How is your country doing? (low crime, taxation, to live in)

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by minniemouse

I'm Italian and I live in Milan.

I have visited some States in USA and I like it!


Italy is a great State; you can see much story but the government, the laws, the life ... I don't like it.
I love an American lifestyle.
Italy is much little for me; I prefer a big spaces and your culture.

My house, in my heart, is in America!

I have a student tenant in my home from Ferara.He echos the same things you describe.Especially the Government.I have also 3other friends who live here(Atlanta,Georgia USA)from Rome,and Turin.He also says the same.I lived in Italy and loved it!

[caseras]

Originally Posted by xxs78

The economy is not good in France:unemployment 8%
people always save 15% of their income.And there are always a lot of aid: 400 euros by month for the unemployed person,free health,free public transport.................

[City of Rain]

norway is still the second richest country in the world.

we werent really hit by the recession because of our huge oil fund, which is the second biggest fund in the world after the japanese pension fund.

middle easterns are still beating down, raping and murdering people over here, and so are a lot of norwegians, im sure.

the most recent problem is romanians coming here and begging for money and stealing. theyre all over the streets.. romania is such a poor country, its nothing but a burden to EU.

[hectorivand]

Poor and ignorance here in Argentina!!!

[NihonKitty]

Japan is out of the recession so good i guess

[ZipZap]

Originally Posted by NihonKitty

Japan is out of the recession so good i guess

It was in the paper this morning that unemployment rate in Japan is increasing however... and conservative party LDP is due to loose power the first time since 50 years due to that.

[NihonKitty]

Originally Posted by ZipZap

It was in the paper this morning that unemployment rate in Japan is increasing however... and conservative party LDP is due to loose power the first time since 50 years due to that.

Yes japan just recently got out of the recession. Even though we are out of it finally unemployment will still increase slowly, eventually it will stop increasing and go down. That is how it works.

[grmike]

Canada

gas prices are still high despite having tons of oil, oil prices going up just enough so that companies can increase oil sands production.
lots of unemployed but not worse than any other country.
health care system is still very short on doctors, specialists. unless the person is bleeding somewhere in the body it's hard to get any doctors immediate attention. there are lots of ppl who have symptoms of problems and get rejected by specialists because nothing shows up on a standard blood test or xray. it's ironic being asked by doctors if you're allergic to anything because it takes about 3-4 months to get an appointment to see an allergist.

the government seems more committed to helping foreign companies than ones at home. the country continues to lose fortune 2000 companies. even our oil companies aren't safe with one of the country's fortune 2000 ones addax petroleum being takenover by a China state owned company in the last couple months.
seagrams
addax petroleum
molson breweries (they say it was a merger but for someone reason coors molson is not listed as a dual canadian american company on fortune 2000 lists)
stelco, alcan (alcoa could be in bankrupcy protection and the US government would not let it go to foreigners), petrokazhakstan, hudsons bay company, dofasco (5-6 billion dollars in revenue when it was sold in 2006), falconbridge inco (40 billion dollar company that could have made the fortune 500 list), ati technologies (graphic chip maker with revenue of 600 million to a billion dollars), noranda (1.7-2 billion dollars in revenue), terason gas 6.9 billion dollar takeover, Canadian pacific hotels fairmont hotels 3.9 billion dollar takeover. harper isn't helping things either saying that he wants everyone to know the country is 'open for business' for sale.
then we have the biggest tech company in the country nortel with lots of revenue whose core business (like gm's) remains very profitable, being tossed to the curb by the government. to add insult to it all they refuse to help research in motion take advantage of the sale.

other companies like magna and rim are doing well but not thanks to the government. rim wanted to takeover nortel and the government let the company's directors who steered it into bankruptcy, decide how to divide its assets.

[Amazonas]

Originally Posted by mackinac81

Yeah, I've kind of gathered that from what I've heard...Happens to the best of 'em, I suppose.

Any word from South America or Australia out there?

Hello...this is Amazonas from the city of Valencia, Venezuela. Unfortunately, the political division in our country has taken the best out of us. Chavez's rhetoric policies and public speeches can make anyone sick to their stomachs. Even though the country received tremendous oil revenues during the recent surge in oil prices, the country's poverty has increased to record levels. In other words, we are footing the bill for Chavez's revolution that at the very end of the day will not benefit the average Venezuelan. In addition, crime rates in the country has driven the wealthy class out of the country. So we live in a sort of Soviet Gulag nation if you will.

For the most part, Venezuela has been living in a poverty induced culture, also known as third world country. During the 1970's the country had an economic growth because of the oil revenues that reached records levels during the U.S. oil embargo of the 70's. Then during the 1980's oil prices plummeted, thus, sending Venezuela and other oil producer countries to become part of the IMF and World Bank's balance sheet, if you get my grip. External public debt literally took all the resources that the country produced, and to this day the country still owes a 30 plus year old liability that seems to never end....anyone yelled usury in the back of the room?

Anyway, the overall economy in Latin America is a disaster. Even though we have a decent amount of natural resources and a fairly young population, our debt is so big that it will take centuries to pay it off. Then again, debt always exceeds the ability to pay which is why we are in a perpetual debt. It is dificult to denote crisis from booms because for the most part the continent has always lived below the poverty line. So how can we make a distinction between global crisis and local crisis since it all looks the same.

On a different note, I have noticed that the world media has engaged in a total demonization of the U.S. as of late. For instance, I get news clips showing that the U.S is last in education, last in economic recovery, last in welfare, last here, last there....the U.S. is totally not worth it..and so forth. But what I see is a manifestation of extreme fear mongering by your media outlets. Wanna see real bad S*H*I T**? Take a plane and land in Caracas....LOL LOL then you'll be back to the U.S. kissing the soil=)

By the way, the political changes taking place in the U.S are really scary. I know that the country is under going a major political correctness issue that will change the landscape of the country. People have stopped, whether because of shame or induced guilt, calling things by their name. The political events taking place in Washington reminds me of Venezuela in 1992, but without the cup d' etat.

[Ashls]

Originally Posted by Amazonas

By the way, the political changes taking place in the U.S are really scary. I know that the country is under going a major political correctness issue that will change the landscape of the country. People have stopped, whether because of shame or induced guilt, calling things by their name.

Are you talking about a move to the left or to the right or something else entirely? I could interpret your statement to mean a couple of different things.