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I have recently had the opportunity to do some research on the difference between America and Western Europe. What prompted the research was some experiences I had read and been told by acquaintances.
I am starting to believe that the USA has its priorities completely misplaced. We should raise our taxes and concentrate more on health care and welfare of our citizens.
To help spread the word about how the lives of ordinary Europeans and Americans differ I am looking for examples on the Net of writings from people who have living in both areas who are willing to compare the two.
Here is a posting from Usenet from someone currently living in the Netherlands who has lived in the USA:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I find all this nationalism very disturbing....every country is screwed up and judging people so bitterly because they're from somewhere else is terrible.
I am American, lived in the US for 30 years and I don't like it, so I moved to Europe for a bit of a saner, saferm slower life, but I wish to say that there are reasons the USA is so crazy that I don't think Europeans can appreciate.
Although there is a lot of opportunity in America, it is an incredible struggle for most people to live there. Americans get no vacation time (2 weeks if they're lucky), are worked incredibly hard and competitively and have little if no job security (layoffs/firings are very common), are not given adequate governmental support if they are unemployed or sick, and live in a constant, pulsating 24/7 society surrounded by loud, big over-the-top advertising and a constant bombardment of useless information/input. Nervous breakdowns and depression/anxiety is almost common place. At my last job there, EVERYONE in the office was taking Prozac to help cope with their stressful lives.
Hence, everyone lives with a strange, sort of unspoken tension and fear, which results in an incredibly aggressive and violent society. America's main problem, imho, is greed. You only have what you earn and if you don't earn it, you don't deserve it, hence if you don't work 40 hrs a week, 50 weeks a year, you don't deserve/earn decent health care. There is not enough compassion to help others, almost dog-eat-dog.
I think the absolute biggest problem is that most Americans themselves don't realize there are better systems. They are raised/brainwashed that America is the greatest power in the world, everyone wants to be there, etc etc. They don't question the lack of social services that most other "western" countries take for granted. If, instead of reprimanding them, we could try to educate them more, maybe they could start demanding better services from their governments.
Some half-baked ideas of mine:
1) Guns should be illegal....the right to bear arms in the 21st century?? pathetic.... 2) Advertising, religion and politics should not mix.... 3) People should undergo a mandatory class on the issues before they are allowed to vote (most people have a Nation Enquirer knowledge of the world affairs that their votes affect) 4) Health care should be everyones right, not a privelage 5) Taxes should be higher to support programs/care for sick, unemployed, elderly, etc etc 6) Employees should be given more free time so they don't "go postal"
Anyhow, not to sound like a rapper or anything, but let's educate instead of criticize :-)
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Wow, this dude nailed it! He has described very what I am talking about: the presence of universal healthcare, easily accessible welfare unemployment has taken the strain off of the working Europeans. The immediate pressure to "compete or die" that we have here in America for so many people who live paycheck to paycheck does not exist in western Europe, at least not nearly to the extent it does here.
Comments?
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