What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Aug 30th 2012, 1:46 pm
#391
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 157
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
tuxedocat, robin1234 - fascinating replies, thanks. And they both sum up my main frustration more succinctly than my previous post did; American history is far more fascinating when the grey areas are explored. Less flattering than the black and white version sure, but infinitely more interesting and useful.
Last edited by Egon; Aug 30th 2012 at 1:48 pm.
Aug 30th 2012, 1:52 pm
#392
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 76
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
All the issues raised in the first post are the things that just baffle me about living here in America. I've been here 4 months and it's kinda frustrating. The poverty and homeless levels are disturbing although negative things aside, there are many good things here too, hence why I'm here. I still believe America needs to get it's priorities straight though.
Aug 30th 2012, 2:33 pm
#393
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Location: Was Virginia, now Yorkshire.
Posts: 2,333
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Back to least favourite - the way your insurance premium (renter's, car) is based on your credit rating. Not whether you live in a dodgy area or are a new or crap driver.
Aug 30th 2012, 3:05 pm
#394
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Well, I'm half Brit, half Kraut... I get to win no matter what in these situations!!!
Actually, I grew up in the West Country from age 5, carry a Brit passport, struggle to speak German and served in the British air force. So I usually deal with the football question by claiming football is wank and is just about team A's east European/African imports playing team B's east European/African imports and real men play rugby anyway...
Actually, I grew up in the West Country from age 5, carry a Brit passport, struggle to speak German and served in the British air force. So I usually deal with the football question by claiming football is wank and is just about team A's east European/African imports playing team B's east European/African imports and real men play rugby anyway...
Aug 30th 2012, 3:23 pm
#396
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Location: Was Virginia, now Yorkshire.
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Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
From my insurance provider:
Fair Credit Reporting Act Disclosure Notice
The price we are quoting you is based in part on information provided to us by the consumer reporting agency listed below.
We are sending you this notice, as required by federal and/or state law, because you received a higher price based on your credit information.
The consumer reporting agency provided the following description of the credit factors that had the most influence on the price we quoted you:
-Insufficient length of credit history
The price we are quoting you is based in part on information provided to us by the consumer reporting agency listed below.
We are sending you this notice, as required by federal and/or state law, because you received a higher price based on your credit information.
The consumer reporting agency provided the following description of the credit factors that had the most influence on the price we quoted you:
-Insufficient length of credit history
Aug 30th 2012, 3:26 pm
#397
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
That's shit - effectively what you have been told is "We do base your premium on your driving history blah, blah, blah, but that's irrelevant because your credit dictates that we need to take this giant chunk of your insides out of your arse, just like this ..."
... and you can't sit down for a month
(true story)
... and you can't sit down for a month
(true story)
Aug 30th 2012, 3:29 pm
#398
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
I didn't realize that! They asked me where I live and ages of drivers, commute etc, but maybe they took credit rating into account as well.
Aug 30th 2012, 3:32 pm
#399
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
aye, yeah, we have a mortgage and our credit is still good. That's funny!
Aug 30th 2012, 3:36 pm
#400
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 302
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
You can also refuse to give them your social. I don't know if it will help or not.
Aug 30th 2012, 3:39 pm
#401
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 302
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Another way to look at it is that the American view of history is still dominated by what British historiographers call the Whig Interpretation of History, the view that the past is an inevitable progression towards ever greater liberty and enlightenment, culminating in modern forms of liberal democracy. In the US version of this world view, England carried the torch of progress up until 1776 then it was passed to America that has exclusively borne it ever since. Thus England is credited with Magna Carta and the Glorious Revolution (for instance,) but no liberal democratic progress since then can be allowed the English. Abolition of the Slave Trade? Extension of the franchise? Votes for women? No mention of these, since they happened after 1776.
Aug 30th 2012, 4:34 pm
#403
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Aug 30th 2012, 11:15 pm
#404
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Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
Actually I was in Lanzarote on hols with a college buddy of mine. There were plenty of Box Heads that put the towels on the sun beds by the pool around midnight.
We came back from the bar at silly o'clock, and decided it was just not cricket to do that.
So we carefully, quietly, and with much satisfaction, put all the towels IN the pool...
Aug 30th 2012, 11:19 pm
#405
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Posts: 2,847
Re: What's your LEAST favorite thing about the US?
We had that - our premium went up by 60%
So I saved them the problem of dealing with a suddenly high risk person whose situation hadn't changed a jot...
... by taking my business to their biggest competitor, and getting a better deal than my original one.
When you do it online you can fore go the SSN details... sweet!
The first insurer still took the premium, so I had to call them and claim it back - no problem - all went very quickly and got the money back inside a week. The lady at the call center asked me why we were jumping ship so I politely told her exactly what had happened, said we had no issue with the service we got, or coverage, just the crazy credit-based pricing, so were going elsewhere - I told her who we were going to as well...
So I saved them the problem of dealing with a suddenly high risk person whose situation hadn't changed a jot...
... by taking my business to their biggest competitor, and getting a better deal than my original one.
When you do it online you can fore go the SSN details... sweet!
The first insurer still took the premium, so I had to call them and claim it back - no problem - all went very quickly and got the money back inside a week. The lady at the call center asked me why we were jumping ship so I politely told her exactly what had happened, said we had no issue with the service we got, or coverage, just the crazy credit-based pricing, so were going elsewhere - I told her who we were going to as well...