undefined | Better HN

0 pointsranguna5y ago0 comments

I guess that's the up side of not having free education, free health care system and a good social security.

0 comments

I understand the __free__ concept. But is more welfare than free. Is paid from everyone taxes

It seems that US citizens already pay more than a typical european country with free health care [1]. So they just getting billed from something they already payed for and they are indoctrinated to think that this is normal.

[1] https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/___medi...

refurb5y ago

The US has a good social security system, better than Canada’s in terms of providing retirement pension (where I’m from).

It also has very high quality (Berkeley, UMich, etc) public universities where you won’t pay $40k per year in tuition.

And for healthcare, a good tech job will provide good coverage.

So it’s kind of a “eat your cake and have it too situation” for some.

rangunaOP5y ago

Compare that social security system with EU average. You don't pay 40k/year, but do you pay 0 and get top eduction ?

Good tech job? What about everyone else, are we that selfish?

refurb5y ago

I actually did compare the retirement/disability payouts to one European country at one point (a Scandinavian country - Norway I think) and the US was comparable. Shocking I know. Sure the US doesn’t have the same extent of programs, but acting like US has nothing is just fake news.

And no, the education doesn’t cost $40k (that was my point) and the higher salary easily offsets the loans for a lot of careers.

And no, there are plenty of good paying jobs in the US, not just tech (I’m not in tech).

ricardobayes5y ago

I think it pretty much evens out for the average person - not a tech high earner but not someone living on benefits either. In Europe the average salary is 1695 Euros (2050 USD) a month, while in America it is 2136 Euros (2594 USD). In Europe we have free healthcare and mostly free* education. So on paper it evens out on the long run. But in Europe we have diverse countries - the top tier are having it better than the US, while the bottom tier are having it much worse. For example, Bulgarians earn an average salary of a measly 550 Euros (667 USD).

nickpp5y ago

Yeah, when your government doesn’t take money from your pocket to pay for and give you "free" stuff, you end up with more you can then decide to spend as you need. Who would’ve thought?!

nly5y ago

Taxes in the tech hotspots in the US aren't a whole lot lower than e.g. London though. The simple fast is the salaries are just higher

nickpp5y ago

Maybe, but those taxes would be much higher if they'd have to pay for all that "free" stuff the OP was dreaming about.

1 more reply

drukenemo5y ago

It’s indeed a hard point to get across when you’ve been indoctrinated (we all are about something) that leaving it to the government is a better option. For example, people in Europe obsess about retirement plans, but rarely consider the possibility for creating their own private future financial plan.

nickpp5y ago

Yeah, I have one of those (compulsory) retirement plans. Even if it's tax-free, its yield is incredibly crappy compared to my own (very conservative) investments in broad index ETFs.

I would gladly put ALL my savings into my own retirement plan instead of the government's money hole if I was allowed. But I am robbed of that choice...

rangunaOP5y ago

Because some people just can't. It's nice and easy when we are closed in our tech bubble, but it's not so good for everyone else.

I'll gladly pay my taxes knowing that the current retired people that didn't have the possibility to save up, can survive today. Also hoping that happens to me in case a horrible thing happens to my financial situation.

1 more reply

rangunaOP5y ago

Except that most people will take they student loans to their graves.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

the_70x5y ago

I understand the __free__ concept. But is more welfare than free. Is paid from everyone taxes

ahoka5y ago

[1] https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/___medi...

refurb5y ago

The US has a good social security system, better than Canada’s in terms of providing retirement pension (where I’m from).

It also has very high quality (Berkeley, UMich, etc) public universities where you won’t pay $40k per year in tuition.

And for healthcare, a good tech job will provide good coverage.

So it’s kind of a “eat your cake and have it too situation” for some.

rangunaOP5y ago

Compare that social security system with EU average. You don't pay 40k/year, but do you pay 0 and get top eduction ?

Good tech job? What about everyone else, are we that selfish?

refurb5y ago

And no, the education doesn’t cost $40k (that was my point) and the higher salary easily offsets the loans for a lot of careers.

And no, there are plenty of good paying jobs in the US, not just tech (I’m not in tech).

ricardobayes5y ago

nickpp5y ago

Yeah, when your government doesn’t take money from your pocket to pay for and give you "free" stuff, you end up with more you can then decide to spend as you need. Who would’ve thought?!

nly5y ago

Taxes in the tech hotspots in the US aren't a whole lot lower than e.g. London though. The simple fast is the salaries are just higher

nickpp5y ago

Maybe, but those taxes would be much higher if they'd have to pay for all that "free" stuff the OP was dreaming about.

1 more reply

drukenemo5y ago

nickpp5y ago

Yeah, I have one of those (compulsory) retirement plans. Even if it's tax-free, its yield is incredibly crappy compared to my own (very conservative) investments in broad index ETFs.

I would gladly put ALL my savings into my own retirement plan instead of the government's money hole if I was allowed. But I am robbed of that choice...

rangunaOP5y ago

Because some people just can't. It's nice and easy when we are closed in our tech bubble, but it's not so good for everyone else.

1 more reply

rangunaOP5y ago

Except that most people will take they student loans to their graves.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse