You may get your wish.

[Sgt Mike]

I guess in your case you pay for everything that you don't get from the government.

What? Americans are illegally crossing the border into Canada? Hehehe

Originally Posted by inspiron

LOL!!!

Living and working in Europe is no different than living and working in the USA, except that we have a bit better protection from large corporations.

There are no "entitlements" here. We work, we pay taxes. Politicians abuse their powers and squander money.

The only difference is that through the strong unions, there are better workers rights. For example, large companies can't just go laying off hundreds or thousands of people and still pay the CEO millions. It happens, but not very often. The worker's rights laws ensure that layoffs are justified and that care is taken to help these people find a new job.

Other than that, employees are required to carry health insurance, so everyone is covered. In Germany, the costs are split between the company and the employee, while in Switzerland, I pay the $300 per month insurance myself. (My company pays for my accident/workers compensation insurance). This means that hospitals spend more time trying to cure you, and less time worrying if and how they are going to get paid.

I would imagine that life in Canada is not much different than life in the UK, actually. Except that there are less Americans illegally crossing the border into the UK...

[tricker]

how the hell did i miss this slap fight going on?

*grabs beer, popcorn and a corn dog and sits down*

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by Sgt Mike

I guess in your case you pay for everything that you don't get from the government.

What? Americans are illegally crossing the border into Canada? Hehehe

Actually, the Federal Government in Switzerland is very small. The federal tax rate is 4.5%. This pays mostly for the military and defense.

Switzerland is a true federation. Most government services are managed at the Canton/State or at the local level, not through the federal government.

I pay for services, and I get paid to serve. That's the way it works. I pay taxes to pay for roads, rail service, police protection, and many other services. I'm also paid about $25 an hour for my service as a volunteer fire fighter. I won't get rich (I take home about $800 per year), but I also save about $600 per year in fire department tax.

I'm happy that the public transportation system works, that our roads are maintained, that the overall crime rate is very low. If that's what I'm paying for, well then, I'm certainly getting my money's worth.

Can you say the same?

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by tricker

how the hell did i miss this slap fight going on?

*grabs beer, popcorn and a corn dog and sits down*

Sorry, tricker, next time I'll post this so that you notice:

[tricker]

that would be appreciated sir.. not as sharp as i used to be with noticing these things.. so i need all the help i can get.

[chiddly]

Originally Posted by tricker

how the hell did i miss this slap fight going on?

*grabs beer, popcorn and a corn dog and sits down*

Hey! That's my corndog

[geoffsimpson]

Originally Posted by Sgt Mike

What? Americans are illegally crossing the border into Canada? Hehehe

We were going to build a wall, but we don't have enough unskilled labourers in the country to do it....wait.....we have a lot of 'em crossing the border though!!!!!!!

Plus, what would our News Hounds report on, if not for the soldiers hiding here? God forbid there be any real news in the world. Maybe when bush is out of office, all those who moved from the US to Canada will move back?

okay, GO!!!

[tricker]

[geoffsimpson]

Originally Posted by tricker

I KNOW! I'm so excited

[Sgt Mike]

Yes you are getting your moneys worth. No I can't say the same, you're certainly getting more for your money than the US taxpayer gets.

Originally Posted by inspiron

Actually, the Federal Government in Switzerland is very small. The federal tax rate is 4.5%. This pays mostly for the military and defense.

Switzerland is a true federation. Most government services are managed at the Canton/State or at the local level, not through the federal government.

I pay for services, and I get paid to serve. That's the way it works. I pay taxes to pay for roads, rail service, police protection, and many other services. I'm also paid about $25 an hour for my service as a volunteer fire fighter. I won't get rich (I take home about $800 per year), but I also save about $600 per year in fire department tax.

I'm happy that the public transportation system works, that our roads are maintained, that the overall crime rate is very low. If that's what I'm paying for, well then, I'm certainly getting my money's worth.

Can you say the same?

[Sgt Mike]

Ok,,, go where? Don't answer that, I'm already on my way there.

Originally Posted by geoffsimpson

We were going to build a wall, but we don't have enough unskilled labourers in the country to do it....wait.....we have a lot of 'em crossing the border though!!!!!!!

Plus, what would our News Hounds report on, if not for the soldiers hiding here? God forbid there be any real news in the world. Maybe when bush is out of office, all those who moved from the US to Canada will move back?

okay, GO!!!

[geoffsimpson]

Originally Posted by Sgt Mike

Ok,,, go where? Don't answer that, I'm already on my way there.

OH COME ON!!!! I put bait on the hook and everything!!!

[frostbitevinnie]

[Vinnie walks in room in a sleepy daze]

What in the hell is a goin' on here

[Vinnie walks out of room, same sleepy daze]

[buster]

BOOM! there it goes... as of last night $10.05 gallon petrol

$11.75 gallon diesel and what is the gubmint doing to help the hauliers that are going out of business every minute...... taxing them even more.

The Labour party are doing so well that... There are now more people leaving Britain than moving in (First time in History!) and most of those leaving .... are British!

Count me amongst them.... very soon.

[frostbitevinnie]

I was thinking last night what these fuel costs would do to the U.S. and then it occurred to me that it is world wide. We still have it fairly good here but we have been very spoiled and have arranged our lifestyle around cheap gas. Lots of people still commute long distances to work and soon it will be cost effective just to stay home. Thankfully my commute is very short and I have an mc that gets good mpg. Love it when I am sitting at a stop light next to a Hummer. Do I feel bad??? NO!!

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by buster

Count me amongst them.... very soon.

Where do you want to go, buster? Moving out to one of the colonies? Or onto the mainland?

Maybe you could move to France. Of course, you'd need to memorize the following:

You don't frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person! I blow my nose at you, so-called Ah-thoor Keeng, you and all your silly English K-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-niggits!

I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough water! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!

[inspiron]

Originally Posted by frostbitevinnie

I was thinking last night what these fuel costs would do to the U.S. and then it occurred to me that it is world wide. We still have it fairly good here but we have been very spoiled and have arranged our lifestyle around cheap gas. Lots of people still commute long distances to work and soon it will be cost effective just to stay home. Thankfully my commute is very short and I have an mc that gets good mpg. Love it when I am sitting at a stop light next to a Hummer. Do I feel bad??? NO!!

Refer back to a post I made late last year, where US car manufacturers promised to increase the fuel efficiency of cars sold in the USA to 35 mpg BY 2015! I just laughed, because 35 mpg is considered to be a "gas guzzler" in Europe. The "holy grail" here is the so-called 3-liter car, a car which gets 78 mpg. Volkswagen came close a couple of years back, introducing a VW Fox with a 1 liter turbodiesel engine that averaged somewhere between 60 and 70 mpg.

The attitude in the USA that a vehicle is an extension of your anatomy, and therefore, the bigger, the better, is economically and ecologically wrong. But since this attitude is so widespread, driving a Smart car or VW Fox or some subcompact is dangerous, since you can easily be overseen by the soccer mom sitting 6 feet above the street in her Chevy Suburban with a 30 square foot hood in front of her.

[themeatmanlandry]

Originally Posted by inspiron

I pay for services, and I get paid to serve. That's the way it works.

Ease up there, Fred Garvin.

[buster]

Originally Posted by inspiron

Where do you want to go, buster? Moving out to one of the colonies? Or onto the mainland?

We fancy retiring to a wee Greek island maybe even Crete.. Once I have sold up over here, I could move over there, buy for cash, have a HOOJ wedge in the bank and a tidy wee Navy pension.


BLISS!!!

[tricker]

Originally Posted by inspiron

The attitude in the USA that a vehicle is an extension of your anatomy, and therefore, the bigger, the better, is economically and ecologically wrong.

Kinda reminds me when i was looking for a newer car.. my mom wanted me to buy a chevy trailblazer. I think it was like a big V6 and i told her that there was no reason to buy that big of a vehicle.. so i went with the small SUV which in american standards didn't get too bad of gas mileage..