With U.S. in slump, dual citizenship in EU countries attracts Americans

[aidan80 9]

I personally think there are a lot of benefits to having US citizenship and EU citizenship. Any children we have will have both and enjoy all the benefits of the EU and the US. Although I have to admit I do miss the more relaxed and less stressful life back home. I mean the stress button is being pressed here from the minute you wake till the minute you get home if your lucky, I'm sure for a lot it keeps going!

Ok fuel maybe $8 or $9 a gallon back home but we have a nice thing call public transport and we are not tied and locked to our cars like most are here in the US. Another thing to mention is cars back home appear to get quite a few more miles per gallon that the big useless guzzlers we often see over here. I also have to mention for me at least, the socialist system e.g. the health system is in my opinion a lot better than the greedy private system that operates here. I mean, if I called a dentist back home the first question is are you having any pain or whats wrong, lets get you in and see.. here it's.. do you have insurance followed by which company provides your insurance! I mean it's not prefect but it's better than every man for himself.

I hope ye'r man Obama gets in and boots the capitalists in this place right where it hurts!

Edited June 12, 2008 by aidan80

[mawilson 2,133]

1) Live in the US and have a job, but have all of my money dicked out of me paying for a car and health insurance.

Or have a job that pays for your health insurance through a group plan.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

1) Live in the US and have a job, but have all of my money dicked out of me paying for a car and health insurance.

Or have a job that pays for your health insurance through a group plan.

I do have my health insurance through a group plan, but it still costs me $230 a month. My employer covers the lion's share or otherwise it would be $850 a month. That is more than my rent + utilities. $230 may not seem like that big of a deal, but it is about 13% of my take home pay, ie, I don't make any money.

Then my cars come and let's see what they've gotten out of me in the past 2 months...

Volvo

$148 for a tow back to Indianapolis when the alternator died about 55 miles away from home on the interstate

$89 for an alternator

$45 for a battery

$100 for a wire repair that did not apparently work

$275 for new front brakes

$X for labor today to put in another friggin alternator because the car keeps eating them and no one knows why

$60 worth of gas that will probably go bad at this rate

2 months of lost time because no one can figure out what is wrong with the charging system

$350 for summer tires

Subaru

$252 for a flat tire that turned into buying two other tires

$150 soon for another front axle

Something is wrong with the rear suspension

Manual transmission is in the garbage can...a probable time bomb.

I have no money to buy another car. I cannot afford a car payment. I cannot take public transport because it does not go in any way, shape, or form from my house to my work. Essentially, when I think about, becoming a bum in Europe doesn't seem that bad of a prospect anymore. Then that pesky brainwashing nonsense about working for a living and dying of a stress induced heart attack kicks in. Oh well.

[rebeccajo 14]

1) Live in the US and have a job, but have all of my money dicked out of me paying for a car and health insurance.

Or have a job that pays for your health insurance through a group plan.

Mark -

I don't know ANYONE who has their health insurance entirely paid for by their employer through a group plan. Or through any kind of plan for that matter.

[mawilson 2,133]

1) Live in the US and have a job, but have all of my money dicked out of me paying for a car and health insurance.

Or have a job that pays for your health insurance through a group plan.

Mark -

I don't know ANYONE who has their health insurance entirely paid for by their employer through a group plan. Or through any kind of plan for that matter.

I don't know anyone who hasn't - seems to be a standard deal here.

[Jenn! 918]

I do think most employers require some contribution, though it may be minimal.

[rebeccajo 14]

1) Live in the US and have a job, but have all of my money dicked out of me paying for a car and health insurance.

Or have a job that pays for your health insurance through a group plan.

Mark -

I don't know ANYONE who has their health insurance entirely paid for by their employer through a group plan. Or through any kind of plan for that matter.

I don't know anyone who hasn't - seems to be a standard deal here.

Define 'here'.

[mawilson 2,133]

1) Live in the US and have a job, but have all of my money dicked out of me paying for a car and health insurance.

Or have a job that pays for your health insurance through a group plan.

Mark -

I don't know ANYONE who has their health insurance entirely paid for by their employer through a group plan. Or through any kind of plan for that matter.

I don't know anyone who hasn't - seems to be a standard deal here.

Define 'here'.

Well, NYC. Not "America".

[nivesito 0]

Yeah good luck with that.

'cause things are so much better in Europe.

Europe is probably better if you're a lazy bum who likes to take it easy

That's what I've been saying for years.

But yeah, let's go to Europe because gas is $4 / gallon.... it's only $10 / gallon over there.

Yes, but many places in Europe are much more friendly to living without a car.

Yes, but who wants to live without a car?

Or air conditioning - it's also "optional" in many European countries.

You don't need air conditioning in Germany It's waste of money. Most of the places I visited where it gets really hot in summer like Italy or Spain do have air conditioning.

Something else, Europeans are not lazy, that is a wrong stereotype. I didn't noticed that people here have a better work ethic....

[Jenn! 918]

Looks like average employee contribution in NYC is actually a little bit above the national average:

[Dr. Obvious 49]

You don't need air conditioning in Germany It's waste of money.

I beg to differ. Maybe a waste of money for 3/4 of the year, but it was awful there basically every summer for 8-12 weeks I was there, from 2003-2006. I thought I might die when I was pregnant. It didn't help that I lived in the normally hottest part of the country either.

Edited June 12, 2008 by Wacken

[no name 1]

1) Live in the US and have a job, but have all of my money dicked out of me paying for a car and health insurance.

Or have a job that pays for your health insurance through a group plan.

Mark -

I don't know ANYONE who has their health insurance entirely paid for by their employer through a group plan. Or through any kind of plan for that matter.

I don't know anyone who hasn't - seems to be a standard deal here.

Define 'here'.

Well, NYC. Not "America".

Um, no.

No one I know in NYC has 100% paid for insurance. Including myself when I lived there.

Maybe it's only hypothetical?

Edited June 12, 2008 by illumine

[rebeccajo 14]

If you've got your health insurance premiums 100% paid for by your employer, that's a pretty sweet deal.

Or pretty crappy coverage.

[mawilson 2,133]

If you've got your health insurance premiums 100% paid for by your employer, that's a pretty sweet deal.

Or pretty crappy coverage.

Well I am paying $100 for my wife (it's also $100 per dependent), but otherwise it's free.

[rebeccajo 14]

If you've got your health insurance premiums 100% paid for by your employer, that's a pretty sweet deal.

Or pretty crappy coverage.

Well I am paying $100 for my wife (it's also $100 per dependent), but otherwise it's free.

In our town we have (as one of our major employers) a health insurance company. The employees there get free individual coverage and pay a small monthly premium for family.