Work life balance in the USA

Pkiernan · 25-11-2020 8:07pm

arctictree wrote: »

What happens in the US if you can't or just won't pay the bill?

The IRS comes after you.

arctictree · 25-11-2020 8:10pm

Pkiernan wrote: »

The IRS comes after you.

Really? The tax man comes after you if you don't pay your hospital bill? Rough.

NSAman · 25-11-2020 10:28pm

arctictree wrote: »

Really? The tax man comes after you if you don't pay your hospital bill? Rough.

If you have insurance you are **** out of luck.....

HOWEVER....

If you do NOT have insurance you can negotiate with the hospital on the price of the stay.

Anecdote here....

I went into Hospital BEFORE I had Insurance. Total Cost $500. Same issue post Insurance around $6000.

The tax man does NOT come after you...sheezzz... the hospital will follow you. if attempt at payment is made, normally nothing happens. Bill collector agency is brought in and everyone ignores them... ahem..;)

dresden8 · 26-11-2020 12:06am

Invidious wrote: »

You're missing the point.

Someone is complaining that the millennial generation owns a small proportion of the wealth and the boomer generation owns far more.

Well, logically the boomer generation (currently in their 60s and 70s) will eventually pass on, leaving their wealth to younger millennials ... and eventually the next generation will be complaining that millennials own all the wealth.

It's a pointless argument, really, complaining that young people in their 20s and 30s don't own as much wealth as their parents.

And if you are not in a position to inherit? I am amazed by how many people think every child in the country is going to inherit a cool mill from dear old dad.

If you don't have an inheritance you cannot work your way out of poverty? That's a good thing?

walshtipp · 26-11-2020 12:36am

dresden8 wrote: »

And if you are not in a position to inherit? I am amazed by how many people think every child in the country is going to inherit a cool mill from dear old dad.

If you don't have an inheritance you cannot work your way out of poverty? That's a good thing?

I would say the majority of people will not inherit anything substantial from their parents. But anyone can find a way out of a poor situation with hard work and dedication.

Invidious · 26-11-2020 12:41am

dresden8 wrote: »

And if you are not in a position to inherit? I am amazed by how many people think every child in the country is going to inherit a cool mill from dear old dad.

My point was that much of boomers' wealth will eventually pass to the millennial generation ... because what else is going to happen to it?

That, of course, doesn't mean that every millennial will inherit $1 million.

jmayo · 26-11-2020 2:34am

SharpshooterTom wrote: »

I'm a qualified electrical engineer but I quit the job a while back being a carer for my parents and I'm now considering changing career (so this potential move isn't imminent and a while off yet, but I'm thinking long term about it).

The thing is its really my only gripe because I'm personally ok with healthcare and gun culture (most of the murders take place in crap parts of the major cities), or at least they don't bother me.
.

The shootings I would be more concerned about are the mass ones that go down.

JustAThought wrote: »

Y well you don’t have to eat out 7 days a week. Only I guess in Amedica the food is so varied, reasonably priced and attractive that you can afford to. Unlike here. Where we also mostly tip.

Some of the food in America is absolute shyte.
Yeah you get big steaks, but it is all force fed feedlot reared beef.

Now you may live in some big city like NY or San Fran, but a lot America is just restaurant chains (using restaurant term here loosely) offering the same shyte throughout the country.

JustAThought wrote:

And massive in America is something else.

...
I’d love to see the gaurds policing the streets here, or taking criminals to task. or arresting half I’Connell St for drug dealing or defecating or shooting up on the footpath. I guess thats why so many of American towns and main thoroughfares are so clean, feel safe and are
pleasant places to be. Unlike the dark hole that is much of Dublin city centre.

Where do you live Beverly Hills because your description reminds me of Beverly Hills Cop.
Listening to your description one would never think that the US has been fighting a drugs war for decades and it is the biggest destination for drugs in the world.
Grant wherever you are lucky enough to live is probably very starchy, clean and the local police keep the riff raff out.
But that is not huge parts of the US.

Interesting place to visit, great if you want to drive muscle cars, shoot military grade weapons, absolutely brilliant for general aviation, but to live in full time no thanks.

I don't particularly want to live in a country where nearly half the electorate voted for a moronic halfwit as their leader and even worse a fair chunk of them think that he actually won the election he lost simply because he says so.
Also don't want to live in country where most of the halfwits that voted for the halfwit think they have right to own any amount of weaponry and that science is the work of the devil.

Manic Moran · 26-11-2020 4:02am

salonfire wrote: »

Also comes down to your luck. Fall on hard times where you lose your Health Insurance, would you 'enjoy' the US then? If you had an accident and they took you to a out-of-network hospital, would you enjoy the bill?

They take you to an in-network hospital, but the doctor is out-of-network, would you enjoy that bill?

They take you to an in-network hospital, use an in-network doctor but an out-of-network lab, would you enjoy that bill?

Would you enjoy running for cover as a shooter opens up in a mall or school? Or enjoy living with that risk every day?

We seem to be managing so far with minimizing the fear of loss of health insurance, out of network doctors (which the insurance company took care of for us anyway, and a law has been changed to prevent such surprises in the future), and I cannot say I have expended many brain cells worrying about a school shooting than I have about being involved in the next Bataclan attack every time I go to Paris (Besides, I can shoot back in the US).

I would think, though, that if you are living your life worried about all the things which can go wrong, I might wonder how much of your life you leave for 'enjoyment'. I mean, you can get hit by a car the second you walk out your door... if your house doesn't burn down when you're asleep before you wake up to get out the door.

great if you want to drive muscle cars, shoot military grade weapons, absolutely brilliant for general aviation, but to live in full time no thanks.

You've just listed half my hobbies. I own three V8s, plenty of firearms and have a private pilot's certificate. So far, so good. Just as well I'm the one living here full time and not you, then.

FatherTed · 26-11-2020 5:34am

salonfire wrote: »

Also comes down to your luck. Fall on hard times where you lose your Health Insurance, would you 'enjoy' the US then? If you had an accident and they took you to a out-of-network hospital, would you enjoy the bill?

They take you to an in-network hospital, but the doctor is out-of-network, would you enjoy that bill?

They take you to an in-network hospital, use an in-network doctor but an out-of-network lab, would you enjoy that bill?

Would you enjoy running for cover as a shooter opens up in a mall or school? Or enjoy living with that risk every day?

Been in the US Over 25 years and never been at a mall during a shooting. Also I wonder how my kids made it all the way to college with no injuries from guns. Maybe I’ve just been lucky :rolleyes:

Invidious · 26-11-2020 11:09am

salonfire wrote: »

Would you enjoy running for cover as a shooter opens up in a mall or school? Or enjoy living with that risk every day?

Over the past 20 years, more American children have died from lightning strikes than from school shootings. Children are ten times as likely to die in a traffic accident on their way to school as they are to die inside the school.

26-11-2020 1:34pm

Invidious wrote: »

Over the past 20 years, more American children have died from lightning strikes than from school shootings. Children are ten times as likely to die in a traffic accident on their way to school as they are to die inside the school.

Hope your not trying to use that as a defence, considering the carnage on the roads there!

Shocking level of driver training where 16year olds are let loose, no testing of cars so rust-buckets are free to continue driving around.

Car dominated cities where walkers have to cross a 4 lane highway to cross from one side of the street to another.

Insanely high-speed interstates congested by fast moving HGVs mean fiery wrecks are not uncommon or getting yourself in a truckers sandwich in one of the many pileups.

Invidious · 26-11-2020 2:04pm

salonfire wrote: »

Hope your not trying to use that as a defence, considering the carnage on the roads there!

Shocking level of driver training where 16year olds are let loose, no testing of cars so rust-buckets are free to continue driving around.

Car dominated cities where walkers have to cross a 4 lane highway to cross from one side of the street to another.

Insanely high-speed interstates congested by fast moving HGVs mean fiery wrecks are not uncommon or getting yourself in a truckers sandwich in one of the many pileups.

It's amazing there's anyone left alive over there at all.

NSAman · 26-11-2020 3:00pm

[QUOTE=salonfire;[/QUOTE]
Insanely high-speed interstates congested by fast moving HGVs mean fiery wrecks are not uncommon or getting yourself in a truckers sandwich in one of the many pileups.[/QUOTE]

65 miles per hour is the average interstate speed limit...for the most part. Ireland is 120 kmph or 74mph?

26-11-2020 5:15pm

Manic Moran wrote: »

I own three V8s, plenty of firearms and have a private pilot's certificate.

Dat's what I'm talking about.

26-11-2020 5:16pm

salonfire wrote: »

Hope your not trying to use that as a defence, considering the carnage on the roads there!

Shocking level of driver training where 16year olds are let loose, no testing of cars so rust-buckets are free to continue driving around.

Car dominated cities where walkers have to cross a 4 lane highway to cross from one side of the street to another.

Insanely high-speed interstates congested by fast moving HGVs mean fiery wrecks are not uncommon or getting yourself in a truckers sandwich in one of the many pileups.

Still, sure beats the hell out of being locked up for months on end like we are here ! Get busy living or get busy dying.

Palmy · 26-11-2020 10:23pm

salonfire wrote: »

Also comes down to your luck. Fall on hard times where you lose your Health Insurance, would you 'enjoy' the US then? If you had an accident and they took you to a out-of-network hospital, would you enjoy the bill?

They take you to an in-network hospital, but the doctor is out-of-network, would you enjoy that bill?

They take you to an in-network hospital, use an in-network doctor but an out-of-network lab, would you enjoy that bill?

Would you enjoy running for cover as a shooter opens up in a mall or school? Or enjoy living with that risk every day?

Simple pay $10 a month for the rest of your life. If you make an effort to pay they can not do anything. Hospitals actually right off debt every year and get compensation form the government for unpaid medical bills. I personally work with people who have had $40k + hospital bills and pay minimal a month,

Palmy · 26-11-2020 10:30pm

jmayo wrote: »

The shootings I would be more concerned about are the mass ones that go down.

Some of the food in America is absolute shyte.
Yeah you get big steaks, but it is all force fed feedlot reared beef.

Now you may live in some big city like NY or San Fran, but a lot America is just restaurant chains (using restaurant term here loosely) offering the same shyte throughout the country.

Where do you live Beverly Hills because your description reminds me of Beverly Hills Cop.
Listening to your description one would never think that the US has been fighting a drugs war for decades and it is the biggest destination for drugs in the world.
Grant wherever you are lucky enough to live is probably very starchy, clean and the local police keep the riff raff out.
But that is not huge parts of the US.

Interesting place to visit, great if you want to drive muscle cars, shoot military grade weapons, absolutely brilliant for general aviation, but to live in full time no thanks.

I don't particularly want to live in a country where nearly half the electorate voted for a moronic halfwit as their leader and even worse a fair chunk of them think that he actually won the election he lost simply because he says so.
Also don't want to live in country where most of the halfwits that voted for the halfwit think they have right to own any amount of weaponry and that science is the work of the devil.

The big difference in the States is they don’t have housing estates in every suburb like Ireland.
Dublin you have nice areas like Blackrock and Castleknock and you have low income housing stuck in the middle of it. Not saying it is not right but in the states if you live in a middle class area that is exactly what it is. You have to travel to another area of a city to go into low income housing. This is how they police it here. They can concentrate on an area and police it . A lot of other countries are similar to this like New Zealand and Australia.

Palmy · 26-11-2020 10:41pm

Palmy wrote: »

The big difference in the States is they don’t have housing estates in every suburb like Ireland.
Dublin you have nice areas like Blackrock and Castleknock and you have low income housing stuck in the middle of it. Not saying it is not right but in the states if you live in a middle class area that is exactly what it is. You have to travel to another area of a city to go into low income housing. This is how they police it here. They can concentrate on an area and police it . A lot of other countries are similar to this like New Zealand and Australia.

Plus I agree here I can shoot back. I feel safer here than i ever did walking down O’Connell or Parnell street in Dublin after dark.

26-11-2020 11:16pm

Palmy wrote: »

Simple pay $10 a month for the rest of your life. If you make an effort to pay they can not do anything. Hospitals actually right off debt every year and get compensation form the government for unpaid medical bills. I personally work with people who have had $40k + hospital bills and pay minimal a month,

Genius!! All those bankruptcy lawyers will have to change career now I guess that you have outwitted them all!

No longer will medical bills be the leading reason for bankruptcy in the US.

Palmy · 26-11-2020 11:22pm

salonfire wrote: »

Genius!! All those bankruptcy lawyers will have to change career now I guess that you have outwitted them all!

No longer will medical bills be the leading reason for bankruptcy in the US.

Nothing to do with outwitting anyone it’s perfectly legal. Pay only what you can afford it’s that simple. As long as you are paying something legally they can not do anything to make you pay more. Where people get into trouble is when they do not pay anything and it goes to a Dept collector and they dodge it for years. Then your screwed.

L1011 · 26-11-2020 11:27pm

Palmy wrote: »

Nothing to do with outwitting anyone it’s perfectly legal. Pay only what you can afford it’s that simple. As long as you are paying something legally they can not do anything to make you pay more. Where people get into trouble is when they do not pay anything and it goes to a Dept collector and they dodge it for years. Then your screwed.

With the medical debt over you, you aren't going to get a credit card, a car loan, a mortgage, a hire purchase agreement, etc etc - you won't even get a bill pay phone.

Palmy · 26-11-2020 11:29pm

L1011 wrote: »

With the medical debt over you, you aren't going to get a credit card, a car loan, a mortgage, a hire purchase agreement, etc etc - you won't even get a bill pay phone.

Well I already have all that so I’m good. So those people with student loans in the hundreds of thousands don’t get any of that either? It’s all about loan to debt ratio here and what your monthly income vs cost of what you owe.
If your student loan cost you $500 a month when you owe $100k they take the $500 dollars into consideration not the total of loan and years.

L1011 · 26-11-2020 11:32pm

Palmy wrote: »

Well I already have all that so I’m good. So those people with student loans in the hundreds of thousands don’t get any of that either?

If you can afford to live your life without ever needing any form of credit ever, you can afford health insurance or afford paying more than a tenner a week. Normal people are going to need some form of credit agreement. Want to pay your car insurance monthly? That's a credit agreement. And so on.

Student loans which are being serviced make your credit score better. Medical bills being paid on the never never drag it to the ditch.

Palmy · 26-11-2020 11:37pm

L1011 wrote: »

If you can afford to live your life without ever needing any form of credit ever, you can afford health insurance or afford paying more than a tenner a week. Normal people are going to need some form of credit agreement. Want to pay your car insurance monthly? That's a credit agreement. And so on.

Student loans which are being serviced make your credit score better. Medical bills being paid on the never never drag it to the ditch.

Never had a credit agreement here for car insurance paying monthly.

L1011 · 26-11-2020 11:38pm

Palmy wrote: »

Never had a credit agreement here for car insurance paying monthly.

Can guarantee you actually do (invisibly, just as in Ireland, but its in your small print); and that your credit score was run. You would be told to pay up front if you had too low a score.

If you can afford a years car insurance up front, you aren't going to be in your imaginary tenner a week payment setup (and will probably have health insurance...). That's why people go bankrupt to clear it and try get on with their lives.

Palmy · 26-11-2020 11:46pm

L1011 wrote: »

Can guarantee you actually do (invisibly, just as in Ireland, but its in your small print); and that your credit score was run. You would be told to pay up front if you had too low a score.

If you can afford a years car insurance up front, you aren't going to be in your imaginary tenner a week payment setup (and will probably have health insurance...). That's why people go bankrupt to clear it and try get on with their lives.

Have to agree with you on the bankruptcy, it’s nothing to do that here. You can buy a house three years after being bankrupt and most of Americans see it as nothing of a big deal to claim bankruptcy. What I am saying is if you can legally afford $10 a week they will not chase you for more. That’s all I am saying. Personally I have medical insurance and would never want to be in that situation but people here have the mentality if they don’t have insurance to pay a minimal amount or claim bankruptcy.

NSAman · 27-11-2020 1:52am

L1011 wrote: »

Can guarantee you actually do (invisibly, just as in Ireland, but its in your small print); and that your credit score was run. You would be told to pay up front if you had too low a score.

If you can afford a years car insurance up front, you aren't going to be in your imaginary tenner a week payment setup (and will probably have health insurance...). That's why people go bankrupt to clear it and try get on with their lives.

As Palmy said, pay a basic amount not much they can do.

Bankruptcy is not the same stigma here as in Ireland.

Spending habits here, still to this day amaze me. I’m a saver, always have been. Friends are not, fantastic lifestyles and all the latest cars, boats, holidays, homes etc. When this pandemic started, many were in trouble with the downturn in business. Shopping is king ( I hate shopping) the same as Ireland. I invest some savings in property for my retirement and also as a dig out to staff and family.

The spend-free lifestyle of many in the States, is very evident, even people who have little. Fine in the good times, not so good in the bad times.

chrissb8 · 27-11-2020 2:26am

Invidious wrote: »

Over the past 20 years, more American children have died from lightning strikes than from school shootings. Children are ten times as likely to die in a traffic accident on their way to school as they are to die inside the school.

The fact that this is even a statistic says it all. Also, where did you pull that fact from? I did a quick google and nothing at all is coming up. Is this one of those world-famous American facts that have been pulled out of the rear end?

Manic Moran · 27-11-2020 4:09am

chrissb8 wrote: »

The fact that this is even a statistic says it all. Also, where did you pull that fact from? I did a quick google and nothing at all is coming up. Is this one of those world-famous American facts that have been pulled out of the rear end?

I can believe the traffic accident statistic, but I looked up the lightning figures. A quick Google brought me to the National Weather Service https://www.weather.gov/hazstat/ which splits up lightning deaths by age by year. The catch is that they are split up into groups of ten years, so 19-year-olds are counted in the 10-19 age group.

Anyway, over the last 20 years for which there are figures (1999-2019) 124 people aged 0-19 have been killed by lightning, an average of 6.2/year.

Interestingly, it seems much harder to find a figure for "children killed in school shooting" over the same period.

CNN's K-12 tracker article from last year https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/07/us/ten-years-of-school-shootings-trnd/ shows from 2009 to 2018, 5, 4, 3, 31, 6, 12, 3, 5, 8, 37, and to fill in for 2019, NBC's tracker shows 5 (But it includes universities) making the ten-year-total 114. So, although the number of deaths at schools is far higher than the number of deaths of children by lightning, we still have the quesiton of "how many of those K-12 shootings were of adults" (For example, three from Parkland or seven at Sandy Hook). It also leaves open the question of "what about the previous ten years". However, looking up "Deadliest school shootings since Columbine", it seems that in the period 2000 and on, only two school shootings had notable death tolls, Red Lake Senior High in 2005 (5 children dead) and and Nickel Mines High School in 2006 (Also 5 children killed). If those were the 'highs' of the years, the idea that more children have been killed by lighting than in school shootings in the last 20 years (Columbine being more than 20 years ago) is feasible. After all, seven of the last ten years, fewer people have been shot and killed on school grounds in school shootings (Adults and children both) than the average of people killed by lightining.

It has been over a year (378 days) since the last school shooting, according to NBC's tracker, though, granted, the fact that schools have been closed for 2/3 of the year probably has something to do with that. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/school-shooting-tracker-n969951#year=2020

Palmy · 28-11-2020 3:48am

NSAman wrote: »

As Palmy said, pay a basic amount not much they can do.

Bankruptcy is not the same stigma here as in Ireland.

Spending habits here, still to this day amaze me. I’m a saver, always have been. Friends are not, fantastic lifestyles and all the latest cars, boats, holidays, homes etc. When this pandemic started, many were in trouble with the downturn in business. Shopping is king ( I hate shopping) the same as Ireland. I invest some savings in property for my retirement and also as a dig out to staff and family.

The spend-free lifestyle of many in the States, is very evident, even people who have little. Fine in the good times, not so good in the bad times.

I have to agree with you on spending habits. I work with a lot of people who own a house and drop $50-$60k on a brand new pickup truck without blinking an eyelid, all while earning $40k a year. It blows my mind here how they do not like to buy a second hand vehicle it has to be new. Meanwhile I pick up a three year old car that retails for $60k and pick it up for under $20k.

Wibbs · 28-11-2020 9:55am

NSAman wrote: »

Bankruptcy is not the same stigma here as in Ireland.

Very true N. Though - and this is just a personal observation so.. - the stigma here has dropped a lot compared to say twenty years ago, though not like in the US.

Spending habits here, still to this day amaze me. I’m a saver, always have been. Friends are not, fantastic lifestyles and all the latest cars, boats, holidays, homes etc. When this pandemic started, many were in trouble with the downturn in business. Shopping is king ( I hate shopping) the same as Ireland. I invest some savings in property for my retirement and also as a dig out to staff and family.

The spend-free lifestyle of many in the States, is very evident, even people who have little. Fine in the good times, not so good in the bad times.

Though you could argue that confidence that things will always be better is what drives their market(and the culture) and has for a long time and mostly positively if we're going by consumerist model. It can drive it into bust, but drive it out of it too. Though much less so now, since like many/most places in the West they outsourced their manufacturing. Stupidly in my humble. Buying stuff is good, making stuff is better. I mean we're typing away on stuff that's "American" to some degree, but almost none of it is made there. Great for those Americans who are getting the profits from that outsourced manufacturing, but the worker class of America who used to make the stuff itself, not nearly so good. The only things I can think of I own that were actually made in America consist of a few old books, a couple of vintage watches and a fishing reel I bought 20 odd years ago. You can still buy the same model of reel today, but it's made in China(and sh1te quality).

Manic Moran wrote: »

It has been over a year (378 days) since the last school shooting

The rise of school shootings is crazy. The access to guns seems to have little enough to do with it as there were pretty much zero examples of it before the 70's, when firearms were significantly easier to get a hold of. Something has shifted in the youth of American society. The incidence of mental illness, self harm and suicide(gone up 30% since 2000 alone) in that demographic has leaped over the last 30 years and shows no signs of levelling out, well above what one might expect of better diagnostics. There has been a similar climb in other parts of the West, but nothing to the degree of American youth.

02-12-2020 9:50pm

Manic Moran wrote: »

It has been over a year (378 days) since the last school shooting

You say as if it's a good thing! Incredible! Life has enough risks as it without adding the risk of running the gauntlet in a hail of gunfire to it.

In other words there has been school shootings within the last two years.

Andrewf20 · 02-12-2020 10:32pm

Great professional salaries over there but they would want to be with the college fees in some of the bigger cities:

Portland university - $62,000 per year incl campus accommodation! Thats $248,000 for 4 years + interest if taking out a loan.

Seattle uni is similar at $47,565 per year without accommodation.

San Fran uni - $68,472 per year incl housing & "dining".

Wibbs · 02-12-2020 10:36pm

True, but that's a huge advantage for Irish graduates; they won't be spending the next 15 or 20 years paying off student loans so will have a lot more take home pay. They also have the singular advantage that if things go pear shaped for them in the US, they can come back to Ireland.

Larbre34 · 02-12-2020 10:48pm

My brother and sister in law are well paid professionals in IT and Finance, living in a mid-size city in Florida, couple of miles from the beaches, nice Villa style house with a pool and few cars, ATVs, boat etc. They have 3 kids in private education, corporate seats at the baseball, the whole American dream.

However, as far as I'm concerned, they can keep it. Their outward quality of life belies highly stressful and precarious work contracts, the cost of private healthcare and the private schooling (mainly because it reduces the risk of a mass shooting) and the total absence of time for themselves has them effectively living in parallel with their own lives, if you see what I mean.

The greater prioritisation, in Europe, of work life balance and various work, health and education safety nets is what jealous Americans call "socialism", and those that hear them and know no better think we are living in some sort of communist hell. The poor bastards have no idea how poor their quality of life really is.

Andrewf20 · 02-12-2020 11:34pm

I lived in the USA twice and did a good of travel around there and my feeling is that Ireland is a better place to live by a good margin despite our own problems.

You have to wonder how much different life would be if taxes weren't getting eaten up in military spending so much, which is estimated to reach close to 1000 billion dollars (934 billion) next year. That works out at nearly $3000 per person per year.

Strumms · 02-12-2020 11:56pm

arctictree wrote: »

What happens in the US if you can't or just won't pay the bill?

Larbre34 wrote: »

My brother and sister in law are well paid professionals in IT and Finance, living in a mid-size city in Florida, couple of miles from the beaches, nice Villa style house with a pool and few cars, ATVs, boat etc. They have 3 kids in private education, corporate seats at the baseball, the whole American dream.

However, as far as I'm concerned, they can keep it. Their outward quality of life belies highly stressful and precarious work contracts, the cost of private healthcare and the private schooling (mainly because it reduces the risk of a mass shooting) and the total absence of time for themselves has them effectively living in parallel with their own lives, if you see what I mean.

The greater prioritisation, in Europe, of work life balance and various work, health and education safety nets is what jealous Americans call "socialism", and those that hear them and know no better think we are living in some sort of communist hell. The poor bastards have no idea how poor their quality of life really is.

Yes, it’s success by spreadsheets... quality assets, house, car, holiday home, but fućk all time to enjoy out at 7am, home at 7 pm and fûck all vacation time too.

Much better work life balance here and pay but ever so slowly that’s being eradicated from what I can see. We are going the way of the US, maybe because of their growing influence... before they arrived they had to step up their game to attract the best... but in the ever growing race to the bottom....it’s different now.

smellyoldboot · 03-12-2020 12:09am

I work remotely but directly for US HQ. It looks at least from afar, the hours can be pretty hardcore. The emails/messages will start at about 6am on their clock and often still come through after 7pm EST and on weekends. I will send quick replies in the evening from the phone but its clear from the content of the mails (drawings, spreadsheets etc attached and full cc list) this is someone still very much at a workstation at that time of the evening where I might be in Aldi at 8pm local time here tapping out a one liner response. No wonder they're all in therapy tbh.

chrissb8 · 03-12-2020 1:03am

Strumms wrote: »

Yes, it’s success by spreadsheets... quality assets, house, car, holiday home, but fućk all time to enjoy out at 7am, home at 7 pm and fûck all vacation time too.

Much better work life balance here and pay but ever so slowly that’s being eradicated from what I can see. We are going the way of the US, maybe because of their growing influence... before they arrived they had to step up their game to attract the best... but in the ever growing race to the bottom....it’s different now.

With the unions and workers rights being protected up to the nth degree here I can't see how we could end up anything like America. In fact, if anything there's been rumblings of a 4 day week in our lifetime becoming a possibility.

Strumms · 03-12-2020 3:13am

chrissb8 wrote: »

With the unions and workers rights being protected up to the nth degree here I can't see how we could end up anything like America. In fact, if anything there's been rumblings of a 4 day week in our lifetime becoming a possibility.

Workers rights should be protected though. It’s the LAW. We ARE headed closer to the Americans model I fear... probably as a result of the number of American businesses here, relying on us, and our economy on them... they now have bargaining power, look around, they are using it.

If a person drives through a red light and hits you... they’ve broken the law and should and must face the consequences... or do you say... “ well they wanted to burn less petrol by keeping going, late for the match...suck it up “ ???

If an employer schedules you in for a shift that finishes at 18.00 but schedules to start your next shift at 02.00 the following morning they are in breach of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997... it’s not just simply them acting the cûnt although they are...you need an 11 hour gap between shift beginning and ending, legally.

However companies are becoming much much more adept at squirting around the law. ‘Encouraging’ people to volunteer, by pressure, hitting them in performance reviews and so on when they are not bending over... Endangering health and home life.

Not illegal per say but many companies here dont recognize or cooperate with the unions now, ok many multinationals especially US companies are certainly of that mindset... but if it’s illegal for them to have that lack of recognition...that’s a good thing...why isn’t it ?

In my previous outfit, people were ‘encouraged’ to break all sorts of employment law... the working time act being one in particular... they’d start off asking... “would you mind...” then.. “sorry I need you to”.... when people pushed back... performance reviews plummeted, bonuses were a thing of the past, pay was frozen it was generally unpleasant work...

Unfortunately the law really only enables small protection for an employee... and the employee usually has to jump through hoops...themselves to ensure it, often with consequences ....

Law needs to be a DETERRENT.....IF a company go and roster in David Smith 13.00-21.00 on Monday, then on Tuesday 05.00-13.00... that’s a breach in employment law.... but what is the deterrent ? How many times has it ever been reported in the media that X company have been fined 50,000 euros ? Never that I can recall. The operations manager who designed the shift patterns, given a probation order...? Or his superiors the same for demanding he do just that ?

Organization of working time act, like road traffic act like every law in this country, that relates to employment and beyond, needs to be enforced

FGR · 03-12-2020 3:22am

Outside of winning a green card in the lottery (no joy 10 years straight) or marrying a native is there any way of realistically getting a green card or is it still practically impossible?

jimmycrackcorm · 03-12-2020 3:44am

Palmy wrote: »

I have to agree with you on spending habits. I work with a lot of people who own a house and drop $50-$60k on a brand new pickup truck without blinking an eyelid, all while earning $40k a year. It blows my mind here how they do not like to buy a second hand vehicle it has to be new. Meanwhile I pick up a three year old car that retails for $60k and pick it up for under $20k.

Ten years ago we went on a family holiday to Disneyland in Florida. We stayed in central Orlando which as anyone knows is amazing.

One weekend we took a drive out to the countryside. That really opened my eyes.. Because i saw these lovely but American trucks parked outside houses that I soak to my wife, we wouldn't even provide for a pet dog.

JustAThought · 03-12-2020 4:41am

FGR wrote: »

Outside of winning a green card in the lottery (no joy 10 years straight) or marrying a native is there any way of realistically getting a green card or is it still practically impossible?

Work 3 yeara for a multinational here & then get a transfer to the US - muddle on from there.

JimmyVik · 03-12-2020 12:30pm

I rememeber working in the Dublin office of an American company when 911 happened.
All American companies were given a day off in mourning the victims.
Offices abroad, like ours though, no day off.
Then on that day, not expecting anybody to be in the American office I was surprised that all of them came in to the American office that day.
I asked one of them why they came in and they said that if you didnt turn up for work that day it would be noted. When they tell you you can have a day off over there you have to refuse it, reason being that you should be too busy to take the day off and use it to catch up or get ahead.

Mimon · 03-12-2020 12:47pm

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Ten years ago we went on a family holiday to Disneyland in Florida. We stayed in central Orlando which as anyone knows is amazing.

One weekend we took a drive out to the countryside. That really opened my eyes.. Because i saw these lovely but American trucks parked outside houses that I soak to my wife, we wouldn't even provide for a pet dog.

Don't get what you are trying to say here??

Wibbs · 03-12-2020 1:42pm

Mimon wrote: »

Don't get what you are trying to say here??

I could be wrong M but I think they're saying they saw big expensive trucks parked outside crappy houses?

Stateofyou · 03-12-2020 2:59pm

ShatterAlan wrote: »

Everytime I go back I feel this overwhelming weight of the state bearing down on everyone. Petty rules, people in uniform everywhere on their own power trips just itching to give someone a hard time, sit under a tree reading a book in a park or walk around taking photographs and you can almost be sure that someone will call the cops on you because this is not "normal behaviour" and you look "suspicious" and of course the cop will demand ID, obscene displays of military prowess and plastic patriotism when I just want to watch a few guys hit a ball with a stick and run around a field, stupid laws like having to produce age verification to enter a bar and get a beer even though you look like Gandalf, seething racism, the all-too-quick way that they say "fuck him" when someone is unlucky, the lack of awareness of anything going on in the world outside their own borders felt stifling

You must be a right weirdo to have that kind of experience there that colours your view that negatively. I lived there years, have many friends and family living there and not any one of us would say anything close to what you've just described. You frequently make seething posts about the US, it's very strange. Some of it is so bizarre that I question whether you actually lived there at all. Especially the bit where you said you've been to 20 states and they all looked the same. There's no way you lived there, I'm calling it out.

Elite Genetics · 03-12-2020 3:07pm

We're all living in Amerika, Amerika, ist wunderbar, We're all living in Amerika, Amerika, AmerikaWe're all living in Amerika
Amerika, ist wunderbar We're all living in Amerika Amerika, Amerika

Stateofyou · 03-12-2020 3:16pm

salonfire wrote: »

Also comes down to your luck. Fall on hard times where you lose your Health Insurance, would you 'enjoy' the US then? If you had an accident and they took you to a out-of-network hospital, would you enjoy the bill?

They take you to an in-network hospital, but the doctor is out-of-network, would you enjoy that bill?

They take you to an in-network hospital, use an in-network doctor but an out-of-network lab, would you enjoy that bill?

Would you enjoy running for cover as a shooter opens up in a mall or school? Or enjoy living with that risk every day?

Dramatic much? Most people there do not feel like they risk their lives every day whilst going to school or shopping in malls. For most people, most of the time, life is completely safe and ordinary.

Manic Moran · 03-12-2020 3:45pm

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Ten years ago we went on a family holiday to Disneyland in Florida. We stayed in central Orlando which as anyone knows is amazing.

One weekend we took a drive out to the countryside. That really opened my eyes.. Because i saw these lovely but American trucks parked outside houses that I soak to my wife, we wouldn't even provide for a pet dog.

Isn’t that kind of the argument of this discussion, though? Lots of folks looking at America saying “I wouldn’t have that, I prefer this in (Ireland/Europe/Australia)”

If life is about enjoying, then obviously these folks who can afford to buy a nice new big truck have chosen to do so instead of buying a bigger house with a second-hand Honda. If that isn’t your cup of tea you can happily buy a small Chevy and get a house which, externally, is more suited to your tastes.

The point is that they obviously have some money to spend, and they seem to be spending it on what makes them happy. How is that a bad thing?

Work life balance in the USA

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