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Claiming higher taxes while ignoring the huge amount of your package taken up by the employer's contribution to health insurance is lying. It's about $24,000 a year for a family of four.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cmptrwlt
That is ridiculous. Do you really think that tech startups want their employees to have 4-5 weeks paid vacation?
"The main culprit? America’s workaholic culture. It’s not that Americans do not want a vacation – it’s that they are afraid to take it. Currently, on average, each US worker fails to use about five paid vacation days a year."
"More than half of Americans, 56%, have not taken a vacation in the last year, according to the insurance company Allianz Global Assistance. That’s equivalent to 135 million people. The survey defined vacation as a week off from work during which those surveyed travelled at least 100 miles away from home." https://www.theguardian.com/money/20...ture-labor-day
I have flex time, but also paid overtime. I can also work from home. The system in Norway is far less rigid than in the US.
This. The reason those tech startups say you get unlimited vacation is because nobody takes any at all.
Very true. Not sure if anybody has yet brought up another fact for Switzerland -- this country is also a major hub for trafficking of drugs, prostitution, illegal emigrants, fake IDs, weapons, grand theft auto, etc.
Most of what she says holds true for most of the western world. Americans are crazy about being seen to be at work. The horror of part time work is so weird. No one at home believes me when I tell them my only two choices are full time work or no work.
Have you ever used public transport? The biggest problem they face is getting enough ridership to justify more frequent service, but more frequent service is needed to attract higher ridership.
No, there's not a catch. The reason Americans put up with their system is the rah-rah-USA! stuff which has conditioned them to think it's some sort of privilege to be at work all the time, eat lunch at your desk, take no holidays, etc, etc. Literally every other first world western country works harder, spend more time outside of work and has significantly better quality of life. Just look at how many people on city data rave about how wonderful America is without ever having lived and worked overseas or often even travelled overseas or read about how different systems work.
* No vacation time: simply untrue at least for people with good jobs. If you're working part-time at McDonalds, then you're probably not getting vacation, but any decent job starts out with at least 2 weeks of vacation, and builds to 4-5 weeks after 10 years or so.
* Europeans underestimate American's work ethic---some of us actually like our work, and really like working!
* Europeans underestimate American health care---even for the uninsured. The poorest American can walk into the best hospital in America, and get free health care. FREE. I don't think Europeans understand this. It is a effing law that free medical coverage is provided to every American. My wife is a physician at one of the best hospitals in the world---and guess what? She sees European patients EVERY week who complain of the sub-par health care they get in their home countries. After seeing a rich European seeking world class health care, she'll see a black welfare mom, and never once is their ability to pay ever discussed (it's illegal). Guess who pays for this world class healthcare? The American tax payer.
* Europeans don't understand American culture and how it originated. Most white Americans' forefathers ESCAPED the tyranny of European---yearning for FREEDOM of government, tyrants, and aristocracy.
* The early settlers to America faced a very hard introduction to life in North America. They had to fight off an entire continent of indingenous people (rightly or rightly they had to fight them), and they faced famine.
* The early Americans literally fought and clawed their way just to survive.
* The early Americans escaped religious intolerance in Europe----so that explains why religion continues to be important to most white Americans today.
* Early Americans fought a brutal war to win its Independence against the greatest Empire the world had ever seen, and beat them despite being greatly out-gunned and out-manned.
* This cumulatively created what you see in gung-ho Americans today. We are the descendents of a people who fought and clawed our way up the ladder. We defend our personal freedoms with everything we have.
* We would rather die than give up those freedoms.
* Europeans shouldn't think for a second that Middle America doesn't forget the **** our forefathers faced by the King of England. We fought a bloody war against a tyrant---a guy who pushed us around like we were his servants. Eff that. We fight.
* Winner take all, and we don't tolerate losing---and we don't like people who don't carry their own weight...those kinds of people got our ancestors killed.
* A strong work ethic is the GREATEST compliment someone can give us. THE GREATEST. This was ingrained in me from Day 1.
* Never underestimate the Protestant work ethic. Again, it's ingrained in us from Day effing 1.
* Work is the reward for hard work.
* Yes, we make a ton of money, and we are not going to be made to feel guilty about it despite what the Liberals try to do.
* No vacation time: simply untrue at least for people with good jobs. If you're working part-time at McDonalds, then you're probably not getting vacation, but any decent job starts out with at least 2 weeks of vacation, and builds to 4-5 weeks after 10 years or so.
* Europeans underestimate American's work ethic---some of us actually like our work, and really like working!
* Europeans underestimate American health care---even for the uninsured. The poorest American can walk into the best hospital in America, and get free health care. FREE. I don't think Europeans understand this. It is a effing law that free medical coverage is provided to every American. My wife is a physician at one of the best hospitals in the world---and guess what? She sees European patients EVERY week who complain of the sub-par health care they get in their home countries. After seeing a rich European seeking world class health care, she'll see a black welfare mom, and never once is their ability to pay ever discussed (it's illegal). Guess who pays for this world class healthcare? The American tax payer.
* Europeans don't understand American culture and how it originated. Most white Americans' forefathers ESCAPED the tyranny of European---yearning for FREEDOM of government, tyrants, and aristocracy.
* The early settlers to America faced a very hard introduction to life in North America. They had to fight off an entire continent of indingenous people (rightly or rightly they had to fight them), and they faced famine.
* The early Americans literally fought and clawed their way just to survive.
* The early Americans escaped religious intolerance in Europe----so that explains why religion continues to be important to most white Americans today.
* Early Americans fought a brutal war to win its Independence against the greatest Empire the world had ever seen, and beat them despite being greatly out-gunned and out-manned.
* This cumulatively created what you see in gung-ho Americans today. We are the descendents of a people who fought and clawed our way up the ladder. We defend our personal freedoms with everything we have.
* We would rather die than give up those freedoms.
* Europeans shouldn't think for a second that Middle America doesn't forget the **** our forefathers faced by the King of England. We fought a bloody war against a tyrant---a guy who pushed us around like we were his servants. Eff that. We fight.
* Winner take all, and we don't tolerate losing---and we don't like people who don't carry their own weight...those kinds of people got our ancestors killed.
* A strong work ethic is the GREATEST compliment someone can give us. THE GREATEST. This was ingrained in me from Day 1.
* Never underestimate the Protestant work ethic. Again, it's ingrained in us from Day effing 1.
* Work is the reward for hard work.
* Yes, we make a ton of money, and we are not going to be made to feel guilty about it despite what the Liberals try to do.
2 weeks of vacation is very little. In Europe you're pretty much guaranteed 4-5 weeks.
Europeans fought tyranny and wanted freedom too
Europeans literally fought and clawed their way just to survive too
Many European nations fought brutal wars for independence. The Netherlands fought it for 80 (!!!) years
We would rather die than give up our freedoms. Many have.
Dentist: What prejudices? Fighting the tyranny of Europe? Facing a hostile indingenous people and famine? How Americans came about being religious? Why Protestant Americans have the reputation for being hard workers?
If those are prejudices....then I am all for them. It's what made America the strongest and wealthiest country the world has ever known.
2 weeks of vacation is very little. In Europe you're pretty much guaranteed 4-5 weeks.
Europeans fought tyranny and wanted freedom too
Europeans literally fought and clawed their way just to survive too
Many European nations fought brutal wars for independence. The Netherlands fought it for 80 (!!!) years
We would rather die than give up our freedoms. Many have.
* 2 weeks is very little. That's what new employees out of college get. If they don't like it, then they should find another job with more vacation. Or better yet, stop your whining and start your own business and give yourself all the vacation you every want.
* All your other points are awesome. Many Americans admire European history.
* I made my points to help some Europeans' misconceptions in this thread who don't seem to understand modern American culture such as: I) why we like to work a lot, ii) why do we like our guns, iii) why are we so religious, and iv) clear up the misconception of no free healthcare in America (very very untrue).
* Early Americans fought a brutal war to win its Independence against the greatest Empire the world had ever seen, and beat them despite being greatly out-gunned and out-manned.
* This cumulatively created what you see in gung-ho Americans today. We are the descendents of a people who fought and clawed our way up the ladder. We defend our personal freedoms with everything we have.
* We would rather die than give up those freedoms.
* Europeans shouldn't think for a second that Middle America doesn't forget the **** our forefathers faced by the King of England. We fought a bloody war against a tyrant---a guy who pushed us around like we were his servants. Eff that. We fight.
* Winner take all, and we don't tolerate losing---and we don't like people who don't carry their own weight...those kinds of people got our ancestors killed.
* A strong work ethic is the GREATEST compliment someone can give us. THE GREATEST. This was ingrained in me from Day 1.
* Never underestimate the Protestant work ethic. Again, it's ingrained in us from Day effing 1.
* Work is the reward for hard work.
* Yes, we make a ton of money, and we are not going to be made to feel guilty about it despite what the Liberals try to do.
It is not like America won the the American Revolutionary War alone. France played a key role in the victory.
You do not tolerate losing? The US lost the Vietnam war and the second Iraq war.
The so-called Protestant work ethic actually originated in Northern Europe.
Do most Americans really make a ton of money?
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