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Europe has plenty of immigrants ( legal and illegal , not a day go by without a hysterical headline in the papers) and Western Europeans hardly have austere lifestyles ( having lived in quite a few European countries over the past few decades I know) . Houses are smaller because land is scarcer, Air Conditioning is not prevalent because we don't get quite the extremes of temperatures and it is also seen as incredibly wasteful and un-environmentally friendly. And our heating is fine thank you very much.
We don't sit there in Winter shivering with 10 layers of clothing on though we value efficiency where possible . Wastages of energy are not considered something to be proud about. Our cars and houses have been far more efficient for years for example.
Simply because our lifestyle is different does not mean we are poorer. I would say that a bigger proportion of Western Europeans enjoy a good middle class lifestyle as compared to Americans. House sizes and A/C have little to do with it. Western Europe is still incredibly consumerism orientated though maybe as ChielGirl mentions our saving grace is a certain distrust towards credit.
People tend to spend more time on holidays ( paid holidays are the norm here a minimum of 4 weeks , far more in many countries) for example and to me that puts Europe way ahead in terms of lifestyle. We have the same gadgets as Americans, computers, MP3, Broadband, DVD players, HD /Flat screen TVs, ect.... Our cars are smaller because most of us don't see the need to have huge gas guzzlers when a medium size vehicle is perfectly good.
Houses prices are more expensive because of land scarcity ( especially in the UK) but on the other hand we get Universal Healthcare( cheaper than the US system) , and a generous social contract to which all are entitled.
We have poor people like every country but from my experience of living in the US and Europe, the proportion is much lower and the gap between poor and rich not so gigantic. Being poor is not seen as a crime or a failure.
Money is not everything after all.
Eastern Europe is in some parts very poor indeed but other places like Estonia or the Czech Republic have blossomed into incredibly modern and Westernised countries.
I have always found it odd that someone would define austerity as having a smaller house. I don't need a big house, in fact I would not want one.
Neither do I want a huge car.
What I want is time to spend with my loved ones, enjoying their company, and enough money to travel , go out to dinner, the theatre, the Opera, concerts, Art galleries etc... and I have that.
My house is pretty small but I love it, I don't feel deprived in any way. We take 2 or 3 foreign holidays a year and some UK breaks too( on a very normal salary - I don't work so only one pay-packet) . We go out a lot, and enjoy a good level of comfort and modern amenities. A/C would make no sense to me apaprt from the one week a year when it is really hot. And in hotter parts of the continent like Southern Europe , people have just adapted their lifestyles to the heat and their houses are naturally ventilated for example.
All of Europe is Capitalist and most countries are led by right wing governments .
I have often considered moving to the US for a few years ( I lived there for 3 years) but the lack of universal healthcare, paid holidays etc... is just too off putting.
I know that should anything ever happen to us in the US we would just not have the social net we enjoy here.
I am more than happy paying higher taxes to know that everyone is covered. It is a price well worth paying .
Oh please. England is the bastard child of Europe. Heavily rooted in debt and it's PM going off on retard Keynesian economics and . The pound is falling against the Euro, North Sea oil exports are drying up, and the stimulus plans are financed with deficit spending just like the US and unlike most of mainland Europe.
England will adopt the Euro very soon. Count on it.
Instead of moving to Europe I prefer to work at moving the European system here. I like the idea of universal health care, four week vacations, excellent public transit systems and peaceful and clean environment. I think a lot of Americans would like the same amenities.
You're right. Buying and owning a gun is not as easy in Europe. Also, religion is not as involved in politics as in America. Homophobia isn't as widespread.
Yes, I've heard the same thing. I also understand that in Europe (particularily in Italy) it is rare to buy a house on credit - a mortgage - people save until they can buy one outright. Very, very different then in the US.
People do buy houses on credit, but there are stipulations. You have to have a great portion saved, the government will help out a little, and you can have a 20-30 year mortgage. Again, this is relatively new.
You're right. Buying and owning a gun is not as easy in Europe. Also, religion is not as involved in politics as in America. Homophobia isn't as widespread.
Regarding guns, it depends. Finland and Switzerland have lots of guns. No shortage in the Balkans either.
True about religion, although the irony is that the US is more secular on paper.
Homophobia still runs rampant in large swaths of Europe, but yes has diminished in others.
It all depends where you live. A childhood friend of mine purchased a house, about 1100 square foot, with a small yard, for about 50.000 Euros. She pays a whopping 90 Euros in property tax a year and her house has solid 2 foot walls, which makes it nice and cool in the summer and easier to heat in the winter. She lives in a town of about 20.000 and is about 1 hour from a major city, 10 minutes from a town of 50.000, with good public transportation... so she is contemplating getting rid of her car. She can own this house by working her job for 30 hours a week. Meanwhile she gets 6 weeks paid vacation and good healthcare.
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The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
It all depends where you live. A childhood friend of mine purchased a house, about 1100 square foot, with a small yard, for about 50.000 Euros. She pays a whopping 90 Euros in property tax a year and her house has solid 2 foot walls, which makes it nice and cool in the summer and easier to heat in the winter. She lives in a town of about 20.000 and is about 1 hour from a major city, 10 minutes from a town of 50.000, with good public transportation... so she is contemplating getting rid of her car. She can own this house by working her job for 30 hours a week. Meanwhile she gets 6 weeks paid vacation and good healthcare.
Does she need a husband?
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