Do you wish you were born in the United states of America?

[Anonymous]

Please only answer this question if you are a foreigner to the USA.

[Bárbara1402]

When I was little I used to love the idea of USA as a country that allowed new opportunities for anyone that needed them or wanted them but as I grew I started to realizing that USA is just economically strong. USA citizens are so patriotic about a country that was created by citizens from Europe. They don’t have their own culture. They are a mix of cultures from the old continent and from the immigrants that went there to search for a better life but yet they think they are so superior and that doesn’t sit right. They grew economically because of the wars that occurred in Europe but they didn’t grew in other things such as documenting citizens. In Europe we have a citizen card that nowadays it’s given to you since you were born and testifies that you indeed are a citizen of the country you were born and allows the government to identify you if needed. In USA they don’t have such things. The only way to identify a citizen from USA is through their driver’s license.
I’m not even going to say anything about the healthcare which is ridiculous. The principles well being are not priorities for them in my opinion

[KostasKouvalis]

I agree with some of your statements, but you are very misinformed on others. We DO have cultural things, mainly in food, pop culture and sport that are distinctly American.
You're also wrong about the citizenship card. I don't know where you heard that. Except here, we don't call it a "Citizenship Card" but a "Social Security Card." Though I'll admit, I don't know if pernament residents/greencard holders get them too, or just citizens.
And our driver's license doesn't show our birthplace. It only shows our current address.
I don't know about Portugal, but in the US if you're born here, you're also issued a Birth Certificate. Though no one ever asks for this.

[DonaldDarko]

Every US citizen has a social security number. We also have a distinct culture. Our health care is excellent, people drive down from Canada to get care because people die in the waiting room in Canada because of their commie health care system.

[queenofcardio]

No, I don't wish that.

[Kaneki05]

Yeah but no? US doesn't have the finical security like we do in England, benefits are worse, healthcare debt, food cost is crazy, to many other things that make America so expensive. I doubt I could live there and get away with not working, and then working would be pay check to pay check.
However the perks of US is a bigger market which would be better for my investing, and more supply of what I need, more range of food and drink it's absurd we get half the energy drink flavors and mountain dew is basically non-existent, freedom of speech is more upheld, and I could have a collection of knifes and even guns, Air-con being everywhere what a blessing, warm, weed legal in a lot of states, more Gigs since most are American and only tour there or rarely come to England or when they do it's just cities 3-4 hours away despite me living a big city.

Basically more freedom but more expensive.

[Kaneki05]

financial*

[KostasKouvalis]

I thought the UK was more expensive. Maybe not. It USED to be. Your colonies are expensive as fuck though!

In the US though, it varies by state. Some are expensive, others are dirt cheap, but wages are also lower.

If you had some money saved up, you could survive with no job, otherwise, NO. But you're basically right about the paycheck to paycheck thing. You're basically supposed to work to eat, pay bills and make the government and business owner rich. From 16 to whatever the hell our retirement age is now. And you're not supposed to use your hard earned money for liesure

[Kaneki05]

@KostasKouvalis I went to US two years ago so speaking from experienced on the food prices, for sure way worse than ours. It almost feels cheaper to buy fastfood than buy from a store, plus the real problem was cheap pizza is awful and I imagine the same goes for the rest of cheap food.
Our cheap stuff actually tastes good mostly.
I feel two hours of work here can buy you dinner for a week easily, in US two hours of work gets you maybe a few days.
I spend 20 to 30 at most on food a week. In US I'd imagine I would have to spend 50-60.
Which does kind of line up with currency rate but we get more money so... doesn't really.

It's kind of Spending double while getting half the pay it's pretty absurd. And yeah it does matter where you are for sure, and prices may differ but I think as a generalized view this works.
Same can be said if living in London compared to my city which won't be the same prices for sure or even what store you shop at.

[KostasKouvalis]

2 years ago, MAYBE! Fast food prices are INSANE now! You can get a bigger portion for a lower price at at a regular restaurant or takeout place.

What Pizza place did you go to? It depends on the location honestly. Like the Little Cesars in MY town is great, but I had it elsewhere and it was shit!

A lot of pricier pizzas are shit too though.

Really? Not even a few days. If you're working a minimum wage job, you need food stamps or help from your parents.

Damn. I remember for a while the UK was more expensive. Your colonies are still VERY expensive though

[Kaneki05]

@KostasKouvalis I am just talking about crap frozen pizza from a store lol
Think it was called Jack's it be cardboard for $3 or something. Terrible. Chicago Pizza (Ironically) over here is £1 and tastes much better, granted it's small ones but you get 2 which equals it to the size that was.
And even further you could buy a stuffed crust big Chicago pizza for £3 here.
So I'd imagine what a good brand pizza over there is $5-6. Which then would make me feel like just spending $10 on McDonalds or something, heard they do the $5 deal too like we've got a £5 one so I would just get that. So while fastfood has been getting more expensive this is what I mean.

And you have brits complaining about inflation, food prices etc but compared to America I don't think they understand how good we've got it.

[Kaneki05]

Oh yeah I forgot as well tax exists... you get taxed afterwards so it's actually even more...

[Hagar88]

Not really. If you are smart, hardworking, look after your health and foresighted you are better off in the US than Britain. You gotta realise how heavily taxed people are in Britain. Anything you enjoy is taxed. The only thing Britain has over the US is diesel cars.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 Meh it's higher on average but not by much to care since our living cost is much lower. Then you have states that are higher than Uk and by a lot, along with still not getting our benefits and lower living cost so completely screwed if in one of those.

[Hagar88]

Trust me im from the UK and live in the states. there's a reason why anyone from the uk with any real skills or education is over here in the states or Canada or Australia. Its money. Americans are so lazy that they rarely take advantage of all the benefits they have over here.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 That's due to the market being bigger in US which I already covered in my initial opinion. There is more opportunity for sure, but that also comes at a cost. And creates a big disparity from those wealthy and not.

[Hagar88]

You are thinking of the UK. Being on welfare in the us is like working a minimum wage job in the uk.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 No I ain't? Since when did Uk have a bigger market than US?
And no even further? Welfare for US sucks compared to ours nvm minimum wage you can easily check what that is in Uk compared to Us you'll find the difference is crazy, that along with higher living costs make the poor in America more poor than in Uk.
I can guarantee if I lived in US I would be much poorer and wouldn't get half the support I get right now.

[Kaneki05]

US is basically higher highs and lower lows

[Hagar88]

I know what I see over here. Huge difference in welfare in the US. Thats why you see people on welfare still able to afford a car, not to mention cash in hand jobs, and when you add it up to the cheapness of food, rent, gas and everything else you can live a damme good life on welfare in the US compared to the uk.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 Mate everything you say is just objectively wrong, look up which country has a bigger wealth disparity, look up which has lower living costs, look up which has lower price on food as I've already discussed here that ours is lower.
And ya know how many here have a car but on benefits? Many? Not that you even need a car here mind you since it's much easier to get around without one here. Also cash in hand jobs exist here?

No way could I live like I do now, no job and living off benefits easily like in US.
It's very odd you think US is more socialist than us, because by your argument you'd be saying US is more so.

[Hagar88]

Look im from the uk and live in the US and im telling you the way it really is.
The uk is more socialist in that they tax you more, thats the difference. They give with one hand and take with the other when it comes to welfare. US citizens earn more and pay less tax. Plus you can be working cash in hand and claim welfare and though ilegal you are more likely to gdt away with it. Thats what a large amount of people on welfare over here do.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 And I am telling you there is tons of research that shows what I am saying is right, and I've been to US myself, and know this to be true.
Just look it up man, I am not going to argue with basic facts here. Even an AI summary can tell you what I am saying to be true.

And yes where do you think that tax goes? Ever thought about why we are taxed more and where that money goes? We are more socialist including the fact our benefits are better.
US has less benefits cause guess what? Less tax to fund it obviously.

And yes you can work cash in hand here why do I have to repeat this point and for you to repeat back like ain't a thing in Uk? What you think nobody does that here? Are you sure you are from uk?

[Kaneki05]

equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-uk/
Just look at Uk compared to US, I am sure there is better sources than this to prove my point but ya know just found quickly.

[Hagar88]

Yes tons of research but fact is that people on welfare in the us due to low energy prices and cheapness of food aren't choosing between heating and eating.
Trust me I have relatives over and you take them yo get something to eat and they can believe the cheapness and size of the meal, litteraly a meal for 2 for as low as $6

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 Sure man keep making up fiction lol

[Hagar88]

Nothing fictional about it. I remember doing habitat for humanity when I first got here. We were renovating an old 1920s home for a Mexican family that were going to be given it. This house had a basement, and 3 stories. It was a mansion by uk standards. The whole area was like that and half of everyone was on welfare, every evening you could smell the bbqs. Whole other standard of living.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 Yup and that experience equates to every single person on welfare in America how stupid of me, I should've known all of them are in mansions by UK standard.
I could've sworn homeless people exist in US but nah you must be right after all you are speaking from one minor experience and applying it to all rather than using any grounded research.

Like I said great fiction.

[Hagar88]

Homeless people in America all mostly have mental health problems or addictions.
Have you seen the old girl who walks the streets of London. Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags? She's no time for talking she just keeps right on walking carrying her home in two carrier bags.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 What a great way to miss the point. Anyway you bore me, any amount of research you can do into this topic proves you wrong so I don't need to argue with you further on this.

[Hagar88]

You can use nonsense statistics to prove anything, 90% of people know that.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 It's pretty easy to gather data on economics and many sources will all arrive to the same conclusions, but yes tell yourself what you want and keep thinking that rather than using a major source of information to see if your perception lines up with reality.
Because one's perception can never ever be wrong right?

[Hagar88]

But when the data doesn't match up to reality what is it worth?

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 That's the worrying part it does but you seem to be in a fictional world where everyone on welfare has as you put it mansions by uk standards, and that US is more socialist than UK and somewhere people don't even need to work because everything is so cheap and welfare is so grand.
This the complete opposite of reality.

[Hagar88]

No it is very much the reality. In America you can walk into the woods (depending on season) and kill a deer, duck, hog, turkey etc and fish and get enough meat to last you all year for next to nothing. In the uk you can't not do that, unless your Syrian and like ducks and swans from the local pond.

[Kaneki05]

Indeed no poor people exist in America and everything is free actually. Who knew? Thanks for opening my eyes, totally agreed.

[Hagar88]

They do but often any poverty is down to laziness or/and stupidity. Only in America do you find an impoverished person who weighs 30 stone.

[Kaneki05]

@Hagar88 Oh so now your disagreeing with yourself? But I though they all had mansions and were living it up on welfare with no issues? Why would they want a job if everything is paid for them and they're rich anyway right?

[Hagar88]

They dont want a job. You got guys coming over from Nigeria with nothing but the shirt on their backs easily making a success of themselves in a few years.

[DryGermanGuy]

Hell, no! I’m so very glad for our DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

[Levin]

There are some okay things about the US. Particularly if you're rich. And you might say, well, anyone has the ability to become rich. But at what cost?

So the UK is a shithole. But I don't have to worry about healthcare costs. Or 'private ambulance' costs (what even the fuck is that?). We have some food standards. People are unhealthy but 40% aren't obese like in the US. I'll keep my 43 days annual leave. I'll keep my workers rights. I'll keep my safety net.

So I'll keep my shithole.

[KostasKouvalis]

I read that excluding tiny island nation, the UK has the third highest rate of fat fucks after the US and Mexico

[Levin]

@KostasKouvalis Well I'm not sure by what criteria that is, but a cursory search of obesity rankings puts us at #55. Even less obese than Palestine which I find curious...

https://data.worldobesity.org/rankings/

[KostasKouvalis]

It says the most recent data is from 2022

[Levin]

@KostasKouvalis Okay, I've done another search with the same result, which might suggest the most recent figures are from 2022. There's very little structural change that has likely occurred in the past 4 years, so I think wherever you have gotten that information from, it is not quite correct...

[KostasKouvalis]

Considering my DAD said it, highly likely😂

[Levin]

@KostasKouvalis Aye. Fair does.

Obervation out into the world shows it's not true anyway. For example, Canadian women are a right bunch of tubbies =/

[BonzoInBitburg]

I set up a couple US based companies in my mid 20s with the intention of moving there but after consulting with my accountant, it was more advantageous to operate the businesses in Canada. The US is the best country in the world to make money and I've done that my entire adult life but I have no desire to live there or ever go there again. The US is one of only two countries in the world that tax citizens regardless of residency and there is a massive backlog of Americans renouncing citizenship right now. As a Canadian, I can live in Canada for a maximum of 182 days and never pay income tax again.

[strateguy632]

Just look at the need for trump to close borders. Everybody knows we are the best.

[KostasKouvalis]

Not everyone. For third world people it's an upgrade, for European people it's a downgrade. Trump invited White Scandinavians for immigration and they're not interested.

[Hagar88]

No but id never pretend otherwise.

[FreyaRed]

Seriously? Nope..

[CubaPirate]

The hell no Im proud to be British

[KostasKouvalis]

I thought you were Cuban

[CubaPirate]

@KostasKouvalis nope 🤣🤣🤣

[KostasKouvalis]

Oh. It says Cuba Pirate

[Alexandrubaschet08]

YES!!!

[Anonymous]

Nope dude wbu?