What do you like/loathe about the US compared to home (Ireland)?

Mutant Mass

I've been living in the states for over 4 years now, with the odd trip back home.

Some of the things I've grown to LOVE:

-US attitudes: The positivity of most people. The attitude of 'if you want something go out there and earn it', there is very little entitlement culture here. The lack of begrudgery.

-The service: From getting a meal, to someone working in a gas station. The levels of service offered here are streaks ahead of home.

-The bars: I know lots of people pine for the old-style Irish country pub, but I love the sports bars here. I love nothing more than calling down to a bar on a Sunday to watch sport, eat some food and have a few beers. I also love the large selection of craft brews available here compared to at home.

-The Wildlife: Taking a camping trip in one of the national parks here is nothing short of incredible. Seeing huge wild animals like bears, wolves and eagles is just something you can't get at home.

Things that I really dislike:

US Attitudes: Some of the attitudes are extremely ethnocentric, bordering on racist. The belief that the US is the epitome of human achievement and that people aspire to be like Americans. Some of the far-right wing religious are completely bonkers. I dislike the passive-aggressive nature of a lot of americans. They're less likely to come out and say they have a problem with you, and instead act passive-aggressive.

Intercity Public Transport: I don't particularly like driving for long periods, but rail/buses between cities absolutely sucks.

TV Commercials: I basically don't watch any TV because of them. Ridiculously intrusive.

Just a quick few of my likes/dislikes. I know this will differ wildly from state to state. But what are you thoughts on living in the US?

rockonollie

Mutant Mass wrote: »

there is very little entitlement culture here.

Don't get this point at all.....the US has a huge problem with the entitlement culture.

InTheTrees

rockonollie wrote: »

Don't get this point at all.....the US has a huge problem with the entitlement culture.

Can you describe some of those entitlements for the European readers who may not be familar?

rockonollie

InTheTrees wrote: »

Can you describe some of those entitlements for the European readers who may not be familar?

Can we start with the Obamaphone?......or the countless people on social welfare that ask, "why should I go back to work when the government pays the bills for me?"

Look at the fast food workers, who have been on strike lately because they don't earn enough money to pay their bills, not asking for a slight raise, or for more hour......they're asking for their pay to double from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour.

InTheTrees

rockonollie wrote: »

Can we start with the Obamaphone?

I dont understand. Sorry. What specific programs are the problem?

Can you describe the "Entitlement Culture"?

Do you mean food stamps? Or long term disability?

InTheTrees

rockonollie wrote: »

Look at the fast food workers, who have been on strike lately because they don't earn enough money to pay their bills, not asking for a slight raise, or for more hour......they're asking for their pay to double from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour.

YOu dont like people asking for raises?

rockonollie

InTheTrees....I have no problem with social welfare programs, or people asking for raises......but there has to be a level of realism.

Social welfare is neccessary in every country, but 47% of the population here receive some form of benefits.....there are many that need and are perfectly entitled to it, but there's also plenty that take the benefits simple because they are available and are convenient.

As far as the fast food strike goes.....it's not an issue of people asking for raises.....it's people who work minimum wage jobs asking to be paid twice the minimum wage. They complain that they don't earn enough in that job to support their families.....but it isn't the job of an employer to pay your bills, the employer is supposed to pay you for the work that you do.....and flipping burgers at McDonald's is not a career where you should expect to make a tonne of money.

iusedtoknow

rockonollie wrote: »

InTheTrees....I have no problem with social welfare programs, or people asking for raises......but there has to be a level of realism.

Social welfare is neccessary in every country, but 47% of the population here receive some form of benefits.....there are many that need and are perfectly entitled to it, but there's also plenty that take the benefits simple because they are available and are convenient.

As far as the fast food strike goes.....it's not an issue of people asking for raises.....it's people who work minimum wage jobs asking to be paid twice the minimum wage. They complain that they don't earn enough in that job to support their families.....but it isn't the job of an employer to pay your bills, the employer is supposed to pay you for the work that you do.....and flipping burgers at McDonald's is not a career where you should expect to make a tonne of money.

wow.

Just wow.

Ok, so the minimum wage here in SF is 10.55 an hour. Working 40 hours a week will get you 1688/month Gross.

That is before tax, social security etc. Most fastfood/starbucks do not get tips. This is assuming that the workers get healthcare - however when they do they usually have pretty high out of pocket expenses

That is not a living wage, no matter what way you look at it. Most of the people earning this salary do not live in SF because it is too damned expensive, but have to commute in from Oakland. That means taking the BART which costs $8 return.

I have no problem with people wanting a living wage, not a minimum wage.

rockonollie

Insisting the employers pay enough to cover their employees cost of living, regardless of type of job/skills required = sense of entitlement

clairefontaine

iusedtoknow wrote: »

wow.

Just wow.

Ok, so the minimum wage here in SF is 10.55 an hour. Working 40 hours a week will get you 1688/month Gross.

That is before tax, social security etc. Most fastfood/starbucks do not get tips. This is assuming that the workers get healthcare - however when they do they usually have pretty high out of pocket expenses

That is not a living wage, no matter what way you look at it. Most of the people earning this salary do not live in SF because it is too damned expensive, but have to commute in from Oakland. That means taking the BART which costs $8 return.

I have no problem with people wanting a living wage, not a minimum wage.

San Fran is an expensive city. No one forces you to live there. Minimum wage is different state to state. You can move to a different part of California or to a different state.

iusedtoknow

clairefontaine wrote: »

San Fran is an expensive city. No one forces you to live there. Minimum wage is different state to state. You can move to a different part of California or to a different state.

I moved here with my company, and am paid pretty well for it and live pretty well, however what you're saying is, poorer people should not live in cities on the East / West coast even though they may be from there?

Pretty disgusting attitude. The Bay area poor live in ghettos over in the East Bay (Oakland, Richmond, Vallejo) where there are few jobs, so they commute into the city for what minimum wage work there is.

Those cities have the worst schools as their districts are poorly funded as the people are poor, that puts the children at a disadvantage already. A lot leave school with little or no education. It is a horrible circle. They come into work in SF at minimum wage jobs, and just cannot move up in the world. The cycle repeats.

This is pretty good glimpse into the world of a minimum wage worker, and she is one of the lucky ones - she isn't supporting a family on this wage

clairefontaine

iusedtoknow wrote: »

I moved here with my company, and am paid pretty well for it and live pretty well, however what you're saying is, poorer people should not live in cities on the East / West coast even though they may be from there?

Pretty disgusting attitude. The Bay area poor live in ghettos over in the East Bay (Oakland, Richmond, Vallejo) where there are few jobs, so they commute into the city for what minimum wage work there is.

Those cities have the worst schools as their districts are poorly funded as the people are poor, that puts the children at a disadvantage already. A lot leave school with little or no education. It is a horrible circle. They come into work in SF at minimum wage jobs, and just cannot move up in the world. The cycle repeats.

This is pretty good glimpse into the world of a minimum wage worker, and she is one of the lucky ones - she isn't supporting a family on this wage

Eh. I grew up in the most expensive city in the US and I can't afford to live there. Not a disgusting attitude, that is how it is. And no need to get personal.

School funding are you kidding me?

NYC has plenty of money,taxing the bejesus out the middle class and upwards and you still have to spend 25k a year on private school. That's what I call a scam.

iusedtoknow

clairefontaine wrote: »

Eh. I grew up in the most expensive city in the US and I can't afford to live there. Not a disgusting attitude, that is how it is. And no need to get personal.

School funding are you kidding me?

NYC has plenty of money,taxing the bejesus out the middle class and upwards and you still have to spend 25k a year on private school. That's what I call a scam.

Sorry, didn't mean it "personally". But as for school comment, I was talking public schools.

The best public schools in the bay area are in Cupertino and Los Gatos in Silicon Valley. The worst schools are in Richmond and Oakland.

Perhaps I am living in the wrong country, I am a socialist through and through. I don't believe in private education, I believe in universal healthcare, affordable housing and a living wage for all and for everyone who needs it to get a leg up in the world, and it not be a zipcode lottery.

clairefontaine

iusedtoknow wrote: »

Sorry, didn't mean it "personally". But as for school comment, I was talking public schools.

The best public schools in the bay area are in Cupertino and Los Gatos in Silicon Valley. The worst schools are in Richmond and Oakland.

Perhaps I am living in the wrong country, I am a socialist through and through. I don't believe in private education, I believe in universal healthcare, affordable housing and a living wage for all and for everyone who needs it to get a leg up in the world, and it not be a zipcode lottery.

California is one of the weirdest states IMO. I'll never get them.

InTheTrees

So it looks like the point is made:

Right wing americans get enraged not by actual entitlement programs (which they have trouble naming anyway) but they're even maddened by people having a "sense of entitlement" which you could also call ambition couldnt you.

SO chalk that up as one in the OP's negative column.

clairefontaine

iusedtoknow wrote: »

Sorry, didn't mean it "personally". But as for school comment, I was talking public schools.

The best public schools in the bay area are in Cupertino and Los Gatos in Silicon Valley. The worst schools are in Richmond and Oakland.

Perhaps I am living in the wrong country, I am a socialist through and through. I don't believe in private education, I believe in universal healthcare, affordable housing and a living wage for all and for everyone who needs it to get a leg up in the world, and it not be a zipcode lottery.

The idea of federalism in the US whe you have state and local control, is that if you don't like the laws in one state, you are free to move to another. Americans have always been migrants in this way. We move around a lot. I would not live in NYC, even todo ugh I love it, because it is a rip off city. Am I entitled to be able to afford to live there just because I grew up there? Nope. It sucks, but I'd hate to see the alternative. It's expensive because of its insane taxes, nd because newcomers pay through the nose in rent to compensate for people living there since 1950 in rent controlled apartments. So ironically, its taxing and re appropriation of wealth which is what has made it nigh impossible for me to live there, and I'm not in the minimum wage bracket either.

If you send your kids to public school in California, you may start believing in iprivate education, I know I would. As an Irish immigrant would you like your kids to stand up everyday, face the flag and pledge allegiance to the USA?
Would you like your seven year old to hear about prominent homosexuals in history? Would you like your kids to be around mostly English speakers? Or would you like some say in what they are learning?

clairefontaine

Mutant Mass wrote: »

I've been living in the states for over 4 years now, with the odd trip back home.

Some of the things I've grown to LOVE:

-US attitudes: The positivity of most people. The attitude of 'if you want something go out there and earn it', there is very little entitlement culture here. The lack of begrudgery.

-The service: From getting a meal, to someone working in a gas station. The levels of service offered here are streaks ahead of home.

-The bars: I know lots of people pine for the old-style Irish country pub, but I love the sports bars here. I love nothing more than calling down to a bar on a Sunday to watch sport, eat some food and have a few beers. I also love the large selection of craft brews available here compared to at home.

-The Wildlife: Taking a camping trip in one of the national parks here is nothing short of incredible. Seeing huge wild animals like bears, wolves and eagles is just something you can't get at home.

Things that I really dislike:

US Attitudes: Some of the attitudes are extremely ethnocentric, bordering on racist. The belief that the US is the epitome of human achievement and that people aspire to be like Americans. Some of the far-right wing religious are completely bonkers. I dislike the passive-aggressive nature of a lot of americans. They're less likely to come out and say they have a problem with you, and instead act passive-aggressive.

Intercity Public Transport: I don't particularly like driving for long periods, but rail/buses between cities absolutely sucks.

TV Commercials: I basically don't watch any TV because of them. Ridiculously intrusive.

Just a quick few of my likes/dislikes. I know this will differ wildly from state to state. But what are you thoughts on living in the US?

The southeast I particularly dislike. Cold never live there. I like the northeast, but that's what I'm used to.

I getting used to the northwest, but there are things that I think are really stupid. My town is spending a fortune on changing the fisherman signs everywhere to fisher person signs. Meanwhile there's ily half day Kindergarten because they won't spend the money on full day. This I think is utterly priority upside down.

iusedtoknow

clairefontaine wrote: »

The idea of federalism in the US whe you have state and local control, is that if you don't like the laws in one state, you are free to move to another. Americans have always been migrants in this way. We move around a lot. I would not live in NYC, even todo ugh I love it, because it is a rip off city. Am I entitled to be able to afford to live there just because I grew up there? Nope. It sucks, but I'd hate to see the alternative. It's expensive because of its insane taxes, nd because newcomers pay through the nose in rent to compensate for people living there since 1950 in rent controlled apartments. So ironically, its taxing and re appropriation of wealth which is what has made it nigh impossible for me to live there, and I'm not in the minimum wage bracket either.

If you send your kids to public school in California, you may start believing in iprivate education, I know I would. As an Irish immigrant would you like your kids to stand up everyday, face the flag and pledge allegiance to the USA?
Would you like your seven year old to hear about prominent homosexuals in history? Would you like your kids to be around mostly English speakers? Or would you like some say in what they are learning?

Yes to all, we intend on taking dual citizenship as soon as we can, our kids will be american (as they will be born here), they have to respect the country they will be growing up in.

What is wrong with learning about prominent homosexuals? If they have accomplished something (harvey milk etc) then why not? Also I am all for equality, especially seeing as my brother is gay, my boss is gay.

Most of the kids around our neighborhood are chinese/american as well as many hispanic and european...however I rarely hear anything but english being spoken by kids. Anyway, our kids will be bilingual seeing as my wife is Spanish.

clairefontaine

iusedtoknow wrote: »

Yes to all, we intend on taking dual citizenship as soon as we can, our kids will be american (as they will be born here), they have to respect the country they will be growing up in.

What is wrong with learning about prominent homosexuals? If they have accomplished something (harvey milk etc) then why not? Also I am all for equality, especially seeing as my brother is gay, my boss is gay.

Most of the kids around our neighborhood are chinese/american as well as many hispanic and european...however I rarely hear anything but english being spoken by kids. Anyway, our kids will be bilingual seeing as my wife is Spanish.

Ok, that's fair enough for YOU. But some don't want their kids learning about Ellen Degeneris' lesbianism at age 7. I don't want to have to explain lesbianism or heterosexual sex to my seven year old thanks. At that age you're still learning how to roller skate and jump rope. It shouldn't matte, so make it not matter. I refuse to answer racial questions on school application forma, for this same reason. I write down the famous Martin Luther King quote and hand it back to the administrator.

Anyway, I have no problem with private school if it means you get the education for your kids that you want. In NYC it's a necessity I'd you want to give them half a hope. Maybe San Fran is different, I don't know.

lil_lisa

clairefontaine wrote: »

I don't want to have to explain lesbianism or heterosexual sex to my seven year old thanks.

I don't believe any school teaches about sex between any 2 people regardless of sexual orientation to a seven year old. Even in public schools

clairefontaine wrote: »

I refuse to answer racial questions on school application forma, for this same reason.

I could be wrong, but haven't they made it a law now that these questions are always an "opt-out" question? i.e. you can always choose "prefer not to answer" or something?

whitey1

Mutant Mass wrote: »

I've been living in the states for over 4 years now, with the odd trip back home.

Some of the things I've grown to LOVE:

-US attitudes: The positivity of most people. The attitude of 'if you want something go out there and earn it', there is very little entitlement culture here. The lack of begrudgery.

-The service: From getting a meal, to someone working in a gas station. The levels of service offered here are streaks ahead of home.

-The bars: I know lots of people pine for the old-style Irish country pub, but I love the sports bars here. I love nothing more than calling down to a bar on a Sunday to watch sport, eat some food and have a few beers. I also love the large selection of craft brews available here compared to at home.

-The Wildlife: Taking a camping trip in one of the national parks here is nothing short of incredible. Seeing huge wild animals like bears, wolves and eagles is just something you can't get at home.

Things that I really dislike:

US Attitudes: Some of the attitudes are extremely ethnocentric, bordering on racist. The belief that the US is the epitome of human achievement and that people aspire to be like Americans. Some of the far-right wing religious are completely bonkers. I dislike the passive-aggressive nature of a lot of americans. They're less likely to come out and say they have a problem with you, and instead act passive-aggressive.

Intercity Public Transport: I don't particularly like driving for long periods, but rail/buses between cities absolutely sucks.

TV Commercials: I basically don't watch any TV because of them. Ridiculously intrusive.

Just a quick few of my likes/dislikes. I know this will differ wildly from state to state. But what are you thoughts on living in the US?

I have lived here for close to 20 years....4 different states and work has brought me to visit more than 30. The town I live in has 1 other Irish born person and he moved here when he was 1. Lets just say Im assimilated

The country is enormous with vast disparities in ethnicities, attitudes, wealth education etc.

I will take a moment to address your dislikes

(1) I live in Boston....very welcoming of immigrants who want to work. They dont want or like people coming here to go on the dole. If you want to work you can. If you cant speak English, there are plenty of free classes you can avail of, so theres really no excuse

this is what people are sick of

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/opinion/op_ed/2013/08/voodoo_queen_gets_culture

I wouldnt agree that people think the US is the epitome of Human Achievement. For the most part their system works. When I moved here in the early 90s a regular blue collar person would have had a similar standard of living to an upper professional person in Ireland. Im talking about cars, houses, vacations, eduvational opportunities for their kids, recreation.

Show me any other country in the world where you can go from abject poverty to top 1% wage earners in one generation

(2) Agree and disagree. Typically only poor people would take a Greyhound Bus. I dont think European type rail service is available outside of the Northeast corridor but I could be wrong.

Yanks love their cars/trucks-its part of their culture. Most intra city public transport options are very under utilized or operate only with big taxpayer subsidies.

There are also plenty of cheap options to fly.


(3) Get cable or a dvr

silja

**** One post removed as a personal attack. Let's stick to the topic in the OP and stay away from bickering and politics. *****

InTheTrees

silja wrote: »

**** One post removed as a personal attack. Let's stick to the topic in the OP and stay away from bickering and politics. *****

I was just thinking the most loathsome thing about the USA is the political bickering.

But I'm as guilty as anyone...

iusedtoknow

What I like about the US (California)
1. The place: we can be skiing, go to the desert, go to the beach, be where there is a lot of music/art/culture, be in the mountains all within a few hours of home
2. The food is amazing, great new american, sushi, vietnamese, chinese.
3. The people are really friendly here, as long as you treat people with respect, you'll get the same back. People are willing to shoot the breeze, even in the middle of a busy day. Because SF has a long history of immigration, no one marks you out because of your accent, you're just another part of the city.
4. The pace of life is great, obviously people work very hard, long hours (especially in tech) but at weekends, all bets are off - people gear down and life isn't as rushed.

What I dislike?
1. the portions of food.

2. racial segregation is still in place, it is done via the economy, but it is still there. We rarely if ever see black people in our neighbourhood (Inner Sunset: Old Irish (you hear 80 year old men with this Mayo Accents), Chinese/Vietnamese and New Tech workers( mostly white). However, the poorest parts of the city (bayview and the tendorloin) are predominantly black, the richest parts are white (Nob Hill etc). The poorest parts of East Bay are predominantly Black (Oakland) while the richer parts are white (Berkley).

3. The lack of help for people that need it. There is a high level of mental health issues with the homeless people here, they are obviously sick and need help, however due to the hatred of all things socialist, they get the basic needs looked after, nothing more. There is a huge gulf between the haves and have nots in this city.

4. Rents are through the roof. Our rent now is pretty much the same as my monthly salary in Europe, we can afford it but it would be nicer to be paying less. We made our choices, we wanted to live in the city, and so we pay the rent that requires.

whitey1

iusedtoknow wrote: »

What I like about the US (California)
1. The place: we can be skiing, go to the desert, go to the beach, be where there is a lot of music/art/culture, be in the mountains all within a few hours of home
2. The food is amazing, great new american, sushi, vietnamese, chinese.
3. The people are really friendly here, as long as you treat people with respect, you'll get the same back. People are willing to shoot the breeze, even in the middle of a busy day. Because SF has a long history of immigration, no one marks you out because of your accent, you're just another part of the city.
4. The pace of life is great, obviously people work very hard, long hours (especially in tech) but at weekends, all bets are off - people gear down and life isn't as rushed.

What I dislike?
1. the portions of food.

2. racial segregation is still in place, it is done via the economy, but it is still there. We rarely if ever see black people in our neighbourhood (Inner Sunset: Old Irish (you hear 80 year old men with this Mayo Accents), Chinese/Vietnamese and New Tech workers( mostly white). However, the poorest parts of the city (bayview and the tendorloin) are predominantly black, the richest parts are white (Nob Hill etc). The poorest parts of East Bay are predominantly Black (Oakland) while the richer parts are white (Berkley).

3. The lack of help for people that need it. There is a high level of mental health issues with the homeless people here, they are obviously sick and need help, however due to the hatred of all things socialist, they get the basic needs looked after, nothing more. There is a huge gulf between the haves and have nots in this city.

4. Rents are through the roof. Our rent now is pretty much the same as my monthly salary in Europe, we can afford it but it would be nicer to be paying less. We made our choices, we wanted to live in the city, and so we pay the rent that requires.

Racial segregation....Ive got an idea for you and you can kill 2 birds with one stone. Move into one of the more racially diverse neighborhoods, and donate to charity what you will save in rent.

clairefontaine

whitey1 wrote: »

Racial segregation....Ive got an idea for you and you can kill 2 birds with one stone. Move into one of the more racially diverse neighborhoods, and donate to charity what you will save in rent.

This happened in NYC. White middle class liberals thought they were being progressive and embracing diversity by moving into black neighbourhoods in Brooklyn. They drove the rents up even more so locas couldnt afford the rents, and yes ended up resenting those white people. It wasn't like thanksgiving dinner and perfect harmony by any stretch.

iusedtoknow

clairefontaine wrote: »

This happened in NYC. White middle class liberals thought they were being progressive and embracing diversity by moving into black neighbourhoods in Brooklyn. They drove the rents up even more so locas couldnt afford the rents, and yes ended up resenting those white people. It wasn't like thanksgiving dinner and perfect harmony by any stretch.

It is already happening here. People are "moving" to Bayview as they get the first choice in schools (SF operates a lottery for public school places). If you are registered in Bayview, you can get into whatever school you apply to. Richer people are leasing apartments, not using them and getting their kids into what PS they want.
Aside from using up much needed affordable housing and driving rents up, it is forcing the city into looking into removing Bayview's privilege in school choices, this perpetuating the circle of disadvantage (school in a lot tax intake area, bad funding for the district etc)

clairefontaine

iusedtoknow wrote: »

It is already happening here. People are "moving" to Bayview as they get the first choice in schools (SF operates a lottery for public school places). If you are registered in Bayview, you can get into whatever school you apply to. Richer people are leasing apartments, not using them and getting their kids into what PS they want.
Aside from using up much needed affordable housing and driving rents up, it is forcing the city into looking into removing Bayview's privilege in school choices, this perpetuating the circle of disadvantage (school in a lot tax intake area, bad funding for the district etc)

There's a lot of games people play with this stuff. I know wealthy New Yorkers who claim residency in PA but live in NYC to avoid NYC taxes too.

Schools in urban areas are always going to have this kind of yuppie musical chairs. This is why people end up going private.

Do you know of SF warehouses apartments?

Murt10

Some of my pet likes and dislikes.

Goods
1. 4 way stops

2. Being allowed to turn on a red light

3.. The no nonsense approach regarding prison sentencing. 10 years means 10 years. None of this temporary release.

Bads
1. Tipping shouldn't be mandatory. People should be able to survive on their basic wages without having to resort to depending on tips.

2. Entering a motorway on an uphill slope.

3. Looking at (old) people working at a till in a supermarket not being allowed to sit while they are doing their job.

4. The free availability of assault weapons

dave2pvd

Murt10 wrote: »

Some of my pet likes and dislikes.

Goods
1. 4 way stops

2. Being allowed to turn on a red light

3.. The no nonsense approach regarding prison sentencing. 10 years means 10 years. None of this temporary release.

Usually only in Federal Pen. As far as states go, it's typically just like Ireland with early release for all sorts of reasons. One exception can be mandatory sentencing for drug-related offenses...a policy that has been a abject failure.

Bads
1. Tipping shouldn't be mandatory. People should be able to survive on their basic wages without having to resort to depending on tips.

Resistance is futile...you will be assimilated. Why fight it?

2. Entering a motorway on an uphill slope.

3. Looking at (old) people working at a till in a supermarket not being allowed to sit while they are doing their job.

Where is that??

4. The free availability of assault weapons

Personally, I think they should not be available at all. At the same time, 'assault weapons' are not freely available. Depends on your definition though.

...

iusedtoknow

clairefontaine wrote: »

There's a lot of games people play with this stuff. I know wealthy New Yorkers who claim residency in PA but live in NYC to avoid NYC taxes too.

Schools in urban areas are always going to have this kind of yuppie musical chairs. This is why people end up going private.

Do you know of SF warehouses apartments?

Warehouse Apartment? You mean where people renovate warehouses into apartments?

athtrasna

I don't live in the US but there are a couple of things I love/hate about the US as a frequent visitor

Love

• The Wals....Walmart & Walgreens
• Affordability (relative) of eating out
• Price of petrol (again relative)
• Car pool lanes
• Turning Right on Red

Not so keen on

• The tipping culture, why not pay people a proper wage
• Tax added on to the displayed price rather than being included
• Formality - Sir, Ma'am etc
• Sometime fake niceness
• Food portion size

clairefontaine

iusedtoknow wrote: »

Warehouse Apartment? You mean where people renovate warehouses into apartments?

No. Warehousing refers to the illegal action of landlords limiting supply by keeping portions of their housing off the market. So they might have a building with let's say 20 apartments, but block off five of them.

spideog7

Bad:
4 way stops actually drive me demented. They're grand on busy city roads but in rural areas it's basically a random stop sign on an otherwise straight road that forces you to come to a complete stop from 40 or 50 mph even though there's no traffic for a 10 miles. There's often no white line to mark stop signs either! They need to embrace roundabouts over here, maybe not quite to the extent as at home but I'm sure there's a happy medium.

Old people working jobs at McDonalds and gas stations and stuff is crazy, I still can't wrap my head around it. Even people I know here think it's terrible that very old people have to work like that.

Unions over here are pretty bad too, I understand they are there to protect the employees but in a lot of cases they've gone too far and they are dragging companies down or worse, wasting tax payer money with unrealistic expectations. The problem is that there are not very many rules governing basic benefits for employees, there's not even a mandatory lunch break requirement in an 8hr day!

Tax not on the price you see is really annoying. I also think it kind of highlights the disconnect between regular people and the government, it's pretty much there as a way to say 'look what the big bad government is taking from you' and in that sense I guess it works, imagine if every receipt at home at the VAT itemised.

They really work you to the bone over here, long hours and not very much time off, this is one of the major things pushing me to leave a job that is otherwise is pretty much perfect for me.

Politics, the whole polarised society, that really isn't as bad as it appears once you dive into it, it's just that people in the middle are forced to pick a side. It's a problem of a broken political system IMO and I (along with many of my American peers) hope the 2 party system eventually gets changed.

The price of third level education.

Good:
Seasons: Solid hard Winter (although it can drag a bit when it's still snowing on St. Patrick's Day), Summer and Autumn, I'm actually excited for the beginning of Autumn, it's my favourite time of year

Turn on red is a great idea, unfortunately a lot of people don't bother with the whole stopping first before you turn which makes it really hard for pedestrians. Only this morning walking to work I almost got hit twice by people turning on red, they're ruining it for the rest of us!!

I do like that the tax system is broken down such that the tax take for a specific type of tax/fee is used to pay for a specific service.

National Parks, one of the few Government organisations worthy of the funding they aren't receiving due to the sequester.

NPR

Weather, this is kind of covered in seasons but it's worth mentioning twice.

I'm sure there's more good things...

duck_77

1 note: The price before tax (with it added on) is due to the various state/county/city taxes that can be applied and the companies can maintain a standard price in the USA.

For example, Hawaii has a sales tax of 5% but almost 10% in CA, makes it easier for all companies to have a single set of prices (and ads etc) to market.

InTheTrees

duck_77 wrote: »

1 note: The price before tax (with it added on) is due to the various state/county/city taxes that can be applied and the companies can maintain a standard price in the USA.

For example, Hawaii has a sales tax of 5% but almost 10% in CA, makes it easier for all companies to have a single set of prices (and ads etc) to market.

But its also the posted prices in local shops for local produce that dont include tax so you walk into a shop and see an item on the shelf with a certain price and when you take it to the register to pay its suddenly 10% more expensive.

Dives me nuts even after twenty years here.

Gandhi

I actually love that taxes are itemized out. I'm convinced that is the main reason that sales taxes are so low in the States, and that there is no national sales tax whatsoever.

A few years back the government (can't remember if it was just Pennsylvania or the whole country) wanted to stop the cell phone companies from itemizing out the taxes in their bills as people were grumbling about the taxes on them. The phone companies kicked up a stink and the government backed down immediately.

Portion sizes continue to amaze me. I neither love them nor hate them - they just fascinate me. Even after 17 years here, it still blows my mind when I order the "extra small" of anything and get more food than an entire village would consume in a week in most of the world.

iusedtoknow

spideog7 wrote: »

Bad:
4 way stops actually drive me demented. They're grand on busy city roads but in rural areas it's basically a random stop sign on an otherwise straight road that forces you to come to a complete stop from 40 or 50 mph even though there's no traffic for a 10 miles.

I have grown used to these, especially in our neighbourhood as it keeps traffic moving well ( a grid). However there is no pattern, you can drive 4 blocks and no stop sign (East/West have priority), then suddenly 2 blocks of 4 ways - that does my nut in....

Old people working jobs at McDonalds and gas stations and stuff is crazy, I still can't wrap my head around it. Even people I know here think it's terrible that very old people have to work like that

I agree, what is even worse is that one of the baggers at our local supermarket has not 2 but 3 jobs...she's 72 and deserves better at her age

Unions over here are pretty bad too, I understand they are there to protect the employees but in a lot of cases they've gone too far and they are dragging companies down or worse, wasting tax payer money with unrealistic expectations. The problem is that there are not very many rules governing basic benefits for employees, there's not even a mandatory lunch break requirement in an 8hr day!

I agree with the concept of unions, however the BART strike here was horrific for the region, which is why the governor stepped in and forced them into talks and made the strikes impossible to happen. The union knew they had a good barganning chip, but over played it and lost the support of the people.

They really work you to the bone over here, long hours and not very much time off, this is one of the major things pushing me to leave a job that is otherwise is pretty much perfect for me.

Agreed, though I am OK - i get 18 days vacation on top of a christmas break and all the federals. My working days are pretty long, and the sucky thing is my wife gets 10 days a year and works erratic shifts (doctor) so we can't really plan time away.

Politics, the whole polarised society, that really isn't as bad as it appears once you dive into it, it's just that people in the middle are forced to pick a side. It's a problem of a broken political system IMO and I (along with many of my American peers) hope the 2 party system eventually gets changed.

Pretty lucky here in SF, very liberal (thank god!) but even whenever I go to texas or indy for work, i like the fact that even if you do hold very diverse political opinions, people are still at the very least polite. Also, I have found not discussing politics unless you at know the persons middle name is usually a good rule of thumb here

NPR

Yes! especially This american with life...with Ira Glas

I'm sure there's more good things...

This as well

GenericName

I'm Irish but lived in a few developing countries for the last years before arrivig in the US so like anyone from a country where electronics or luxury items are 300% taxed, I shopped! Lots of choice, cheap generally and even cheaper if you are a member of Costco, Sam's Club etc. Indulging the inner consumer is gooood.

Second thing I did was buy a Corvette Z06. I'm paid well but not a multi-millionaire. Every day is a piece of theatre.. this sort of experience just wouldn't be remotely available to me in Ireland. On the topic motoring. 4-way stops are great where I am (Atlanta) as the police don't really enforce it and everyone rolls through thus making them more efficient than round-a-bouts. I wouldn't fancy them in places like NYC where they are policed with Germanic attention or in Kansas where this is zero traffic but plenty of cops looking to add to the county coffers. Right-on-red makes so much sense and I love those center lane things that you can sit until traffic clears when trying to get on or off the road.

If my family heard how easily I adapted to fake niceness they'd roll around the floor laughing. I know it's fake but can't help but feel in a good mood when indulging in some 'yeaaa , you toooooo'

The country is huge, so just referring to Georgia.. the weather and outdoors are simply gorgeous. 2 hours from a day on the lake, 4 hours drive from the mountains and maybe 6 to the nearest beach on the gulf coast. The genuine out-doorsy attitude ensures that there's so much to do in your free time and people make the most of it. I like the fact that a reasonable rent gets you a spacious, designer apartment with tennis courts on site, complete gym, BBQ areas and pools that fill up with the Beautiful People.

On the downside.. food is god awful. You will find every variety of ethnic restaurant but none are authentic and few even tasty. I work with guys from various places round the world and eating out in Dublin seems to produce a lot less cribbing from them.

Like everyone says, keeping a constant supply of dollar bills to satiate the tip monster is close to impossible. The constantly unkempt wallet, the internal debates over whether this specific scenario warrants a tip and.. just how much? Waiters and delivery guys. That should be it.

News channels are really just 24 hour op-eds on domestic politics targeted at people already of the same persuasion. Cheap to produce no doubt, but you can't really have a water cooler chat about the news because there is none. There's just two types of American style TV ads; acoustic jingly chintz (Apple) or humour that goes stale after the first watch (Geico). Drives you to Netflix.

I think most people here would agree that most Americans maintain a positive outlook and are genuinely friendly which is really refreshing.. but the conversation can be fairly insular. My income and property taxes, social insurance liabilities.. they're higher here than any where I've lived. The volume of entitlements and subsidies have moved the entire economy. So US really is as socialist as most of Commie Europe if not as statist in some industries. Also, I don't object to gun ownership at all, I shoot all the time.. but if by some miracle a gun amnesty took place and all the guns got handed in without civil war, there would be significantly less gun deaths. That very high cost for maintaining a personal right just needs to be accepted. Pointing out the county upstate with some archaic 'mandatory gun ownership ordinance' and the low crime rate there while ignoring the extremely high average incomes and homogeneous demographics in that county makes the argument even more farcical.

Murt10

dave2pvd wrote: »

3. Looking at (old) people working at a till in a supermarket not being allowed to sit while they are doing their job.

Where is that??



...

All the supermarkets that I visited have this policy. There is no chair provided at the till. Have a look the next time you visit.

Compare that with here, where I am told that the EU ordered that a chair be provided for any worker whose work could be equally well carried out by a worker sitting as standing,

I also feel sympathy for the young workers forced to stand at the tills, as they are building up health problems for the future by standing all day long.

Oh and another dislike, the method of payment for legal cases. Over there each side pays their own costs regardless of whether they win or lose. Over here, under the English system, the loser pays both sides costs.

The US system plays into the hands of people and companies with very deep pockets.

ProudDUB

GenericName wrote: »

On the downside.. food is god awful. You will find every variety of ethnic restaurant but none are authentic and few even tasty. I work with guys from various places round the world and eating out in Dublin seems to produce a lot less cribbing from them.

Get thee to Buford Hwy and areas west of Chamblee Tucker (its nicknamed Chambodia for a reason. :P ) Lots of fablis ethnic restaurants there owned and ran by peeps from Mexico, Vietnam, Korea etc etc.

Ruu

4 way stops, some people are horrible at navigating them, hate the things. You see the drivers on either side looking at each other waiting with the "no, no after you" mentality. Some states have roundabouts which is encouraging, they work better to keep things flowing.

dave2pvd

ProudDUB wrote: »

Get thee to Buford Hwy and areas west of Chamblee Tucker (its nicknamed Chambodia for a reason. :P ) Lots of fablis ethnic restaurants there owned and ran by peeps from Mexico, Vietnam, Korea etc etc.

I'm with you on that. No shortage of real ethnic food in Atlanta. Not enough Indian though.

GenericName wrote: »

Pointing out the county upstate with some archaic 'mandatory gun ownership ordinance' and the low crime rate there while ignoring the extremely high average incomes and homogeneous demographics in that county makes the argument even more farcical.

Nice swipe at Kennesaw, GenericName. It's where I'm sitting at the present. Working

eire4

InTheTrees wrote: »

YOu dont like people asking for raises?

It is outrageous isn't asking for a pay raise. I mean come on the idea that they could actually earn a living wage what are they thinking;)

Being serious for a second given the US economy is based on consumption to a high degree if the fast food workers had more money in their pockets they would have more to spend elsewhere and would certainly be likely to spend a very high percentage of the extra income thus helping the economy.

cena

Auntum like over there with the colours of the trees changing

catreelo11

A lot of mine have already been mentioned actually, but have added a few more:

Good
-Vast range of foods to try - sushi, Korean, new American, awesome Mexican
-Choice of craft beers
-Prevalence of cocktail bars with proper, tasty and strong drinks..not just yer sex on the beach and long islands!
-Friendliness of the people. It could me where I am - San Francisco - that, as another poster mentioned, is full of transplants - but how open everyone is to meeting new people, breaking out of your social circle, saying "let's hang out sometime" and actually meaning it
-Ability to do any number of outdoor activities within a few hours
-The idea of having hobbies, going on trips, taking in culture/art/music/etc that's the norm. Rather than going out and getting wasted every weekend, which seems to be the only thing my friends at home do for fun.
-Weather..duh
-Service in restaurants, shops etc. With the influx of J1ers for the summer, I can almost tell off that bat if they're working someplace cos you won't get the "Good morning!" like you would from the American workers (generalising, but!)

Bad
-Portion sizes. Feels like I will never be at my pre-US weight ever again. I used to think a grande Starbucks was big...wonder when I'll be onto the ventis
-Old people working in supermarkets etc. Makes me really sad actually, to see that.
-The bad amount of paid vacation time. I love to be at home for Christmas, so finding the time to explore the States is pretty difficult.
-The expectation to work long hours
-The talking shop outside of work. This isn't a universal thing, but definitely the most successful coworkers I have are those that are in work mode 24/7; if we're in a social setting with the boss, they talk of nothing else but work. Too much.
-The difficulty in getting legal to work here
-SF-specific, but the crazy rent and cost of living in the city. Love it too much to leave, though
-I've probably been scaremongered into this by documentaries and books, but the idea of non-organic fruit/veg and of eating cheap meat bothers me. I'm also much more aware of ingredients lists now too, seeing as there could be any kind of additives etc that are banned like everywhere else in the world, ha!

323

catreelo11 wrote: »

A lot of mine have already been mentioned actually, but have added a few more:

Good
-Vast range of foods to try - sushi, Korean, new American, awesome Mexican
-Choice of craft beers
-Prevalence of cocktail bars with proper, tasty and strong drinks..not just yer sex on the beach and long islands!
-Friendliness of the people. It could me where I am - San Francisco - that, as another poster mentioned, is full of transplants - but how open everyone is to meeting new people, breaking out of your social circle, saying "let's hang out sometime" and actually meaning it
-Ability to do any number of outdoor activities within a few hours
-The idea of having hobbies, going on trips, taking in culture/art/music/etc that's the norm. Rather than going out and getting wasted every weekend, which seems to be the only thing my friends at home do for fun.
-Weather..duh
-Service in restaurants, shops etc. With the influx of J1ers for the summer, I can almost tell off that bat if they're working someplace cos you won't get the "Good morning!" like you would from the American workers (generalising, but!)

Bad
-Portion sizes. Feels like I will never be at my pre-US weight ever again. I used to think a grande Starbucks was big...wonder when I'll be onto the ventis
-Old people working in supermarkets etc. Makes me really sad actually, to see that.
-The bad amount of paid vacation time. I love to be at home for Christmas, so finding the time to explore the States is pretty difficult.
-The expectation to work long hours
-The talking shop outside of work. This isn't a universal thing, but definitely the most successful coworkers I have are those that are in work mode 24/7; if we're in a social setting with the boss, they talk of nothing else but work. Too much.
-The difficulty in getting legal to work here
-SF-specific, but the crazy rent and cost of living in the city. Love it too much to leave, though
-I've probably been scaremongered into this by documentaries and books, but the idea of non-organic fruit/veg and of eating cheap meat bothers me. I'm also much more aware of ingredients lists now too, seeing as there could be any kind of additives etc that are banned like everywhere else in the world, ha!

Summed up most of my thoughts fairly well.

Particularly the pathetic amount of holidays, most in Europe just not aware how bad the US is on this. in most cases 10 days unless you have been with company for many years and fairly common not to be allowed to take more than one week at a time.
Was 7 years there but, seen much more of the US since moving back to Ireland as never had the time off to do so while living there.

Much as people like to bitch here, myself included,The level of taxation is the US is generally much higher than in Ireland.

Do miss the genuine friendliness that that just does not exist in Ireland.

Was a fan of American heavy metal and really my V8 engines.

Ahh, come on!

"seeing as there could be any kind of additives etc that are banned like everywhere else in the world, ha!"

Think you may have over there too long, this is one of the biggest areas of dispute between the US and Europe. Pretty much all US produce is banned here as it is loaded with multitudes of additives, hormones and steroids never allowed or banned in Europe decades ago.

Ponster

-I've probably been scaremongered into this by documentaries and books, but the idea of non-organic fruit/veg and of eating cheap meat bothers me. I'm also much more aware of ingredients lists now too, seeing as there could be any kind of additives etc that are banned like everywhere else in the world, ha!

I'm with you on that one. After reading Michael Pollen it's difficult to not take more time to really look at the foods that we buy and eat.

iusedtoknow

Ponster wrote: »

I'm with you on that one. After reading Michael Pollen it's difficult to not take more time to really look at the foods that we buy and eat.

I always remember that Simpsons episode where their fruit starts eating each other. Nowadays, all of our meat is organic, as is our fruit. We're lucky that we live across the street from a great market where it is all organic. Our staples come from trader joes, but we are very very careful about out meat and veg.
That said, even the meat at trader joes is organic, we just got into the habit of buying across the street.

clairefontaine

iusedtoknow wrote: »

I always remember that Simpsons episode where their fruit starts eating each other. Nowadays, all of our meat is organic, as is our fruit. We're lucky that we live across the street from a great market where it is all organic. Our staples come from trader joes, but we are very very careful about out meat and veg.
That said, even the meat at trader joes is organic, we just got into the habit of buying across the street.

Yeah but grass fed beef costs a fortune.

I think buffallo is healthier, can't get that at trader joes, or not in my local one.

iusedtoknow

clairefontaine wrote: »

Yeah but grass fed beef costs a fortune.

I think buffallo is healthier, can't get that at trader joes, or not in my local one.

not ours either - I had buffalo before, it was delicious and I'll move heaven and earth to get it again.