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Having briefly lived in Germany, and seeing the differences, the choice was easy. Germany it is. People don't have to over-work, drawn in credit, have safety nets that helps them focus on being productive. We must worry about trade deficits, Germany has seen its trade SURPLUS rise. Those are signs of a well managed system. Oh, and on health care, Germany boasts better life expectancy (80 to 78), nearly 50% more physicians per 1000 people (3.5 to 2.4), less than half in per capita expenses ($3600 to $7300), lower health care costs as a percentage of GDP (10% to 16%) and lower percent of government revenue spent on health care expenses (17.6% to 18.5%).
The last bit is kind of interesting... we call Germany's system socialized when American system requires a larger government spending out of its revenue stream.
Doch. Were that the case, everybody would be taking advantage of the system. Nothing could be further from the truth. Born working class, stay working class. Germany is very class static. Almost as bad as the UK.
BS. College education in Germany is almost free, and far from "feeding the crony capitalism system" that plagues America, sucking life out virtually every step of the way and drowning the student in debt well before they graduate.
Its not the bank account that counts, but ability to be selected.
The euro middle class lives the life of the American poor...
Really ? I am a Euro-Middle Class as you call it. I go out to good restaurants at least twice a week , movies twice a week, to the theatre at least once a week, opera, concerts, art galleries and lectures and I belong to my local Polo Club. Well I would say I must be once step away from homelessness and indigence !?!?
I have at least two foreign holidays a year ( 7 weeks in total) with two domestic breaks a year. We have a nice house and car ( smaller than the average American house I grant you but then again I prefer a decent lifestyle to having a McMansion) , no debts ( apart from 5 years to run on the mortgage) at all and a great lifestyle.
I am indeed terribly deprived. I can see how my lifestyle compares with someone from Alabama or Detroit ? You really should think and learn a little more before you speak.
And I can't work due to health problems so Hubby is the only bread winner. And I will never need to re-mortgage my house if I fall ill.
Swedish approach was to loan the banks the money, and purchase their stock. Then they paid back with interest and the government sold the stocks after the value had gone up, and the taxpayer made a profit on it. That is what Bush/Obama did too.
Actually, no. The taxpayers never see a dime of the "profit" nor do we see financial statements as required by the SEC. The buraucracy of the federal government intercepts "shareholder earnings" and spends them as it pleases all the while taxing the real shareholders even more. Furthermore, the federal government excluded the SEC from the freedom of information act so that taxpayers cannot even see what the hand of government is up to with these corporations. It is intellectually dishonest to suggest that the taxpayers made a profit as though they were shareholders.
Having briefly lived in Germany, and seeing the differences, the choice was easy. Germany it is. People don't have to over-work, drawn in credit, have safety nets that helps them focus on being productive. We must worry about trade deficits, Germany has seen its trade SURPLUS rise. Those are signs of a well managed system. Oh, and on health care, Germany boasts better life expectancy (80 to 78), nearly 50% more physicians per 1000 people (3.5 to 2.4), less than half in per capita expenses ($3600 to $7300), lower health care costs as a percentage of GDP (10% to 16%) and lower percent of government revenue spent on health care expenses (17.6% to 18.5%).
The last bit is kind of interesting... we call Germany's system socialized when American system requires a larger government spending out of its revenue stream.
They have other problems there, for instance that many doctors will retire within the next 10 years and the younger ones only head for the cities. There are too many doctors in the cities while there are many rural regions where coverage is insufficient.
Germany has the advantage that distances are smaller. So for instance you don't have to build and operate so many hospitals to cover the territory.
Plus, many big hospitals are part of or closely affiliated with universities, all of which are public, thus the state can limit costs there. They provide excellent care at a reasonable cost. Even sheiks from the Gulf regularly fly to Germany to have operations.
Heidelberg university, one of the biggest and most renowned German universities, spends half its budget on medicine alone.
The pharmaceutical lobby is active in Europe as well, but governments are studying new ways of pruning its influence. For instance there is one idea which pharmaceutical companies have protested a lot (i.e. it is a good idea ). If enforced new versions of drugs would not be allowed to cost more unless a third independent organization provides proof that the new drugs works better than the old one. It is no secret that drugs companies often charge way more for new drugs even though they made just superficial changes to the formula, just so that the patent period starts anew.
Or making better cars. Having better food and actually having culture. Better music. Less obese people. Prettier people. The list goes on and on...
Are you drunk on raw sewage?
Better Cars? I guess if you like driving around in little EuroTrash boxes.
Better Food? I guess you guys eat so much snail, eel, goat and horse, that you ruined your taste buds.
Actually have culture? Yup, attempt after attempt at Genocide is VERY impressive.
Better music? You can't even say that with a straight face. You creeps like David Hasselhoff.
Less obese people? Too poor to afford food.
Prettier people? Ugly people are attracted to ugly people. Keep dating each other and quit traveling over here with your hair and stink.
The list goes on and on...? Actually it doesn't. Europe is pretty much scorched earth. Anyone decent left that craphole over 150 years ago. Next time you guys decide to kill each other and start World Wars...leave us out of it.
America can never emulate any of these countries, as we're not xenophobic enough as they are. Although, we may get closer to emulating the approaching fiscally bankrupt UK.
Better Cars? I guess if you like driving around in little EuroTrash boxes.
Better Food? I guess you guys eat so much snail, eel, goat and horse, that you ruined your taste buds.
Actually have culture? Yup, attempt after attempt at Genocide is VERY impressive.
Better music? You can't even say that with a straight face. You creeps like David Hasselhoff.
Less obese people? Too poor to afford food.
Prettier people? Ugly people are attracted to ugly people. Keep dating each other and quit traveling over here with your hair and stink.
The list goes on and on...? Actually it doesn't. Europe is pretty much scorched earth. Anyone decent left that craphole over 150 years ago. Next time you guys decide to kill each other and start World Wars...leave us out of it.
Europe = Earth's cancer.
Congratulations on a superbly written, tremendously insightful post!
Well-balanced, differentiated, eloquent... - I can't praise this marvel of of a post enough.
You, Sir or Madam, are a shining example of the sheer intellectual and moral superiority of Americans over Europeans!
Better Cars? I guess if you like driving around in little EuroTrash boxes.
You mean BMW and Mercedes? Yeah, stick to your bankrupt car companys.
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Better Food? I guess you guys eat so much snail, eel, goat and horse, that you ruined your taste buds.
Never had that, but I assume its still better than fast food crap, look who is obese.
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Actually have culture? Yup, attempt after attempt at Genocide is VERY impressive.
What an argument about culture.
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Better music? You can't even say that with a straight face. You creeps like David Hasselhoff.
He is American, lol. And where is he in the charts? No where. Only in your fantasy.
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Less obese people? Too poor to afford food.
Prettier people? Ugly people are attracted to ugly people. Keep dating each other and quit traveling over here with your hair and stink.
Better than all the Botox-faced, sweatpants-wearing americans. Oh, and did I mention you are the most obese country in the world? Pretty attractive.
Too poor to afford food? Its been proven time and time again that poor people are more often obese than rich people. So another failed argument from your side.
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). If enforced new versions of drugs would not be allowed to cost more unless a third independent organization provides proof that the new drugs works better than the old one. It is no secret that drugs companies often charge way more for new drugs even though they made just superficial changes to the formula, just so that the patent period starts anew.
