idiots on this thread. Being able to spend longer home with your baby is something many parents long to do. It’s also better for your kids’ health and developmental outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are talking about material things, then sure America is wealthier because we have more stuff: cars, bigger houses, and more stuff to fill your house with. Our economy is bigger because it requires more private capital for account for America's lifestyle.

Americans have to earn more to have their basic needs met. Want to go to the doctor? You need to have money for that. Not so in UK or France. Want to go to the grocery store in America or literally anywhere? You need a car for that. Not so in the UK or Italy. You can walk to take trains.

Not having the freedom of your own car and being forced into public transit is a miserable way to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all far richer than we are, they have free education childcare elder care and healthcare.
Whoever thinks we are better off is insane.

How are they far richer than we all are? Over and over on this thread, people have posted median and average salaries that show you're incorrect.

Education is free in USA. We also have medicaid if you are poor.

FTFY. Some education is free in the USA. Private universities charge $90k a year for college in the USA compared to having tertiary education at a minimal cost in most of Europe. And you should try talking to a parent of a child under the age of 5 paying 30k a year for daycare so they can work, which would be free through state sponsored providers in most of Europe.

But most European countries don’t provide care for young babies. They have decided to pay women low wages to stay home with babies. Everyone thinks it’s great but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay home for $350 a week in London. Then you have another kid and are expected to stay home another year, and it’s why women can’t go far in that job market.

if european childcare is so great why do they have year long parental leave? lol

Because parents WANT to take care of their children.

+1. There are some true idiots on this thread. Being able to spend longer home with your baby is something many parents long to do. It’s also better for your kids’ health and developmental outcomes.

That's news around here. Many think their brains will rot if they have to spend more than a few weeks with their kids. They certainly don't respect women who want to spend full time with their kids. Now you're saying they would love nothing more than a year or more? Yeah, right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are talking about material things, then sure America is wealthier because we have more stuff: cars, bigger houses, and more stuff to fill your house with. Our economy is bigger because it requires more private capital for account for America's lifestyle.

Americans have to earn more to have their basic needs met. Want to go to the doctor? You need to have money for that. Not so in UK or France. Want to go to the grocery store in America or literally anywhere? You need a car for that. Not so in the UK or Italy. You can walk to take trains.

Not having the freedom of your own car and being forced into public transit is a miserable way to live.

What a weird take. I love being in walkable places. It’s so freeing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are talking about material things, then sure America is wealthier because we have more stuff: cars, bigger houses, and more stuff to fill your house with. Our economy is bigger because it requires more private capital for account for America's lifestyle.

Americans have to earn more to have their basic needs met. Want to go to the doctor? You need to have money for that. Not so in UK or France. Want to go to the grocery store in America or literally anywhere? You need a car for that. Not so in the UK or Italy. You can walk to take trains.

Not having the freedom of your own car and being forced into public transit is a miserable way to live.

Do you live in Idaho? Many of us in the DMV area (this is a DC forum) take public transit and don't have cars and pity those with long commutes who sit around wasting their time driving.

[Anonymous]

Wait- why was my post on how much maternity leave pays in other countries deleted? I think it’s really relevant because Americans think other countries are getting 100% pay and they aren’t. They get a few hundred a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who spent most of career working for European comanies in the USA here are main reasons.
1) we get paid more
2) we pay less tax
3) We own far more US Stock which has been on a tear the last 18 years
4) companies grant RSUs unlike Europe
5) no Vat tax on purchases.
6) more likely to own real estate which also been way up.

My boss in Europe made less then me in the USA who reported to him. Paid more taxes, lived in a rental and owned hardly any stocks.

Now an unemployed person, person who company gives no medical, parents with kids in college and young moms looking for cheap child care better in Europe but even with all that the salary does not make up for it.

Only 17% of U.S. corporate equities are held by foreigners globally. So that means out of every country in world so individual countries own very little. They missed whole Equity run up.

I was on vacation in Portugal last year and was shocked at amount of older people who did not own homes complaning rents are rising and investors are coming in from US buying homes. Well the two best ways to grown wealth is stocks and real estate. The average US worker has a house and a 401k, the average European does not. Only 47.2 percent of Germans own a home.

Actually, as of early 2026, approximately 43% of the working population in the U.S. actively use a 401(k) to invest for retirement. This accounts for roughly 70 million active participants out of the broader American workforce. 42% of full-time private-sector workers and 79% of part-time workers do not have access to an employer-provided retirement plan.

The U.S. homeownership rate is 65.3% in Q1 2026.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait- why was my post on how much maternity leave pays in other countries deleted? I think it’s really relevant because Americans think other countries are getting 100% pay and they aren’t. They get a few hundred a week.

There is hard data about how much rich European countries contribute for childcare. It's orders of magnitude higher than in the US.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/upshot/child-care-biden.html
How Other Nations Pay for Child Care. The U.S. Is an Outlier.
Rich countries contribute an average of $14,000 per year for a toddler’s care, compared with $500 in the U.S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basically US only remaining first world country, UK, Western Europe, Australia and Canada 2nd world countries, everything else the bloody third world.

Ok Vlad. Good job explanining your categorization of the world to us in broken 1980s English. Can you explain why your "third world" Japan, Korea and HK have a much higher life expectancy than your "first world" USA?

Why is the US a first world country and Australia second world country? Australia has a second highest median wealth in the world after Luxembourg. Its average life expectancy is FIVE YEARS longer than in the US.

The USA ranks 55th among countries with respect to life expectancy. Which is pathetic for the wealthiest country in the world. But when American priorities are to be rich rather than to make sure that the poorest in society have their basic needs covered and access to healthcare, here we are.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are talking about material things, then sure America is wealthier because we have more stuff: cars, bigger houses, and more stuff to fill your house with. Our economy is bigger because it requires more private capital for account for America's lifestyle.

Americans have to earn more to have their basic needs met. Want to go to the doctor? You need to have money for that. Not so in UK or France. Want to go to the grocery store in America or literally anywhere? You need a car for that. Not so in the UK or Italy. You can walk to take trains.

Not having the freedom of your own car and being forced into public transit is a miserable way to live.

Do you live in Idaho? Many of us in the DMV area (this is a DC forum) take public transit and don't have cars and pity those with long commutes who sit around wasting their time driving.

+1 Have you not noticed that so many people in this area will pay a premium to live near the Metro? It never cease to amaze me how some adults on this forum think their personal preferences are universal.