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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

That’s great for you but do you understand not everyone wants a large home? I moved from a small house in a bustling vibrant part of London to a house which was twice the size in Bethesda. I was happier in London. I found even the inner suburbs of Bethesda quiet, boring and a bit lonely. Not everyone thrives on the same things. It feels like lots of posters here are insisting everyone values the same things when that’s obviously not the case.

This is really the essence, right here.

Actually all humans want more space. It’s human nature. It’s simply a left wing talking point that living in a tiny flat is preferable. Every European buys the most space that they can for the location. The British are living in tiny old houses because that’s what’s available and all they can afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

That’s great for you but do you understand not everyone wants a large home? I moved from a small house in a bustling vibrant part of London to a house which was twice the size in Bethesda. I was happier in London. I found even the inner suburbs of Bethesda quiet, boring and a bit lonely. Not everyone thrives on the same things. It feels like lots of posters here are insisting everyone values the same things when that’s obviously not the case.

This is really the essence, right here.

Actually all humans want more space. It’s human nature. It’s simply a left wing talking point that living in a tiny flat is preferable. Every European buys the most space that they can for the location they choose to live. The British are living in tiny old houses because that’s what’s available and all they can afford.

Hope the bolded helps you discover the extremely obvious point that you are missing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You have to look at the wealth gap as well. The distribution of wealth matters.

This is correct. I am not going to look up the stats for EU member states, Canada has a similar issue compared to the U.S.

The top 20% of Americans has an higher average income than the top 20% of Canadians. But the bottom 80% of Canadians has a higher average income than the bottom 80% of Americans. Plus the govt services and work culture are far more generous to Canadian workers than American workers. I think you will find EU countries often have a similar situation.

On the whole it is much hard being in the bottom 80% of Americans than the bottom 80% of the countries shown in the video.

I'm familiar enough with these creative "stats." Whoever came up with this one is playing a game by jumping one demographic that is definitely poor in the US, the poor, with fewer benefits etc compared to most western countries, and excluding the rich to make it seem like the middle class is richer in Canada. It's not quite the truthful picture. Median salary (meaning 50% make more, 50% make less) in the US is $64,000. In Canada it is $46,000. This gives you a more accurate picture.

As for Euros, outside places like Switzerland, most people do have lower incomes compared to American peers. Material wealth is higher in the US. Quality of life is subjective. I love Europe, but most people do live modest lives in small apartments. It's not all historic urban centers but plenty of grimy suburbs and tower blocks.

As the middle class in America is stretched more and more Europe looks better and better. If education, housing, and healthcare are unaffordable to the median income person making $64k, that “extra” 18k in income matters less and less, doesn’t it? Would you rather make 46k with health insurance or 64k without it?

64k without. I'd rather live a shorter life spending my money the way I want to. Health insurance will let me live longer, but why would I want to?

This reminds of the lyrics of "All This Time" by Sting:

Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the earth
Better to be poor than be a fat man in the eye of the needle
As these words were spoken I swear I hear the old man laughing
What good is a used up world and how could it be worth having?

Um, well, if you want to have greater wealth but have a lower life expectancy than in Europe, you're in the right country.

That’s because American eat like crap

And we have a government that does a crap job of regulating food producers.

It's the governments fault that most Americans eat massive portions of crappy food? I shop at Walmart and seem to do just fine.

You say that now, but you and/or your kids are still going to get colon cancer like the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

And yet your large home and safe cars (and the infrastructure that goes with them) are absolutely killing the environment and ruining your kids’ and grandkids’ futures.

But glad you have your priorities straight, Tubby.

I’m sure you hate large homes and SUVs but still travel internationally and eat fruits and vegetables flown here from across the globe.

The all or nothing finger pointing defense of the mouth breathing lardo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

And yet your large home and safe cars (and the infrastructure that goes with them) are absolutely killing the environment and ruining your kids’ and grandkids’ futures.

But glad you have your priorities straight, Tubby.

I’m sure you hate large homes and SUVs but still travel internationally and eat fruits and vegetables flown here from across the globe.

The all or nothing finger pointing defense of the mouth breathing [b]lardo.

Yikes. If you have to resort to name calling then maybe your agenda isn’t that strong?

How do you know I don’t drive an EV and power my large home with solar panels?

Makes me think your environmental stance is more political or cultural than actually caring about the environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

That’s great for you but do you understand not everyone wants a large home? I moved from a small house in a bustling vibrant part of London to a house which was twice the size in Bethesda. I was happier in London. I found even the inner suburbs of Bethesda quiet, boring and a bit lonely. Not everyone thrives on the same things. It feels like lots of posters here are insisting everyone values the same things when that’s obviously not the case.

This is really the essence, right here.

Actually all humans want more space. It’s human nature. It’s simply a left wing talking point that living in a tiny flat is preferable. Every European buys the most space that they can for the location. The British are living in tiny old houses because that’s what’s available and all they can afford.

Why do you think many people choose to live in smaller, more expensive inner city places? It bemuses me that you don’t get that people have different priorities. While I loved living in London. I actually grew up in a large suburban house in another country. It would make DH laugh to hear me described as left wing. Why would my political leanings have any bearing on this?

[Anonymous]

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

This.
OP is just another ugly 'Murcan who thinks their mcMansion in the sticks is the center of the universe. Well, she is free to enjoy her farm in West Virginia, no one is forcing her to move to Rome

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

That’s great for you but do you understand not everyone wants a large home? I moved from a small house in a bustling vibrant part of London to a house which was twice the size in Bethesda. I was happier in London. I found even the inner suburbs of Bethesda quiet, boring and a bit lonely. Not everyone thrives on the same things. It feels like lots of posters here are insisting everyone values the same things when that’s obviously not the case.

This is really the essence, right here.

Actually all humans want more space. It’s human nature. It’s simply a left wing talking point that living in a tiny flat is preferable. Every European buys the most space that they can for the location. The British are living in tiny old houses because that’s what’s available and all they can afford.

What do you know about 'human nature'? You are such an idiot your 'points' aren't even worth debating

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what socialist welfare states do to the economy. US take note. Don't take the same path. Vote Republican.

Ahh yes because the average American is so well off under the current capitalism system. Those tax cuts for the rich are going to trickle down any day now … and surely it will all get better with unfettered AI.

The current capitalist system certainly did well for me. You must be waiting for govt handouts instead of making it happen for yourself. Typical lib.

I’m a first gen college grad who went on to law school and live an UMC life in a high earning dual income household. I don’t need any “hand outs,” but unlike selfish republicans, I actually care about my fellow Americans who can’t replicate this lifestyle. Not everyone can have high paying white collar jobs (and with AI even fewer people will going forward). It shouldn’t take an advanced degree and six figure income to get cancer treatment or send your kid to college.

Why can't it be replicated? If you're a first gen college grad who did it, why can't others in the same situation do it? What made you accomplish this? Are you somehow different? Why do you think Republicans are selfish (be specific and not anecdotal)? Do you believe in making it happen for yourself and personal responsibility? What's stopping you from writing additional checks to the IRS so you can contribute more to our responsible government helping the "average American" (and fraudster)? Your school/work experience actually proves the point that in our capitalist system, you make what you want for yourself. In a socialist system, there's no incentive to work hard, take risk, and make something of yourself since any success you have will be redistributed to the masses. Also, AI is coming after your law job. Hope you saved a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

And yet your large home and safe cars (and the infrastructure that goes with them) are absolutely killing the environment and ruining your kids’ and grandkids’ futures.

But glad you have your priorities straight, Tubby.

I’m sure you hate large homes and SUVs but still travel internationally and eat fruits and vegetables flown here from across the globe.

The all or nothing finger pointing defense of the mouth breathing [b]lardo.

Yikes. If you have to resort to name calling then maybe your agenda isn’t that strong?

How do you know I don’t drive an EV and power my large home with solar panels?

Makes me think your environmental stance is more political or cultural than actually caring about the environment.

It wouldn’t make a single difference. EVs, suburban solar panels, etc. are bandaids. The actual problems are systemic, and you’re exhibit A - you not only feel entitled to a giant house and giant cars, you also feel entitled to determine that EVERYBODY ELSE does or should want the same. Despite the myriad people telling you that you’re wrong - many of us don’t want the socially isolated, gas guzzling, waste for the sake of waste upper middle class suburban lifestyle.

Your type feels entitled to, for example, enact or support zoning laws that reflect YOUR preferences. Your type feels entitled to make the rest of us entirely dependent on cars just because YOU like living that way, and having fewer lanes, or some of your precious tax dollars pay for public transportation, etc. are non-starters in your entitled brain.

[Anonymous]

Once the EU falls apart and countries clean up their immigration mess things will pick up for European countries. Took them a while to figure out the importance of national pride and a unified culture is what helps a country succeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what socialist welfare states do to the economy. US take note. Don't take the same path. Vote Republican.

Ahh yes because the average American is so well off under the current capitalism system. Those tax cuts for the rich are going to trickle down any day now … and surely it will all get better with unfettered AI.

The current capitalist system certainly did well for me. You must be waiting for govt handouts instead of making it happen for yourself. Typical lib.

I’m a first gen college grad who went on to law school and live an UMC life in a high earning dual income household. I don’t need any “hand outs,” but unlike selfish republicans, I actually care about my fellow Americans who can’t replicate this lifestyle. Not everyone can have high paying white collar jobs (and with AI even fewer people will going forward). It shouldn’t take an advanced degree and six figure income to get cancer treatment or send your kid to college.

Why can't it be replicated? If you're a first gen college grad who did it, why can't others in the same situation do it? What made you accomplish this? Are you somehow different? Why do you think Republicans are selfish (be specific and not anecdotal)? Do you believe in making it happen for yourself and personal responsibility? What's stopping you from writing additional checks to the IRS so you can contribute more to our responsible government helping the "average American" (and fraudster)? Your school/work experience actually proves the point that in our capitalist system, you make what you want for yourself. In a socialist system, there's no incentive to work hard, take risk, and make something of yourself since any success you have will be redistributed to the masses. Also, AI is coming after your law job. Hope you saved a lot.

NP. Only someone who does not understand their absurd privilege could possibly write this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

That’s great for you but do you understand not everyone wants a large home? I moved from a small house in a bustling vibrant part of London to a house which was twice the size in Bethesda. I was happier in London. I found even the inner suburbs of Bethesda quiet, boring and a bit lonely. Not everyone thrives on the same things. It feels like lots of posters here are insisting everyone values the same things when that’s obviously not the case.

This is really the essence, right here.

Actually all humans want more space. It’s human nature. It’s simply a left wing talking point that living in a tiny flat is preferable. Every European buys the most space that they can for the location. The British are living in tiny old houses because that’s what’s available and all they can afford.

Why do you think many people choose to live in smaller, more expensive inner city places? It bemuses me that you don’t get that people have different priorities. While I loved living in London. I actually grew up in a large suburban house in another country. It would make DH laugh to hear me described as left wing. Why would my political leanings have any bearing on this?

Because of the location. But they’d absolutely own a larger, nicer apartment in that inner city location, if financially possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d rather live in any of those places than here. The universal healthcare alone would be a relief.

Exactly.

a relief from what, available heatlhcare and quality? Yes it may be expensive but remember we make like twice the amount of europe and its doesn't cost as much comapred to the taxes on income.

? The amount we pay in premiums + deductible is about $20K for a family of 3 in the US.

I guess we need to make more to pay for the outrageous healthcare and college costs.

Our UMC friends in the UK don't have to worry about paying for health care costs or college that much. Sure, we may have more than them, but we worry more about paying for medical care. They are able to retire early and not worry about health insurance. We are forced to work longer just for the health insurance.

We're seriously thinking of living there for a few years before I qualify for medicare (spouse is a dual citizen). ACA premiums for a 60 yr old hdp is about $1000/month.

We did a cost comparison with our friends in the UK, and we pay a lot more than they do overall.

Our UK tax bracket would be 20%. There is no joint filing in the UK.

So, if each of us have an income of $65k (ish), we each get taxed 20% (13K). That tax amount (13k) ends up being lower than the expected healthcare costs of a 60 yr old person in the US.

So, yes, the UK is cheaper when you factor in how expensive healthcare is in the US.

I work for a f500 and do not pay anywhere close to 20k a year for healthcare. The numbers you're quoting is more for self employed people buying their own insurance. I did Google this and it seems like the average family of 4 pays between 6-7k and year with the employer covering the rest.

The average UK student graduates from university with a higher debt than the average American graduate. Google says it's 53,000 pounds, or $71k. The average college debt in the US is $43k. And starting salaries for college grads in the US is a lot higher.

So be careful when cherry picking your examples.

Americans have to work until 65 so they don't have to pay $20K/year on healthcare.

Also, not all employers in the US pay for health insurance. As a matter of fact, about 15% to 20% of the population had zero health insurance before ACA. These were not all self employed people. And now, of course, thanks to Rs, many have lost their ACA insurance.

Americans have less college debt in part because we the taxpayers bail them out, and some of the colleges here are rich. But, it's not about debt. It's about how much we are paying for college here compared to the UK.

I recall a French person on this forum saying that they like how they can make more money here, and their private insurance here is great, but if they lost their job due to illness they'd probably move back to France. The majority of bankruptcies in the US are due to medical reasons. That's unheard of in Europe.

America is a great place to make money, not have a quality of life. We have less leave, vacation, more pesticides in our food, more big corp money involved in our everyday of life - food, politics, etc.. It's insidious.

Glass is half full or half empty, eh?

Average age of retirement in UK is 65, same with Germany. So seems like a moot point.

I lived in the UK for years and in an UMC world. You're spinning a scenario that isn't typical. What I saw was people working long hours, with long commutes, with pleasant but not extravagant lives, and constant money worries especially affording good housing and school fees for children. Most also had some kind of private insurance access.

Contrary to what another poster idealized on here, administrators or national health care systems aren't focused on the best possible care but stretching out a reasonable standard of care among a bigger and bigger population (FYI health care expenditures are also soaring in UK, funding the NHS and where the money actually goes is a perennial political football topic, complaints about a bloated bureaucracy, controlling costs and unaccountability are widespread).

I am sure we can all agree Denmark and similar countries are winners, but they are also small, highly homogenous, wealthy, in other words, they have it easier.

Add tiny, badly insulated homes. Although I get many people on here dream of cramming a family of four into a small house in Europe and driving an overpriced hatchback.

The ability to own a large, comfortable home and drive large, comfortable cars is something many liberals detest, but unfortunately really does make a huge difference in your QOL.

The tiny house/flat and daily grocery runs are romanticized on the internet.

Instead I see my friends barely scraping by to pay for a very small and unimpressive home and going to BS jobs that pay 50% the salary they would here. They just shop frequently because they don’t have room in their tiny house and fridge. Then taking multiple kids on public transport in the rain. Yes living the dream. Thank god they aren’t living in a McMansion in Dallas.

This is actually an excellent lifestyle if you’re not an obese, lazy, wasteful $hit. Sorry it wouldn’t work for you.

Well I’m none of those things and try to bike whenever possible. But I absolutely love my large, nice home and new, safe cars. I try to look for the positive in things and as an American I greatly appreciate having so much space, land and the ability to live in such a nice home.

And yet your large home and safe cars (and the infrastructure that goes with them) are absolutely killing the environment and ruining your kids’ and grandkids’ futures.

But glad you have your priorities straight, Tubby.

I’m sure you hate large homes and SUVs but still travel internationally and eat fruits and vegetables flown here from across the globe.

The all or nothing finger pointing defense of the mouth breathing [b]lardo.

Yikes. If you have to resort to name calling then maybe your agenda isn’t that strong?

How do you know I don’t drive an EV and power my large home with solar panels?

Makes me think your environmental stance is more political or cultural than actually caring about the environment.

It wouldn’t make a single difference. EVs, suburban solar panels, etc. are bandaids. The actual problems are systemic, and you’re exhibit A - you not only feel entitled to a giant house and giant cars, you also feel entitled to determine that EVERYBODY ELSE does or should want the same. Despite the myriad people telling you that you’re wrong - many of us don’t want the socially isolated, gas guzzling, waste for the sake of waste upper middle class suburban lifestyle.

Your type feels entitled to, for example, enact or support zoning laws that reflect YOUR preferences. Your type feels entitled to make the rest of us entirely dependent on cars just because YOU like living that way, and having fewer lanes, or some of your precious tax dollars pay for public transportation, etc. are non-starters in your entitled brain.

Do you travel internationally? Eat avocados? Drink bottled water or expensive wine? Eat almonds?

You can criticize someone all they want, but most likely you’re just spewing carbon all over the globe with travel instead of being happy living where you are and enjoying your community.

I’ve never met someone who preaches about small houses, small cars, the environment and doesn’t also travel the globe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what socialist welfare states do to the economy. US take note. Don't take the same path. Vote Republican.

Ahh yes because the average American is so well off under the current capitalism system. Those tax cuts for the rich are going to trickle down any day now … and surely it will all get better with unfettered AI.

The current capitalist system certainly did well for me. You must be waiting for govt handouts instead of making it happen for yourself. Typical lib.

I’m a first gen college grad who went on to law school and live an UMC life in a high earning dual income household. I don’t need any “hand outs,” but unlike selfish republicans, I actually care about my fellow Americans who can’t replicate this lifestyle. Not everyone can have high paying white collar jobs (and with AI even fewer people will going forward). It shouldn’t take an advanced degree and six figure income to get cancer treatment or send your kid to college.

Why can't it be replicated? If you're a first gen college grad who did it, why can't others in the same situation do it? What made you accomplish this? Are you somehow different? Why do you think Republicans are selfish (be specific and not anecdotal)? Do you believe in making it happen for yourself and personal responsibility? What's stopping you from writing additional checks to the IRS so you can contribute more to our responsible government helping the "average American" (and fraudster)? Your school/work experience actually proves the point that in our capitalist system, you make what you want for yourself. In a socialist system, there's no incentive to work hard, take risk, and make something of yourself since any success you have will be redistributed to the masses. Also, AI is coming after your law job. Hope you saved a lot.

NP. Only someone who does not understand their absurd privilege could possibly write this.

Oh brother…another idiot lib who can’t make an argument and defend their views. Explain the privilege the PP has please.