Why do Americans want European style Entitlements?

[peach174]

Sorry, but is the OP testimony to the insular American consciousness and/or laughable education system?

Peach174,

It can be quite stimmulating living in Europe. We're actually encouraged to think for ourselves and not believe everything the television tells us.

I live in a house that I own (on a mortgage). I have several closets in my house. Assuming a "bathroom closet" is what we in Europe, not just mainland, call a toilet, I have two of those.

I own a tumble dryer (clothes dryer). And, depending on the weather, it normally takes about a couple of hours for our clothes to dry outside on the line. Didn't know there was ome kind of Trans-Atlantic competition on the time it takes to dry clothes.

I have carpets throughout the 1st floor and laminate flooring throughout the ground floor. My choice. The EU didn't dictate to me on how to furnish my house. Nor are they likely to.

I have an adequate refrigerator that's also plumbed. Can you say the same? There's also a chest freezer in the shed, that has working, non-subsidised lighting in it and everything.

I need neither A/C or an ice maker. Why would I?

Plumbing's fine. Pressure, too.

My windows open inwards like a door. I can take a picture if you like.

Bugs get in everywhere. They don't make exceptions based on what continent they're on.

Where do you get this nonsense?

Are you high?

Bugs don't get into my home, ecept for an occasionally fly or two.
You also live in England, not Sweden or Germany.
I have heard that your plumbing has become better than it was around 40 or 50 years ago.
I talk to the people that live there. One person that was on this board wanted to know how hard it was to move here to America. I also talk to the immigrants that moved from their countries.
I never said that all were living like that, but many are living like that.
Still your taxes are quite high and so is your gas.
I don't know about your food.
A one gal. of whole milk here costs around 2.59
How much does your's cost?

What I was talking about was flats not homes.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Europe is not so socialist, the map here is from 17.11.11. France are now red and Spain blue.

Right wing in Europe is a far cry from right wing here in the U.S. Your nations with center right coalitions are still socialist nations. They make little efforts, if any, to change that. A lot of your right wingers are still to the left of many of our Democrats.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Right wing in Europe is a far cry from right wing here in the U.S. Your nations with center right coalitions are still socialist nations. They make little efforts, if any, to change that. A lot of your right wingers are still to the left of many of our Democrats.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[Swagger]

Peach,

The occasional bug doesn't really concern me.

If you're basing your research on Sweden, you may be on to something. They pay 80% tax that covers all their amenities. Indeed, there's plenty of room for personal complacency re. looking after yourself instead of relying on the government. However, Sweden is a very sparsely populated.

Modern plumbing was pioneered in Britain, thanks in great part to the Victorians. I haven't noticed any dips or spikes in pressure recently. Although most of the Victorian sewer networks are being replaced with concrete and plastic ducting.

Taxes are banded i.e - the amount you pay depends on what you earn, but are always subject to change depending on the incumbent government. It's a much hotter topic here than it is on the continent. I'm self-employed, which means I claim back a lot on my VAT, which is currently set at 17.5%.

Food's good. Depending on where you shop, of course.

I pay exactly £1.18 for four pints of whole milk in almost every supermarket.

 

[High_Gravity]

What the poll does say is that's it's all relative.
Would Americans be happier if their healthcare costs were at the same level they are in 99% of the rest of the world? Damn straight they would be happier. In the rest of the world, nations negotiate the pricing of healthcare with healthcare providers, thus the cost per capita is about half what we pay in America and it doesn't cost taxes to do so.
Would Europeans be happier if they lived in McMansions like many Americans do, you bet!
It's all relative, isn't it?

Free health care isn't all its cracked up to be, health care is free in Egypt but I wouldn't eben take my dog to those shit hole hospitals.

Healthcare isn't exactly free in Europe, taxes pay for their socialistic system. But then again, their healthcare is as good as the US, it's just a hell of alot cheaper.
If the US adopted the concept of negotiating the healthcare prices, the American citizens and businesses would have much more expendable income and thusly strengthen our economy. Consumers would have more money to spend and businesses would have more capital to expand and hire more workers.

I'm not too familiar about the healthcare situation in Europe, so I'll take your word for it.

 

[High_Gravity]

Peach,

The occasional bug doesn't really concern me.

If you're basing your research on Sweden, you may be on to something. They pay 80% tax that covers all their amenities. Indeed, there's plenty of room for personal complacency re. looking after yourself instead of relying on the government. However, Sweden is a very sparsely populated.

Modern plumbing was pioneered in Britain, thanks in great part to the Victorians. I haven't noticed any dips or spikes in pressure recently. Although most of the Victorian sewer networks are being replaced with concrete and plastic ducting.

Taxes are banded i.e - the amount you pay depends on what you earn, but are always subject to change depending on the incumbent government. It's a much hotter topic here than it is on the continent. I'm self-employed, which means I claim back a lot on my VAT, which is currently set at 17.5%.

Food's good. Depending on where you shop, of course.

I pay exactly £1.18 for four pints of whole milk in almost every supermarket.

How much is a six pack of beer in England and how much is a pack of smokes? somebody needs to ask the important questions.

 

[kiwiman127]

Europe is not so socialist, the map here is from 17.11.11. France are now red and Spain blue.

Right wing in Europe is a far cry from right wing here in the U.S. Your nations with center right coalitions are still socialist nations. They make little efforts, if any, to change that. A lot of your right wingers are still to the left of many of our Democrats.

Yup. I spent quite a bit of time on the now defunct MSN-UK boards and also the old The Atlantic boards, both boards attracted Europe's far right element and was I surprised. Even the ultra right Euros were more liberal the your basic RINOs.
The general consensus was that America's far right were nuts/dangerous. No lie. Even as an American moderate, I found myself defending America's conservatives and of course I was defending America in general.

 

[Swagger]

Peach,

The occasional bug doesn't really concern me.

If you're basing your research on Sweden, you may be on to something. They pay 80% tax that covers all their amenities. Indeed, there's plenty of room for personal complacency re. looking after yourself instead of relying on the government. However, Sweden is a very sparsely populated.

Modern plumbing was pioneered in Britain, thanks in great part to the Victorians. I haven't noticed any dips or spikes in pressure recently. Although most of the Victorian sewer networks are being replaced with concrete and plastic ducting.

Taxes are banded i.e - the amount you pay depends on what you earn, but are always subject to change depending on the incumbent government. It's a much hotter topic here than it is on the continent. I'm self-employed, which means I claim back a lot on my VAT, which is currently set at 17.5%.

Food's good. Depending on where you shop, of course.

I pay exactly £1.18 for four pints of whole milk in almost every supermarket.

How much is a six pack of beer in England and how much is a pack of smokes? somebody needs to ask the important questions.

Ha Ha! Indeed they do. A six pack of lager (baring in mind that beer in Europe is stronger than in the US, and of a much higher standard - no offence) in the UK - where alcohol is the cheapest in Western Europe - is £4-5. A twenty deck of decent smokes is very expensive. Roughly £6-7. Though I smoke rolling tobacco, which, at £3.50 for half an ounce of decent shag (my personal choice is Cutter's Choice), works out at around 20 to 30 hand-rolled cigarettes.

 

[High_Gravity]

Peach,

The occasional bug doesn't really concern me.

If you're basing your research on Sweden, you may be on to something. They pay 80% tax that covers all their amenities. Indeed, there's plenty of room for personal complacency re. looking after yourself instead of relying on the government. However, Sweden is a very sparsely populated.

Modern plumbing was pioneered in Britain, thanks in great part to the Victorians. I haven't noticed any dips or spikes in pressure recently. Although most of the Victorian sewer networks are being replaced with concrete and plastic ducting.

Taxes are banded i.e - the amount you pay depends on what you earn, but are always subject to change depending on the incumbent government. It's a much hotter topic here than it is on the continent. I'm self-employed, which means I claim back a lot on my VAT, which is currently set at 17.5%.

Food's good. Depending on where you shop, of course.

I pay exactly £1.18 for four pints of whole milk in almost every supermarket.

How much is a six pack of beer in England and how much is a pack of smokes? somebody needs to ask the important questions.

Ha Ha! Indeed they do. A six pack of lager (baring in mind that beer in Europe is stronger than in the US, and of a much higher standard - no offence) in the UK - where alcohol is the cheapest in Western Europe - is £4-5. A twenty deck of decent smokes is very expensive. Roughly £6-7. Though I smoke rolling tobacco, which, at £3.50 for half an ounce of decent shag (my personal choice is Cutter's Choice), works out at around 20 to 30 hand-rolled cigarettes.

Oh I believe you, most beers in the US are of lower alcohol content than overseas besides some of the malt liquors. 6-7 pounds for a pack of smokes? yikes, for some reason I thought it might be cheaper, I'm paying almost 6 bucks now for a pack of Newport's.

 

[Swagger]

Europe is not so socialist, the map here is from 17.11.11. France are now red and Spain blue.

Right wing in Europe is a far cry from right wing here in the U.S. Your nations with center right coalitions are still socialist nations. They make little efforts, if any, to change that. A lot of your right wingers are still to the left of many of our Democrats.

Yup. I spent quite a bit of time on the now defunct MSN-UK boards and also the old The Atlantic boards, both boards attracted Europe's far right element and was I surprised. Even the ultra right Euros were more liberal the your basic RINOs.
The general consensus was that America's far right were nuts/dangerous. No lie. Even as an American moderate, I found myself defending America's conservatives and of course I was defending America in general.

You're going to need to differentiate between the British right and far right and the European right and far right. British conservatives, libertarians and the far-right nearly all support private healthcare over public; prefer small governmant; support lax firearms control. Apart from the religious angle and pandering to Israel (a bizarre, almost one-sided arrangement), we're fairly aligned.

 

[peach174]

Peach,

The occasional bug doesn't really concern me.

If you're basing your research on Sweden, you may be on to something. They pay 80% tax that covers all their amenities. Indeed, there's plenty of room for personal complacency re. looking after yourself instead of relying on the government. However, Sweden is a very sparsely populated.

Modern plumbing was pioneered in Britain, thanks in great part to the Victorians. I haven't noticed any dips or spikes in pressure recently. Although most of the Victorian sewer networks are being replaced with concrete and plastic ducting.

Taxes are banded i.e - the amount you pay depends on what you earn, but are always subject to change depending on the incumbent government. It's a much hotter topic here than it is on the continent. I'm self-employed, which means I claim back a lot on my VAT, which is currently set at 17.5%.

Food's good. Depending on where you shop, of course.

I pay exactly £1.18 for four pints of whole milk in almost every supermarket.

So 8 pints, which would be our 1 gal. would cost you 3.76 in our dollars.
I pay 2.59 for 8 pints.
Prices differ in each state because of state taxes.
So like in N.Y. & Calif. milk would be much higher.

 

[Euro]

How much is a six pack of beer in England and how much is a pack of smokes? somebody needs to ask the important questions.

Ha Ha! Indeed they do. A six pack of lager (baring in mind that beer in Europe is stronger than in the US, and of a much higher standard - no offence) in the UK - where alcohol is the cheapest in Western Europe - is £4-5. A twenty deck of decent smokes is very expensive. Roughly £6-7. Though I smoke rolling tobacco, which, at £3.50 for half an ounce of decent shag (my personal choice is Cutter's Choice), works out at around 20 to 30 hand-rolled cigarettes.

Oh I believe you, most beers in the US are of lower alcohol content than overseas besides some of the malt liquors. 6-7 pounds for a pack of smokes? yikes, for some reason I thought it might be cheaper, I'm paying almost 6 bucks now for a pack of Newport's.

Norway: 20 marlboros: 12$
Norway: 6 budweisers: 25$
Norway: 1 gallon gas: 10$

Not cheap..........

 

[High_Gravity]

Ha Ha! Indeed they do. A six pack of lager (baring in mind that beer in Europe is stronger than in the US, and of a much higher standard - no offence) in the UK - where alcohol is the cheapest in Western Europe - is £4-5. A twenty deck of decent smokes is very expensive. Roughly £6-7. Though I smoke rolling tobacco, which, at £3.50 for half an ounce of decent shag (my personal choice is Cutter's Choice), works out at around 20 to 30 hand-rolled cigarettes.

Oh I believe you, most beers in the US are of lower alcohol content than overseas besides some of the malt liquors. 6-7 pounds for a pack of smokes? yikes, for some reason I thought it might be cheaper, I'm paying almost 6 bucks now for a pack of Newport's.

Norway: 20 marlboros: 12$
Norway: 6 budweisers: 25$
Norway: 1 gallon gas: 10$

Not cheap..........

6 budweisers for $25? fuck that.

 

[California Girl]

Do most Americans have any idea what it is like to live in Europe?
Due to Entitlements they have Basic comfort but the trade off is atrocious.
High prices on everything from gas, to food, to clothes and housing and products.

Living with basic comfort gives you no innovation,no ambition,no desire to achieve and when you get the idea in your head to achieve, the gov. treats you with drugs to tamper the urger's down.
There is no competition and you are always discouraged.
It is very boring to live in Europe.

The living conditions there are horrible.

They have small living spaces with no closets, no bathroom cabinets.
They have no clothes dryer, why? Because of the cost in energy, no space to put one and it's not enviro friendly.
They dry their clothes inside their small apartments most of the time because of the weather and it takes 10 hours for them to dry.
They have no carpets, just rugs
They have small refrigerators like the ones used in college dorms.
They have no A/C or ice makers.
The plumbing sucks.
They have no screens on their windows because their windows can swing 360 degrees.
Bugs fly into your place.
This is the results for being taken care of by the government.

Why would any American want to live this way?
Freedom is much better than government taking care of you from cradle to grave.

Clearly you have never been to Europe.... while I agree with your comment about the trade off between high prices and entitlements... the majority of the rest of your post is, sadly, complete fucking bullshit.

 

[peach174]

Peach,

The occasional bug doesn't really concern me.

If you're basing your research on Sweden, you may be on to something. They pay 80% tax that covers all their amenities. Indeed, there's plenty of room for personal complacency re. looking after yourself instead of relying on the government. However, Sweden is a very sparsely populated.

Modern plumbing was pioneered in Britain, thanks in great part to the Victorians. I haven't noticed any dips or spikes in pressure recently. Although most of the Victorian sewer networks are being replaced with concrete and plastic ducting.

Taxes are banded i.e - the amount you pay depends on what you earn, but are always subject to change depending on the incumbent government. It's a much hotter topic here than it is on the continent. I'm self-employed, which means I claim back a lot on my VAT, which is currently set at 17.5%.

Food's good. Depending on where you shop, of course.

I pay exactly £1.18 for four pints of whole milk in almost every supermarket.

How much is a six pack of beer in England and how much is a pack of smokes? somebody needs to ask the important questions.

Ha Ha! Indeed they do. A six pack of lager (baring in mind that beer in Europe is stronger than in the US, and of a much higher standard - no offence) in the UK - where alcohol is the cheapest in Western Europe - is £4-5. A twenty deck of decent smokes is very expensive. Roughly £6-7. Though I smoke rolling tobacco, which, at £3.50 for half an ounce of decent shag (my personal choice is Cutter's Choice), works out at around 20 to 30 hand-rolled cigarettes.

Wholly molly thats 6.37 to 7.96 dollars for a six pack of beer.
In America we can get a 24 pack for 5.65 pounds (that's 9.00 dollars in amercan money)

 

[code1211]

According to this Forbes article, the US ranks 10th as the happiest nation following nine "socialist" countries.
The World's Happiest (And Saddest) Countries - Christopher Helman - Forbes

Now, what does that say?

That doesn't really tell me much though, take a poll in North Korea or Iran and you will get results that say they are mostly happy also. I know those countries are not like that I am just saying.

What the poll does say is that's it's all relative.
Would Americans be happier if their healthcare costs were at the same level they are in 99% of the rest of the world? Damn straight they would be happier. In the rest of the world, nations negotiate the pricing of healthcare with healthcare providers, thus the cost per capita is about half what we pay in America and it doesn't cost taxes to do so.
Would Europeans be happier if they lived in McMansions like many Americans do, you bet!
It's all relative, isn't it?

Interesting thing about Healthcare, and everything else for that matter, is that you get what you pay for.

The survival term for cancer patients is about twice as long in the USA as it is in Europe with Socialized Medicine.

Result? When a guy like a Prince From Saudi Arabia who is interested only in quality of care needs treatment, he flies to the USA instead of Finland.

Do you really think a guy who could go anywhere and can afford to pay anything would intentionally go to the less than best provider when his life depends on it?

 

[peach174]

Do most Americans have any idea what it is like to live in Europe?
Due to Entitlements they have Basic comfort but the trade off is atrocious.
High prices on everything from gas, to food, to clothes and housing and products.

Living with basic comfort gives you no innovation,no ambition,no desire to achieve and when you get the idea in your head to achieve, the gov. treats you with drugs to tamper the urger's down.
There is no competition and you are always discouraged.
It is very boring to live in Europe.

The living conditions there are horrible.

They have small living spaces with no closets, no bathroom cabinets.
They have no clothes dryer, why? Because of the cost in energy, no space to put one and it's not enviro friendly.
They dry their clothes inside their small apartments most of the time because of the weather and it takes 10 hours for them to dry.
They have no carpets, just rugs
They have small refrigerators like the ones used in college dorms.
They have no A/C or ice makers.
The plumbing sucks.
They have no screens on their windows because their windows can swing 360 degrees.
Bugs fly into your place.
This is the results for being taken care of by the government.

Why would any American want to live this way?
Freedom is much better than government taking care of you from cradle to grave.

Clearly you have never been to Europe.... while I agree with your comment about the trade off between high prices and entitlements... the majority of the rest of your post is, sadly, complete fucking bullshit.

Once again CG, I am not talking about England.
I am talking about Sweden, Norway,Germany. etc. and I'm talking about apartments (flats) not homes.
So you just called my neighbors mother who is from Sweden a lier? Got news for you, she isn't a lier. She has no reason to lie.

 

[code1211]

To be honest guys...seriously...America is not a republic anymore.
It is a Plutocracy.
And the end game of a plutocracy will be living like Europeans without the social benefits they have.
The middle class is vanishing right before our eyes. At this rate, the Europeans will be better off than us in another 10 years. (Especially if Obama wins again)

If Obama wins, we're all screwed.

 

[peach174]

Peach,

The occasional bug doesn't really concern me.

If you're basing your research on Sweden, you may be on to something. They pay 80% tax that covers all their amenities. Indeed, there's plenty of room for personal complacency re. looking after yourself instead of relying on the government. However, Sweden is a very sparsely populated.

Modern plumbing was pioneered in Britain, thanks in great part to the Victorians. I haven't noticed any dips or spikes in pressure recently. Although most of the Victorian sewer networks are being replaced with concrete and plastic ducting.

Taxes are banded i.e - the amount you pay depends on what you earn, but are always subject to change depending on the incumbent government. It's a much hotter topic here than it is on the continent. I'm self-employed, which means I claim back a lot on my VAT, which is currently set at 17.5%.

Food's good. Depending on where you shop, of course.

I pay exactly £1.18 for four pints of whole milk in almost every supermarket.

How much is a six pack of beer in England and how much is a pack of smokes? somebody needs to ask the important questions.

Ha Ha! Indeed they do. A six pack of lager (baring in mind that beer in Europe is stronger than in the US, and of a much higher standard - no offence) in the UK - where alcohol is the cheapest in Western Europe - is £4-5. A twenty deck of decent smokes is very expensive. Roughly £6-7. Though I smoke rolling tobacco, which, at £3.50 for half an ounce of decent shag (my personal choice is Cutter's Choice), works out at around 20 to 30 hand-rolled cigarettes.

I agree with you, your beer is much better than here in the States.

 

[peach174]

Oh I believe you, most beers in the US are of lower alcohol content than overseas besides some of the malt liquors. 6-7 pounds for a pack of smokes? yikes, for some reason I thought it might be cheaper, I'm paying almost 6 bucks now for a pack of Newport's.

Norway: 20 marlboros: 12$
Norway: 6 budweisers: 25$
Norway: 1 gallon gas: 10$

Not cheap..........

6 budweisers for $25? fuck that.

See this is exactly my point American's, Entitlements cost way too much.
Obama is going the way of European Entiltlements.