Re: Why move to the US?
 

How is social security more related to your job than health insurance? And in what way is health insurance not a cost directly or indirectly to an employee?

Re: Why move to the US?
 

Certainly the Pension aspect is, more you earn the more you get.

Medical Insurance, well I guess if you are ill you can not work, but the connection between Employment and the Health Care is a big stretch. Even more so if you include the family members.

I realise I am preaching to mainly the converted but you could say that the Employer has more interest in making sure employees cars are well maintained and operational. You can just imagine what would happen to costs if that was a common benefit.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

Not quite - there is a redistribution to lower income levels.

Vacation time? Really, there is no logical difference to healthcare than a number of almost standard employee benefits.



Not sure what point you are making here. That people shouldn't be provided with health insurance because it puts costs up?

I do agree that the connection between employment and healthcare access is perhaps the biggest flaw.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

I was in Tesco today and Plax is 3 for the price of 2 - time to come back to Britain!

Re: Why move to the US?
 

:britflag:

Re: Why move to the US?
 

I wouldn't say we're particularly cultured, although there's a few people back east who seem to think we are.

It just annoys me that the US is such a total clusterf--- and I wish there would be some sort of progress in sorting out the various enormous problems the US has. Mainly so that I could retire somewhere warm. But I'm sure there are better reasons to sort it out than that. :o

I sit here thinking to myself that I'd really like to move to the US except for etc. and so on and then I realize that it really isn't that smart of an idea and then I wonder why anyone else wants to.

Failing that, please go bankrupt so that Canada can annex the nice parts.

Or alternatively, have the DoD invent a machine that turns off all the electricity all over the world at the same time and then have militias take over and break up the US into various parts with silly names, like the Monroe Republic.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

Funny, you and I pretty much started out in the same place and ended up in the same place.

And, yes I felt the same way about the Texans.

Here's an example of Texas hospitality...

I visited Austin a few months back arriving late at night.
I stopped at the toll both and the guy started chatting asking me if I was visiting etc, I told him yes but I used to live in Texas, he said welcome back and we missed you. A few days later on the way back to the airport on the other side of the highway I stopped at the toll booth and it was the same guy and he remembered me and told me I should move back to Texas as they would sure like to have me back. It made me feel like I had never left Texas.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

Canada doesn't seem to exist as far as the average yank is concerned. I've never met one who has been to Canada or expresses a wish to do so.
There is little or no news about the country to our North ever shown here. Most yanks do not know the nation's capital or could name the provinces.

My own theory is that Canada isn't a desirable place to visit because it is too "British" for their tastes.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

When Canada is ever mentioned, admittedly rarely, in my experience, it usually seems to be considered just (like) another part of the US - I have heard it referred to as "the upper mid-west", and the attiride seems to be that it is a USA-lite.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

I think it depends where you are, but I agree tourism from the US to Canada is on the decline and has been for awhile, the main reason given is the strength of the US dollar. Try going to Niagara Falls one of the days, OMG, talk about a tourist trap.

It seems to me that older Americans are more familiar with Canada, from the era of the road trip before flying everywhere became so common.

But generally speaking people in contiguous States are somewhat familiar with Canada I find.

At least Americans know where Canada is, which is more than can be said for most of the geography of the world.

What really irritates me is when I'm in Arizona and people don't know where Alberta is, typically anyone over the age of 30 does know and anyone younger than that doesn't. I remember I was in the Microsoft store at the Fashion Square Mall and some girl was showing me how wonderful Bing Maps was (or not) and I asked her to zoom in on Alberta and she goes: "Errr.... where's that?" So I reply, well, I'll give you a clue, it's in the same time zone. Blank stare, I think she thought it must be in Mexico but it didn't sound Mexican and I didn't look Mexican, so eventually I had to say, "scroll up".

Re: Why move to the US?
 

I've lost count of the number of Americans that refer to Canada as overseas. I used to point out that there is no sea between the two countries...then I gave up it was too much effort.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

Like Domestic beer.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

After visiting USA a couple of times now I am personally very interested to emigrate there, at least for a couple of years anyway to see how things go.

For me the allure is down to a couple of things, life style, Californian Weather, the culture, I love the kindness of people, the patriotism (which is frowned upon in northern Ireland by many quarters), the food, the cheap prices of things, no sales tax in Oregon, the cars, the accents, the geography, the diversity among other things.

I have friends there that have moved over from northern Ireland to study spread out, New York, Lincoln, Tampa, Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle and I also have 2nd cousins in both san fran and los angeles. All of them appear to have a quality standard of living and it would be very much something that appeals to me.

Ideally with my computer science degree once I get a job I should be fine as most firms that I would apply for will offer health insurance and reasonable salaries.
I also work for an american oil company so once I get my visa I could try and get a transfer to their Houston or California locations. Unfortunately they don't do inter company transfers for any one lower than management so it's the DV lottery route for me for the time being. From what I see it's a far better place to be when your young, with Europe being far superior for late age due to the social welfare in place and health service.

Also those talking about the class system, I've lived in England for 2 years now and the class system is much more entrenched in USA.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

Who knows what your late age will bring.

Re: Why move to the US?
 

So you've spent 5 minutes in the USA and not much longer in England - how do you know how entrenched the "class system" is in one place compared to the other?