Why stop at adopting European Gas prices? Healthcare, vacation...

[elehhhhna]

retirement, maternity benefits, public transportation...hell--why go halfway?

Next time some asshat reminds us that gas costs eleventy-million dollars in Europistan, he'd also better show us exactly what those gas taxes BUY for the people who pay them.

[aquart]

1. Good good good good good good point.

[marbuc]

2. As I wrote last night

If we're going to pay European gas prices we should get European social services. High prices and low level of service is simply unacceptable.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Gee, what a concept.

:crazy:

[RB TexLa]

4. vacation time? Don't most of them use like 6 weeks or so for vacation

I complain when my fiancee wants us to take more than a week away from work for something. Thank God her parents are retired now, she wants to give up 4 or 5 weeks of income a year she can go somewhere with them, I'll pass.

[elehhhhna]

8. yeah what's income when compared with memories and experience?

hello! Bet you'd fell diff if the Inlaws weren't your travel buddies.

Get her away w/o the parents. Plese. Do it for you.

[RB TexLa]

12. We don't travel with them, that's what I wish she would do

She wants to take 4 weeks off to go somewhere, she is going to have to find someone else to go with her because I'm not giving that up.

[elehhhhna]

13. 4 WEEKS? Where the hell is she going for 4 weeks?

10 days is my top limit.

[RB TexLa]

14. She wanted us to go to somewhere in the Caribbean for a month

a couple of years ago, I told her to have fun and send a post card.

[elehhhhna]

16. so go for a week (or long weekend) --

funjet.com has incredible specials for spring~

[Jane Austin]

5. Yes, that's how they pay for Universal Health Coverage, would be a good

way to frame it.

"Social Services" sounds like something "other" people use, such as food stamps, aid to dependent children, etc.

I think a lot of people would tune out "Social Services."

Or at least that's my take on it.

[elehhhhna]

9. how bout it -- "Social services" connotes BAD things now

My second cousin in Holland took standard paid leave at 33 weeks pregnant, & now gets months at partial pay up to 1 - 2 years....IIRC

Oh yeah who cares about babies, mothers and familes? :7(

[Jane Austin]

26. I don't disagree with you.

I'm just looking for the phrase with the most punch.

[elehhhhna]

32. abd i wholeheartedly agree w. you!

[BooScout]

6. Do some of you even read what you type?

One person says they don't want to take more vacation time, would rather have the money instead. Just sit there on your couch or behind your desk and rot away.....or maybe have your head explode....I guess that's a good life.:shrug:

[elehhhhna]

7. travel travel travel. do it often or atrophy.

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. Paid vacation time would be nice and more than one week would

be great. How many Americans have the luxury of either, let alone both? Some have no choice but to work til they "rot". Welcome to Corporate America.

[elehhhhna]

11. ...and when you do take time off...

I once actually made a conference collection call from home while nursing my 4 day-old firstborn child.

[BooScout]

15. I lived corporate America for 23 years...

Left it last year.....When I left I was getting 6 1/2 weeks paid time off a year. I would rather travel than work anyday. Even if it's to take a small drive out to the country........anything is better than sitting at a desk all day.

[SammyWinstonJack]

31. Well you were one of the lucky ones apparently. And I am happy for you.

My brother gets 7 weeks paid vacation a year. He's been with the same company for 30, he has earned it. However he is lucky since the workers voted out the Union five years ago and the company retained the established workers benefits. That isn't always the case. I don't know anyone who gets even remotely that kind of vacation. Most people I know barely get a year paid vacation. And they have to beg for it. We would all rather travel than work any day, I suspect. It doesn't always work out that way.

[Critters2]

27. I get four weeks of vacation

but only one day off per week. I work Sundays, so short weekend trips aren't a possibility. I really find myself envious of people who can go away for the weekend. I'm really envious, though, of my parishioners who will retire at 55--teachers and others. I'll have to work to at least 67, and, depending on how my pension is doing, maybe beyond that.

So, people think 4 weeks sounds like a lot, but I spend most of it visiting family, not on real "get away" vacations.

[area51]

17. I like the way you think, elehhhhna.

:toast:

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. OK, here are figures for the UK

Fuel duty 2003-2004: £22.8 billion

National Health Service spending 2003-2004: £73 billion

compare with income tax 2003-2004: £119.1 billion

So you see that fuel duty would pay for 31% of the NHS, if you say it all goes towards that. Not vacation (that's paid for by employers, of course), retirement (British state pensions are worse that American ones), maternity benefits, public transportation - it's nowhere near enough to cover all those as well.

[tocqueville]

19. sorry to dissapoint you but gas taxes pay only for infrastructure

like roads etc... the rest of the benefits you name are financed by income taxes and VAT (a tax of 23% on any sold product or service - with very few exceptions)... but are Americans ready to pay roughly 33% of their income in tax ? Not applicable for incomes under $1200. Those incomes have free healthcare anyway, financed by the other taxes...

[elehhhhna]

20. you're righ Europe's all f';d up

lol

[lectrobyte]

21. Only 33%? And they get all that? That seems like a bargain.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

23. The secret is not spending more on their military than the rest of

the world combined.

When you consider that the military has literally $3.2 trillion dollars that it can't find ("Everyone shake out your pockets on the way out") and is spending literally millions per day in Iraq, that would buy an awful lot of health care and public transit.

[muriel_volestrangler]

25. That's just income tax - there's a separate health insurance deduction

from both employer and employee. Here's a comparison of the amount taken off the employer's cost for an average worker, and what the worker takes home (single, no children)

http://www.oecd.org/document/40/0,2340,en_2649_34533_36330280_1_1_1_1,00.html#Table_I_2

France: 50.05% goes to the government
USA: 29.11%

[mr blur]

22. VAT varies throughout Europe

In the UK it's 17.5% - Highest, I believe is Denmark at 25%.

[dipsydoodle]

24. I think you're missing the point

We, in the UK, are not complaining about the fuel prices (yet) - the complaints about pricing are from your side. There is no point in trying to compare the differences between the two countries by bringing in health care issues etc.- the overall differences are far too great.

We do however appear to be able to influence certain policies which you seem to be unable to do. If you want to get your government to intercede in the price of your fuel then you need to be prepared to run rolling road blocks down your interstate highways to grind traffic to a halt and be prepared to gridlock your cities - both were done with medium success here a couple of years back. Do you wanna go for it ?

[Critters2]

28. Our cities are already gridlocked n/t

[dipsydoodle]

29. I guess so but for different reasons.

What the protests here prevented was our government making the prices even higher with additional tax and duty. In fact they have not had the nerve to do that since then. The rolling road blocks were the 8 wheel drivers most of whom are owner drivers - same where you are maybe. Common sense will tell you that if your prices stay higher than is priced into your distribution system then the cost of your food etc will increase. The point I was making (not to you personally ) was don't just bleat - do something.

Overall I obviously accept that the problem affects us on a smaller scale as the UK is only about the size of CA.

It's quite tragic that this has all been precipitated by ****, The President formerly known as ****. No I didn't say can't.

[many a good man]

30. In twenty years our taxes will be just as high as Europe

but we'll be getting a level of public services more like Mexico.

Thanks to:
1. Budget deficits
2. Military spending
3. Health care costs out of control

IOW, thanks to conservativism.