Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Since you're in Silicon Valley (1800's). Why don't you go get a job in Paris or Madrid? Oh that's right, there are no jobs there like Silicon Valley of the 1800's...but at least you have a great "quality of life" from the work of others to fall back on.
I'm in a specific field in a specific region. The reality for others in this country is completely different.
I'm an American who recently moved to Brussels. The quality of life here is so much better. Nice, dense neighborhoods, good public transit, very little signs of poverty, well paid workers, polite manners, sensible laws about guns, much lower rate of violent crime - the list goes on. If only America wasn't infested with ignorant republican yahoos, it too could enjoy the full benefits of being a western democracy. It's such a shame the non Yankee element keeps America from reaching it's potential.
Cut off all US monetary aid and see how Europe does.
I'm in a specific field in a specific region. The reality for others in this country is completely different.
I've worked a few years in Europe and i think they do somethings better than the USA but there are significant downsides as well. But it's a choice of whether you have trust and want to do things as a group or more individualistic. I wish we had better public transits particularly subways for example and would support it in my city. But surrendering half your pacheck takes a leap of faith that you will get that benefit or that 'society' will benefit. We have a diverse population that Euopre's countries don't have. Overall, I prefer the system in the USA....if you like Europe better, you shoud try to move there.
I've worked a few years in Europe and i think they do somethings better than the USA but there are significant downsides as well. But it's a choice of whether you have trust and want to do things as a group or more individualistic. I wish we had better public transits particularly subways for example and would support it in my city. But surrendering half your pacheck takes a leap of faith that you will get that benefit or that 'society' will benefit. We have a diverse population that Euopre's countries don't have. Overall, I prefer the system in the USA....if you like Europe better, you shoud try to move there.
The taxes in Europe originally scared me off too, but then once my husband and I got our first professional jobs, we were shocked to find that we lost a third of our paycheck to taxes (him closer to 40%). We're recent college grads, so this was sticker shock.
Europeans pay more in taxes, but honestly it doesn't seem like very much more. And they seem to direct that money much more effectively, largely because they're not funneling it into the black hole of the military budget.
As for diversity, places like France, England, Sweden, etc are just as diverse as the US, if not more so. They still make it work.
But yeah, we're looking at moving. Not to any country in Europe, but to New Zealand or Canada -- countries that also do a good job prioritizing their people. Of course, the process takes a while, but luckily we both have in-demand skills and experience, and are otherwise ideal candidates. It just takes a long time to become a citizen elsewhere.
Honestly, I do think the US is improving in many ways, but I think American values are very different from those in other first world countries. Whether that's good or not so good depends on what the observer values himself.
It is funny that you mention Conservatives and Slavery.... Republicans and their history abolishing slavery and all.
You mean the Republicans of the 1800? The liberal, progressive, northern Republicans? Comparing them to the GOP of today is totally ludicrous and historical revisionism at its worst.
The white, southern Democrats are the forerunners to the Southern GOP of today, you know, the ones who supported slavery and evolved, in time, into the Southern Conservatives of this era.
My favorite thing about Western Europe was that there was no religious right. The entire concept was anathema to them except in the context of people who had lived in the states. It was great because the result was all the politics were based on entirely reasonable disagreements on policy.
My favorite thing about Western Europe was that there was no religious right. The entire concept was anathema to them except in the context of people who had lived in the states. It was great because the result was all the politics were based on entirely reasonable disagreements on policy.
Please move there, then you won't have to be around the "religious right," who you clearly hate more than any other group. Maybe you could even talk your enlightened European counterparts into some sort of final solution for those troublesome religious conservatives. They certainly have no place in the superior society you envision.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We're recent college grads, so this was sticker shock. 
