Americans are stoopid

[gingermeggs]

Do you have any evidence for that? The US is a continent. I'm not advocating tariffs on other developed countries or with OPEC countries so there would be plenty of resources.

Sounds like your solution is for Americans to reduce themselves to third-world standards of living to show some solidarity.

We've been here before in other posts, you got a little costly coal(need to move mountains to get at) and a bit of gas, your oil wells are sucking sand and your deep water stuff is might difficult to get(who will trade with an environmental vandal?). Lets just hope the bees don't all die.
The Tech industry is your greatest hope for trade in the future, I believe if anyone can better fossil fuels, the USA can!

 

[Infohawk]

We've been here before in other posts, you got a little costly coal(need to move mountains to get at) and a bit of gas, your oil wells are sucking sand and your deep water stuff is might difficult to get(who will trade with an environmental vandal?). Lets just hope the bees don't all die.
The Tech industry is your greatest hope for trade in the future, I believe if anyone can better fossil fuels, the USA can!

If you were paying attention you'd notice that I'm not saying the US should stop all trade...

 

[Kadarin]

I'm too stoopid to read all of that.

Although, I do agree that "The American dream is for all intensive purposes dead."

I'm also too stoopid to know that's supposed to be "for all intents and purposes".

GOD! WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVES ME BRAINZ?????!!!!!

No idear. Y'er gunna need an escape goat.

 

[gingermeggs]

No idear. Y'er gunna need an escape goat.

looks like he already has one- GOD!
Kinda proves he's stoopid.

 

[randomrogue]

What stats do you have that show that Europeans are significantly better off than Americans? Sure, there might be more income inequality in the US but the US also has higher income. The US is not identical to these other countries, but there pretty much in the same boat.

Do you really think any western economies are independent of American ones? Do you really think Canada could really survive if the US economy tanked?

It's like juvenile internet posters who whine about American society being violent and crazy and then you see riots in Vancouver and London. I suspect these people are mostly just poorly-traveled people who don't understand what other countries are really like. If they traveled to a third-world country they would actually see what chaos and poverty is.

As a simple observation I will point out:

Europe

1. Free healthcare
2. Free education (Europeans have the equivalent of a 2 year college degree when they graduate from high school but that's mostly due to the fact that our high school system is in shambles)
3. Pension is state run
4. More vacation
5. Very little litigation
6. Better transportation

In exchange for

1. Lower salaries
2. Sometimes higher taxes but only at the bottom brackets from what I can see. You might spend 5% more (depends on your state) at the top. This can vary quite a bit by country. Generally speaking though the US tax advantage is disappearing and the salary advantage is not that far behind.

Both Europe and the USA struggle with immigration, racism, and class differences but in different ways.

 

[HAL9000]

Lol @ "all intensive purposes"

 

[Infohawk]

As a simple observation I will point out:

Totally obvious and doesn't really prove that Europe is objectively better-off. These are subjective policies choices made by different democracies.

In case you jumped into the thread without reading previous posts I am merely pointing out that RbSX's comment about Europe being better-off of is silly. And it goes back to my original point: Europeans and Canadians who act like the current economic problems of the US are unique are being ridiculous and such comments are generally (but not always) associated with being young hipsters without much actual knowledge of life in other countries.

 

[HAL9000]

Totally obvious and doesn't really prove that Europe is objectively better-off. These are subjective policies choices made by different democracies.

In case you jumped into the thread without reading previous posts I am merely pointing out that RbSX's comment about Europe being better-off of is silly. And it goes back to my original point: Europeans and Canadians who act like the current economic problems of the US are unique are being ridiculous and such comments are generally (but not always) associated with being young hipsters without much actual knowledge of life in other countries.

I think you'd have to be a fool to think that the economic crisis at the moment is exclusively an American concern, but it is quite clear that America has a far greater debt than any other country in the world, while things aren't great in the UK at the moment, things are slowly getting better here.

 

[randomrogue]

I jumped in to make a side point. I agree with you but in my case my observations are due to living on both continents. I've moved back and forth a few times. Last time I moved back to the USA because I felt like the salaries were so much higher and the taxes so much lower. I can tell you that's not the case anymore. A lot of this has to do with unemployment and the way the US skews the numbers. Our unemployment numbers are so high that employers are able to drive salaries into the ground. If you've been job searching or are looking for an employee the amount of applicants is staggering and this is emboldening employers to get more for less.

Being better off is a subjective thing. Better off how? Some people measure their standard of living simply off the balance in their bank account. In that case it is tough to argue against the standard being higher in the states. However if you have a different value system that involves a few more things such as the ones I listed above you might come to a different conclusion. I have friends who get 2.5 months of paid vacation. To some that might tip the scales heavily in favor of them having a higher standard of living.

I should add something to my list above. Something that I am struggling to completely understand after my last stay in Europe...they seem to be utilizing technology better. They have better internet, environmental standards and gas mileage, better mobile communication networks, etc. I don't understand why we have fallen behind.

 

[randomrogue]

I think you'd have to be a fool to think that the economic crisis at the moment is exclusively an American concern, but it is quite clear that America has a far greater debt than any other country in the world, while things aren't great in the UK at the moment, things are slowly getting better here.

Read a foriegn newspaper. Europe is bracing for an American recession or depression. They are also bracing for problems in a few of their own member states such as Portugal, Spain, and I think Italy. However I think you're overly optimistic if you think things are getting better in the states. Things are getting much worse. Unemployement is not improving. A jobless recovery is not a recovery in my opinion. It's still above 9% and those numbers are very misleading.

 

[HAL9000]

I jumped in to make a side point. I agree with you but in my case my observations are due to living on both continents. I've moved back and forth a few times. Last time I moved back to the USA because I felt like the salaries were so much higher and the taxes so much lower. I can tell you that's not the case anymore. A lot of this has to do with unemployment and the way the US skews the numbers. Our unemployment numbers are so high that employers are able to drive salaries into the ground. If you've been job searching or are looking for an employee the amount of applicants is staggering and this is emboldening employers to get more for less.

Being better off is a subjective thing. Better off how? Some people measure their standard of living simply off the balance in their bank account. In that case it is tough to argue against the standard being higher in the states. However if you have a different value system that involves a few more things such as the ones I listed above you might come to a different conclusion. I have friends who get 2.5 months of paid vacation. To some that might tip the scales heavily in favor of them having a higher standard of living.

I should add something to my list above. Something that I am struggling to completely understand after my last stay in Europe...they seem to be utilizing technology better. They have better internet, environmental standards and gas mileage, better mobile communication networks, etc. I don't understand why we have fallen behind.

I have to definitely agree with the last statement here, technology in Europe is, as ever, being utilised as much as possible, I was slightly baffled when I was in America with regards to Internet connections and mobile phone networks, the Internet seemed very slow and the phone networks were apalling! Not only did I lose signal in city centres! But also the phones for sale were so out of date/ low tech by UK standards... Also it amazes me to say that at one point I didn't have 3G signal in time square in new York!

 

[HAL9000]

Read a foriegn newspaper. Europe is bracing for an American recession or depression. They are also bracing for problems in a few of their own member states such as Portugal, Spain, and I think Italy. However I think you're overly optimistic if you think things are getting better in the states. Things are getting much worse. Unemployement is not improving. A jobless recovery is not a recovery in my opinion. It's still above 9% and those numbers are very misleading.

Sorry I think you misread my post, I'm from the UK and I'm saying things are getting better here. America seems to be getting worse.

 

[randomrogue]

They advertise not where you get your signal, but where you DON'T! 100mbps connections are becoming the norm.

 

[HAL9000]

They advertise not where you get your signal, but where you DON'T! 100mbps connections are becoming the norm.

Agreed

<--100Mb

 

[randomrogue]

Yeah well I have 6mbps and that's what I was using in Hostels and Hotels in Europe over their wirelss network. Was very funny. I might be off a bit but I think those USB dialup connections you can buy super cheap in Europe run at about 6mbps.

 

[Infohawk]

but it is quite clear that America has a far greater debt than any other country in the world, while things aren't great in the UK at the moment, things are slowly getting better here.

The American debt thing is blown way out of proportion. Depending on what exact kind of debt you're talking about Europe has more debt in many cases. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_external_debt is just one example showing external debt in the UK is about 4 times as much as the US)

It's a weird time to be saying that things are slowly getting better in the UK when stocks are falling as we speak. It would be naive for you to think that the UK is going to bounce back and that the US would not.

Again, the US and Europe are pretty much in the same boat.

 

[Infohawk]

I jumped in to make a side point.

I'm not really interested in discussing which place is better to live for a given person. I'm addressing posts like Hal's that suggest Europe is doing better economically than the US or that the US is suffocating under debt while Europe is just scooting along nicely. Ridiculous.

 

[randomrogue]

I think it might be easier to compare a state to an individual country in Europe. Europe has a lot of countries. More than I can count on one hand. Pick a couple good and a couple bad. Some that might hold our interest since I doubt many care about the economy of Poland as it compares to South Dakota.

Take our strongest state economically and start comparing it. California.

 

[Infohawk]

I think it might be easier to compare a state to an individual country in Europe. Europe has a lot of countries. More than I can count on one hand. Pick a couple good and a couple bad. Some that might hold our interest since I doubt many care about the economy of Poland as it compares to South Dakota.

Take our strongest state economically and start comparing it. California.

Uhh... no thanks.

 

[randomrogue]

Unemployment


UK
2.45 million
7.7&#37;
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=12

CA
2,133,600
11.8%
http://www.edd.ca.gov/About_EDD/Quick_Statistics.htm

 

[randomrogue]

Spain 20.9
Ireland 14.0
Portugal 12.4
France 9.5
Italy 8.1
Belgium 7.3
Germany 6.0
Norway 3.4

Canada 7.2
Mexico 5.5

 

[Macamus Prime]

He should move to France and get French benefits.

They are doing it 1,000 better than we ever could. Full medical in France.

Meanwhile, here in the US, a band aid results in a $10,000 medical bill,... all because your capitalist corporate overlords demand profits.

Your average American is manipulated by greedy scum bags. It's been going on since the 70s. And, none of you have learned. You just follow loud mouth conservative idiots, who rarely practice what they preach, because they dig into your fears of "ethnics".

Americans can be xenophobic and if not xenophobic, they are down right racists.

It's a shame, you learned ONE thing and ONE thing only. And it's what leading you into a cage for the rest of your lives and lives of future generations.

 

[randomrogue]

Since you've obviously taken an extreme position let me tell you how it really is.

Health Care in the states is definitely better than anything I've had in Europe. However it is really expensive and due to their fear of litigation they run extensive and often unecessary tests that increase the costs. However if you're looking for the best there is and/or you have a great government job with full benefits then you're getting much better health care than any European.

A band aid doesn't cost that much. However one pill of tylenol will be billed for 100 dollars. It then of course gets reduced by the insurance company. If you don't have insurance and can afford it then it will cost you 100 bucks. If you don't have insurance and are poor then the emergency room will take care of you and bill the state.

The racist thing varies by location just like it does in Europe. Blanket statements like that are ignorant.

 

[HAL9000]

Since you've obviously taken an extreme position let me tell you how it really is.

Health Care in the states is definitely better than anything I've had in Europe. However it is really expensive and due to their fear of litigation they run extensive and often unecessary tests that increase the costs. However if you're looking for the best there is and/or you have a great government job with full benefits then you're getting much better health care than any European.

A band aid doesn't cost that much. However one pill of tylenol will be billed for 100 dollars. It then of course gets reduced by the insurance company. If you don't have insurance and can afford it then it will cost you 100 bucks. If you don't have insurance and are poor then the emergency room will take care of you and bill the state.

The racist thing varies by location just like it does in Europe. Blanket statements like that are ignorant.

I'm wholeheartedly impressed with health care in the uk, I haven't been treated in the US so I can't compare, I've got friends in the US that say the health care is excellent, if expensive. As for racism, I was very shocked by the racial divides in the USA compared to the UK, it's definitely a bigger deal over there than here

 

[randomrogue]

Worst racism I've ever seen? New Orleans and Northern Europe. Most tolerant places I've been? California, London, Mumbai, and Vancouver.