I can state catagorically Cybersax, that every single American I know personally from my travels through the US, are envious of of the working 'conditions & awards' we have (Australians & Europeans think its ridiculous the way Americans will go half way arround the world on a 5 day vacation - it just doesnt make sense, the whole point of an economy is to benefit its people, so it just doesnt make economic sense for people to have 1 to 2 weeks annual leave a year) & the healthcare system we also have in Australia. when I tell people I can just go to a doctor mostly of my own chosing & all I have to is slide a plastic card in a machine & the govt pays he bill, yet it actually saves the govt money, they shake their heads in wonder (we mustn't forget that the US healthcare system is the most expensive in the world, both as a percentage of GNP & per-capita too. Hence even though its extremly rare for a room full of economists to agree on anything, virtually all economists agree that if the US intoduced a universal health system the GDP of the US would grow by 2% virtually overnight. Especially when one considers the US population is aging with the baby-boomers already starting to reach retirement age).