European countries vs USA

[ivory]

I just wanted to hear from some Europeans on this forum. How would you compare health care, crime levels, cost of living, wages, consumer protections, and education to the USA?

Right now, I think all of these things are crazy in the US. It seems like we're getting dumber, cost of living is out of control, health is no longer valued, and companies can do whatever the fuck they want. I'm not sure about crime rates here, but in the US Incarceration is a business because private companies run the prison system.

People say that want to live here, but WTF?

Would love to hear your thoughts

[Hatfort]

I'm European, I wouldn't live in the US for anything in the world. The two main reasons are the ones you cite, their healthcare system, and the lack of gun control. Here you know you are covered whatever you get, and guns in the street are not even a thought in my mind, criminality is low.

The cost of housing is a big problem in Spain, more than in northern countries of Europe. Boomers had it quite good, below them it has been getting worse and worse. This is similar to the US here, from what I hear.

[PurpleTree]

I’ve never lived in the US so I wouldn’t know.

From what i think life as a rich is great in the US.

While in Europe it’s more social, better for poorer, more equal.

[Basman]

I've heard Americans strike up conversation with strangers quiet easily. North-Europeans at least tend to be quiet reserved. 

[PurpleTree]

20 minutes ago, Basman said:

I've heard Americans strike up conversation with strangers quiet easily. North-Europeans at least tend to be quiet reserved. 

While south Europeans are not reserved.

[Ero]

I’m a South-Eastern European living currently in the US. Cost of living is indeed high, but so are the opportunities. Nothing  where I’m from even comes close, without even accounting for the mafia and corruption.

[gettoefl]

Have lived half my life in each and am itching to get back west. Hopefully will make it back in next few years. People are more open minded, generous, enterprising and strange to say, simplistic. Change is always on the table. Here it's same old same old. I coined the name for California as the state of tomorrow.

Edited Saturday at 04:27 PM by gettoefl

[PurpleTree]

42 minutes ago, gettoefl said:

Have lived half my life in each and am itching to get back west. Hopefully will make it back in next few years. People are more open minded, generous, enterprising and strange to say, simplistic. Change is always on the table. Here it's same old same old. I coined the name for California as the state of tomorrow.

Where have you lived in Europe?

[gettoefl]

11 minutes ago, PurpleTree said:

Where have you lived in Europe?

the UK

[PurpleTree]

6 minutes ago, gettoefl said:

the UK

I think i‘d prefer Scandinavia, Netherlands, Switzerland and some cities in France, Spain and even Italy, Vienna etc.

But i haven’t really been to the UK have heard good things about Edinburgh and London though.

Edited Saturday at 05:28 PM by PurpleTree

[gettoefl]

2 minutes ago, PurpleTree said:

I think i‘d prefer Scandinavia, Netherlands, Switzerland and some cities in France, Spain and even Italy, Vienna etc.

But i haven’t really been to the UK have heard good things about Edinburgh and London though.

Yes I do think the places you mention are better choices. The UK however is very much stuck in the past and doesn't want to embrace change.

[MarkKol]

16 hours ago, ivory said:

How would you compare health care, crime levels, cost of living, wages, consumer protections, and education to the USA?

Everything you listed is better in Europe, people move to the USA because of the opportunity, business-friendly environment, better socialization, and higher wages.

Life in the United States is more exciting and thrilling, whereas Europe's more balanced and peaceful. 

To be like the USA, Europe needs to federalize, adopt a similar language among the union countries. It needs to have its own local globalization effect, where each country prospers due to increased connectedness and integration with the other, but it's never going to happen. Some countries seem to be more eager to leave to union instead of further integration. A grave mistake, far-right parties are on the rise here, these parties are insanely isolationist, It doesn't take 10 minutes of thinking and contemplation to understand where isolating your economy leads. If these countries really do end up isolating themselves, I'm afraid Europe won't be a good place to live anymore, in more ways than ever.

Example: BREXIT

Germany's Afd Party will end up degrading the entire continent

America is also isolating itself, so we'll see what happens, maybe the West will burn together

TLDR - These far-right isolationist parties are brewing a shit storm that's coming to the EU, similar to what Leo called the "political winter"

Edited Saturday at 05:56 PM by MarkKol

[MarkKol]

Besides the far-right parties, I'm afraid Russia will start testing NATO's defense promises in Europe. What prevents them from doing so? America and Europe better hope China and Russia start collapsing soon because we don't have much time left with these incompetent idiots.

Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and JD Vance are terrifying, have you ever been driven in a car with a person who can barely keep it in its own lane? These people are terrifyingly incompetent. I almost want to cry when I remember these people have important defense roles in our governments. They're not gonna defend shit. These are just more reasons to federalize, something we're not going to do. 

Idiots, complete and utter morons.

If I were Russia I would launch a missile towards the Baltic states, and count on Trump's ignorance to dismiss it as an accident, a very safe bet IMO.

Edited Saturday at 06:42 PM by MarkKol

[ivory]

7 hours ago, Hatfort said:

the lack of gun control

I didn't even think to ask about that. I'm not sure what Europeans think but most people don't even see or hear gun shots. I've lived all over the US and never heard a gun shot. I've even lived in some really impoverished areas. It really makes waves in the media though. I hear that if you live in Texas you'll see people carrying, I've never once seen someone carrying.

That said, there are gangster type carriers and there are country boy gun fanatics. I never worry about being around the country boys, they aren't the ones shooting people up all day. For them gun ownership is almost like a life style. Hunting, target practice, etc.

3 hours ago, Ero said:

Nothing  where I’m from even comes close

Do you live in an urban area or more rural?

 

1 hour ago, MarkKol said:

ith the other, but it's never going to happen. Some countries seem to be more eager to leave to union instead of further integration. A grave mistake, far-right parties are on the rise here, these parties are insanely isolationist, It doesn't take 10 minutes of thinking and contemplation to understand where isolating your economy leads. If these countries really do end up isolating themselves, I'm afraid Europe won't be a good place to live anymore, in more ways than ever.

Example: BREXIT

Yes, I've been hearing that isolationism and fascism is on the rise in Europe. Is there just a shit ton of propaganda over there also?

 

1 hour ago, MarkKol said:

Idiots, complete and utter morons.

It's mind boggling that the American people are so dumb and easily manipulated. Fox news and other right wing media outlets brainwash their subscribers. My mom is a Trump supporter and all she can talk about is trans men in women bathrooms and how immigrants are taking our jobs. My mom has never seen a trans person. I live in a very trans friendly city and have never heard of people complaining about this.

[ivory]

Economically, the things that make me angry are low wages, lack of affordable healthcare, low quality early education and unaffordable colleges and universities. Americans are getting dumber, more unhealthy, and poorer.

We have no safety net, so making a life mistake can yield life long consequences. It can be very unforgiving and difficult to dig yourself out of a shitty life situation.

I am so over the levels of corruption and government influence by corporations.

Share holder run this country. We are essentially an oligarchy. And with the new administration it's all just out in the open. They're not even trying to hide corruption now because Americans are too dumb to realize what is happening.

[MarkKol]

3 hours ago, ivory said:

immigrants are taking our jobs

You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to immigrate to the US and get sponsored by an employer, I was subject to this process, I would know.

The unskilled visa category is impossible to get, these are low paying jobs that require no school or practice. 

The skilled visa category or H1B requires a bachelor’s degree, that’s at least 4 years of school after high school, you still have to be sponsored by an employer after you get your degree, which means you have to prove you’re exceptional enough and worth the time for the employer to go through immigration bureaucracy/complicated administrative processes. And guess what, after all that, you’re still considered a temporary resident, you won’t get a green card or citizenship.

[Rafael Thundercat]

Maybe Canada csn count as an European Country too since French is spoken there and well you know the news ya. 

This is PM Angus Words for Trump

Start as 10 min

 

[ivory]

Just now, MarkKol said:

You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to immigrate to the US and get sponsored by an employer, I was subject to this process, I would know.

People here are more concerned with illegal immigrants even though all they take is kitchen, landscaping, farmhands, and construction jobs.

What do you do for work.

But yeah, I work in tech so there are a lot of people that come here with H1B visas in my field. Mainly from China and India. Both countries put a lot of emphasis on math where here we are more concerned with defunding educational programs.

Would it be hard for an American to immigrate to a European country as a software engineer? I should probably start looking into this.

One of my tech friends has been out of work for two years, another finally got a job after one year of unemployment. It is super hard to get a tech job right now.

@Rafael Thundercat Thanks, I'll take a look

[Twentyfirst]

Americans are funner when it comes to having a good time with spending money. Europeans are so miserly it's unattractive and wastes a lot of time/missed opportunity. Few of them are rich and even the rich ones don't dare spend a few dollars over "budget". I just can't get over it

[zazen]

Way to seem strong in the face of humiliation. Crying at “rules based order” being eroded as if NATO solely existed as a defensive alliance which played by the rules, as if the EU didn’t toe the US narrative and support them on their imperial adventures, as if they follow democratic rules such as when the EU referendum in 2005 was voted against by France and Netherlands - to which they rebranded it as the Lisbon treaty and shoved it through anyway lol.

A strong Europe would be a great counter balance to the US and a bridge to the East, along with a strong but healthy USA. Vaselined and vassalized for too long, but this may be the needed kick up the ass.

Edited Monday at 08:17 PM by zazen