Why is America so ace?

[Tree13]

Firstly, lol at 'as long as you don't get sick'.

Secondly, it depends what you mean by 'working class', you've fudged the issue further with the nebulous term 'modest wage'.
However, if we take minimum wage as the definition then there is no doubt whatsoever that you'd be better off in England.

Minimum wage in america means having to take 2 or 3 jobs. Texan minimum wage is currently less than £5.

LOL at the convenient total disregard for the vastly lower cost of living in the States. Virtually every consumer product or service is cheaper in the States, by a significant margin. See houses, land and petrol as the primary examples, which in turn have a knock-on effect on everything else. You don't NEED to be on the equivalent of £30k a year in the States to enjoy the same standard of living that such an income would buy you in the UK.

Private healthcare sadly is an easy target - politically in the UK it's seen as a disgusting means of oppression utilised by the rich to exterminate the poor. All I can say is, I insure my car and my house just like every other UK user of this forum, and neither are as valuable to me as my legs or eyes so guess what - I insure my health too. I simply don't understand the attitude of those who refuse to do so, especially when you consider how godawful the NHS has become. If you live in a country that does not provide mass free healthcare then more fool you if you don't take out insurance.

On the question of beer - UK mainstream beer is ****e. American mainstream beer is ****e. Anybody who drinks the uK-produced versions of carling, fosters, stella, kronenbourg, heineken etc etc is taking irony to the extreme by criticising budweiser or coors, because they are essentially the same. American craft beers are often outstandingly good, as are a vast number of UK ales, but the only good thing that comes out of a bar tap (as distinct from a hand pump) is guinness so why are you surprised when the draught lager you buy in a bar is ****e?

I'll tell you another thing that makes America great too - their attitude to school- and college-level sports.

 

[Moomin]

LOL at the convenient total disregard for the vastly lower cost of living in the States. Virtually every consumer product or service is cheaper in the States, by a significant margin. See houses, land and petrol as the primary examples, which in turn have a knock-on effect on everything else. You don't NEED to be on the equivalent of £30k a year in the States to enjoy the same standard of living that such an income would buy you in the UK.

Private healthcare sadly is an easy target - politically in the UK it's seen as a disgusting means of oppression utilised by the rich to exterminate the poor. All I can say is, I insure my car and my house just like every other UK user of this forum, and neither are as valuable to me as my legs or eyes so guess what - I insure my health too. I simply don't understand the attitude of those who refuse to do so, especially when you consider how godawful the NHS has become. If you live in a country that does not provide mass free healthcare then more fool you if you don't take out insurance.

On the question of beer - UK mainstream beer is ****e. American mainstream beer is ****e. Anybody who drinks the uK-produced versions of carling, fosters, stella, kronenbourg, heineken etc etc is taking irony to the extreme by criticising budweiser or coors, because they are essentially the same. American craft beers are often outstandingly good, as are a vast number of UK ales, but the only good thing that comes out of a bar tap (as distinct from a hand pump) is guinness so why are you surprised when the draught lager you buy in a bar is ****e?

I'll tell you another thing that makes America great too - their attitude to school- and college-level sports.

Pfft, go and suck uncles toms cock traitor


Popcorn, only joking! I quite like the idea of living in the states.

 

[SerenityNigh]

http://www.economist.com/news/leade...ocracy-entrenching-itself-top-repairing-rungs

Fair link, and I rate The Economist, but that's more rhetoric than data. The real reason Americans can't "move up the social ladder" is that generally all stand near the top rung.

Absolute mobility
Even though mobility has gone down, most Americans still have more income than their parents. A 2007 study "Economic Mobility Project: Across Generations," using Panel Study of Income Dynamics, found 67% of Americans who were children in 1968 had higher levels of real family income in 1995–2002 than their parents had in 1967–1971[24] (although most of this growth in total family income can be attributed to the increasing number of women who work since male earnings have stayed relatively stable throughout this time[24]) As to whether this figure is higher or lower than other countries is difficult to say as this type of measure has not been done for other countries.[24]

It's worth parsing how much of the effect is women in the workforce, nevertheless an increase in the wealth gap has occurred alongside a widespread increase in real income. Most conversations about increasing wealth gaps presume the poor are getting poorer. When the poor are also getting richer (albeit less quickly than the rich), an "increasing wealth gap" conversation is, at best, using poor rhetoric more often than not.

source

 

[Tree13]

Pfft, go and suck uncles toms cock traitor


Popcorn, only joking! I quite like the idea of living in the states.

[video=youtube_share;iKqGXeX9LhQ]http://youtu.be/iKqGXeX9LhQ[/video]

 

[Bigloco]

Cheap, light American beer does have its usefulness....the beach, football game (with pre game tailgate), hot days days where you're going to be drinking a lot...I'm going to prefer one of those cheap, light american lagers. If I'm wanting to enjoy a cold one in a pub...well, it will be something more distinguished.

There are so many micro breweries/craft beer joints opening up locally, I'm amazed the whole population isn't stumbling around in a drunken stupor.

 

[moyeslovechild]

dunno about freedom

 

[IRO1977]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=413271981325

 

[Steve0]

LOL at the convenient total disregard for the vastly lower cost of living in the States. Virtually every consumer product or service is cheaper in the States, by a significant margin. See houses, land and petrol as the primary examples, which in turn have a knock-on effect on everything else. You don't NEED to be on the equivalent of £30k a year in the States to enjoy the same standard of living that such an income would buy you in the UK.

Private healthcare sadly is an easy target - politically in the UK it's seen as a disgusting means of oppression utilised by the rich to exterminate the poor. All I can say is, I insure my car and my house just like every other UK user of this forum, and neither are as valuable to me as my legs or eyes so guess what - I insure my health too. I simply don't understand the attitude of those who refuse to do so, especially when you consider how godawful the NHS has become. If you live in a country that does not provide mass free healthcare then more fool you if you don't take out insurance.

On the question of beer - UK mainstream beer is ****e. American mainstream beer is ****e. Anybody who drinks the uK-produced versions of carling, fosters, stella, kronenbourg, heineken etc etc is taking irony to the extreme by criticising budweiser or coors, because they are essentially the same. American craft beers are often outstandingly good, as are a vast number of UK ales, but the only good thing that comes out of a bar tap (as distinct from a hand pump) is guinness so why are you surprised when the draught lager you buy in a bar is ****e?

I'll tell you another thing that makes America great too - their attitude to school- and college-level sports.

Cost of living isn't that much lower and I'm not sure if Americans have an equivalent of housing benefit but i doubt it, which is another factor that means being working class in England would be better.

The NHS is wonderful and in the last 5 years they have saved my dad, my uncle and a close friend from cancer, they were also magnificent in saving the life of a friend's daughter... it isn't godawful i'm afraid. A dangerous lie that seems to be peddled by agenda driven tory acolytes.

Houses aren't as cheap as people make out
http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_ren...79,-95.127182,29.358838,-95.736923_rect/9_zm/

those rates are broadly similar to most UK cities. Another myth tbh.

Petrol is cheaper but everything is so far apart that Americans probably spend more than we do. Car insurance is more in America on average and we don't have (many) toll roads here.

I cba going further, needless to say the idea that I've already proved the idea that America is the land of low cost high quality costs and services is something of a myth.

PS wouldn't it be great is America had th same attitude to school level education as they do school level sports?

 

[SerenityNigh]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=413271981325

Snopes

 

[moyeslovechild]

Private healthcare sadly is an easy target - politically in the UK it's seen as a disgusting means of oppression utilised by the rich to exterminate the poor. All I can say is, I insure my car and my house just like every other UK user of this forum, and neither are as valuable to me as my legs or eyes so guess what - I insure my health too. I simply don't understand the attitude of those who refuse to do so, especially when you consider how godawful the NHS has become. If you live in a country that does not provide mass free healthcare then more fool you if you don't take out insurance.

The NHS is boss. Though Tory bastards are trying to make it as ****e as possible so they have a chance to privatise as much as they can. But it's one of the truly great things about this country and I think anyone who thinks otherwise is a bit of a tosser to be honest.

 

[DanEFC92]

dunno about freedom

The way some Americans wave around the freedom notion slightly loses it's meaning when you consider the NSA surveillance and the way it doesn't really experience much more freedoms than most first world countries.

Unless by freedom, all they mean is guns.

 

[IRO1977]

The NHS is boss. Though Tory bastards are trying to make it as ****e as possible so they have a chance to privatise as much as they can. But it's one of the truly great things about this country and I think anyone who thinks otherwise is a bit of a tosser to be honest.

Have to agree here, it's horrible that the Republicans have managed to portray our NHS over there as being totally useless in order to push forward their own agenda, when in fact most of the Uk population are more than happy with it

 

[moyeslovechild]

Tosser a bit strong maybe, but I really do feel strongly about that. It's constantly demonized and allowed to be demonized by the Tory sympathizing rags but healthcare shouldn't a privilege, it should be a right. No child should have to suffer because their parents can't afford decent health insurance. The NHS does an amazing job for what it is and our country would really be a lesser one without it.

 

[bluenorsky]

i'm happy with the NHS.It's excellent though it has its problems due
to the Blue Meanies trying to privatise it as the privatised the Gas Lecy
and Water.My Aunties married GI's after the second war and I've visited
the States,New York,where they live.Very friendly people and a great City.

 

[njligernj]

Firstly, lol at 'as long as you don't get sick'. Secondly, it depends what you mean by 'working class', you've fudged the issue further with the nebulous term 'modest wage'. However, if we take minimum wage as the definition then there is no doubt whatsoever that you'd be better off in England. Minimum wage in america means having to take 2 or 3 jobs. Texan minimum wage is currently less than £5.

Yes but you can get a McMansion in Texas for 200 thousand pounds. Seriously, check out some Texas real estate -- whenever I see Texas on one of those damn House Hunter type shows I know I'm about to watch someone pay what I paid for my house in Canada but get three times the house. It's insane how cheap the housing is there. Matter of fact don't check it out -- it will just be depressing.

Anyway mate I am speaking for experience. I lived in the US. We had a mortgage on three bedroom house with a pool and a two cars and we were not well-off by any means. Whenever people came over to visit from the UK they practically cried when I said what our house cost -- same amount would barely have got them a one room "studio" flat in southern UK.

We then moved back to the UK, had a very similar income (actually slightly higher) and rented an utter tiny craphole, couldn't afford a car (got one eventually but it was about 1/5th the car I had in the US for the same money) and I would have been laughed out of the bank if I'd tried to get a mortgage.

After staring at the housing ladder in the UK and wondering how I would ever have a decent quality of life I immediately began making plans to leave and ended up in Canada.

Having lived in both places I know without a shadow of a doubt I'd rather be making $30k in the USA than the equivalent in the UK. You can certainly create some exceptions of situations where you'd be better off here or there but in general your standard of living will be higher in the US.