If you had the power to do so, what would you change about the US or the country YOU live in? 🤔 ▸Are you interested in trying therapy? Try *BetterHelp* and click betterhelp.com/feli for a *10% discount* on your first month!
I would change the health care system to a more EU system over our single payer. More people are in debt over healthcare than anything else I believe. I live in the USA. I replied before watching the video.
Socialized medicine is so great because everything is free! So naive. Socialized stuff costs more every time. When the people spend other people’s confiscated earnings on people who didn’t earn them, the choices are guaranteed to be less efficient and more wasteful compared to when people spend their own hard earned money. Refusing to acknowledge and accept this fact of human nature eventually leads to misery and poverty.
Left a comment and it was deleted so I unsubscribed to you! Alls I said was we spend more money on our military to keep the world safe more than the top ten countries combined! And that’s the reason why things are expensive! So delete my comment again.
Honestly, I agree with your opinions, and I'd definitely be on board with better public transportation (bullet trains, buses and light rails, etc), tighter gun restrictions (there were tighter restrictions in the Wild West than what we have now), nationalized healthcare, and free university. Taxes will be a little higher, but if everyone is paying their share, it wouldn't be a big issue. Life is better when we work together
The fact that this video needed a three minute introduction to explain to people that you actually can criticize aspects of a country without being mean or ungrateful or unpatriotic can be considered a point in itself.
Yup and even at that people watched for the gun thing ignoring that, like healthcare and walkable cities with public transit, the reason it was obvious is that the US is an embarrassment and laughing stock because of how ridiculous we are
Reminds me of what Jim Jefferies said on his comedy-style news show, with the following quotes being some good examples of this: “What could be more patriotic than questioning your government?” “America is literally a protest that became a country. The events that have shaped this nation’s history have always sprung from rebellion. Events like, the civil rights movement, women’s suffrage, gay rights…protesting is patriotism. And we seem to have forgotten that.” “For some reason, protesting racial injustice is considered unpatriotic, but stockpiling guns so you can shoot up a government gone mental, that makes you a patriot. Wrapping yourself in a flag that represents a time when half the country literally tried to leave America…that makes you a patriot. And when you have a President who lets this slide (white nationalists bitching about the removal of a Confederate statue), but won’t tolerate this (black athletes protesting police brutality towards others of their own ethnicity)…that just proves their point.”
The saddest parts of this video is the reluctance of America to change (I understand the history and cultural differences - they are excuses not reasons) and the objectionable attitudes when the failings of the systems hear are pointed out (yes, I have been told to leave the country - a Christian friend (yes, a fellow church member) emailed my circle of friends and the pastor telling them I should get out of the country). My sister retired to Australia where her family live - after ten years, the Australian government provided her with Medicare and gives her a pension. I retired to America at a similar age for the same reason - my wife and I pay $19000 per year for Medicare and we get no pension. Our savings are disappearing! This video left me close to tears and praying that my family would move back to Europe so my wife and I can enjoy retirement not just try to survive it.
yes, us Americans are being raped by the Health Care Industry (Hospitals, Medical Insurance Companies, etc). I have health insurance and even i am still scared sh!tl%ss to go to a hospital. Im surprised that this has been allowed to go on as it has. Utterly sad. For someone to get really sick and stay in a hospital for only 3 days could potentially cost them THOUSANDS, and be in debt for the rest of their life. This boggles my mind! Where have all the good people gone!
Ahem., if you come here and miss something like your wonderful bread, cheeses, and quark (especially quark) please open a business with the real thing. We want that stuff. We sneak it home in our luggage. So please open a cheese and bakery shop in my town, I guarantee you will be busy. Meanwhile, not about you, but when I was in Germany I missed our humor and laughter. Bring yourself to our country, be yourself, share the pleasures you find in your homeland.
I'm flabbergasted about the fact that if you don't have insurance the bill is less. So the health care is scamming the insurance company and therefore they bill the citizens. How is it that I as a Dutchie get all the bills paid by my insurance company if I get ill or in an accident in America. No question asked.
@@prutteltje1300 it was a response to insurance companies flatly denying all claims, then saying "ok, we'll pay you 75% go away" the hospital has to hire people to fight for those claims, it takes time away from the doctors and nurses to file endless paperwork to fight for the claims. imho you would have to be a complete sociopath to sit between a person and their health care provider to demand your cut of the transaction. for-profit health care should be outlawed again.
Wait a year for help with mental illness? You can have that in Germany too. Waiting times for appointments with specialists have become quite a problem. Probably precisely because doctors are sometimes inadequately paid by the statutory health insurance and private patients are illegally preferred.
About 65% of seniors over 65 have standard Medicare (public insurance) and the rest have Medicare HMO (private insurance). To eliminate the 20% copay, most get private Medigap insurance. Then for Rx, there's public/privately administered insurance for that. Once you have all that, almost everything is paid for, except for small copays for Rx and larger copays for specialty drugs and brand name drugs. Diabetic insulin is now capped at $35/month. Canada ha "free health care" but they pay quarterly provincial premiums for it. I think today it's $450 CDN.
@@roddypine6077 More months, mine took three months of wait and I've been told that if I want to have shorter appointment, I could go to Montreal and have an appointment after midnight
You dont understand how gun crime works in america. I tried to describe in more detail but youtube keeps deleting my comments. The bottom line is that making guns harder to obtain legally will increase gun crime. The areas with the most gun crime have the strictest laws.
As an American of largely German ancestry, with relatives who fought on both sides of WW2, I cant help but remark on the irony of her statements. She is apparently anti Second Amendment, yet the right to bear arms would very likely have prevented the Third Reich dictatorship from becoming a reality in Germany. The great freedom that we enjoy in the U.S. is guarded collectively by the Second Amendment, as is our right to defend ourselves on a personal basis. You should know better than to trust a government without these rights, of all people.
In Democracy Index USA: incomplete democracy! Freedom Index USA: Midfield of developed countries Global Peace Index USA: Rank 131 (out of163) between South Africa and Brazil. AH was elected, it was not a coup, and the German people were militarised, even the children.
You seem to not know that before Hitler became Chancelor (and afterwards) there were infact street fights between the nazis and communists and they did use guns as well. The nazis intimidated people during elections etc. but their party did not get the majority of the votes. He came into power because the "middle" Zentrumspartei supported him as well as the rich people. The rich people were more afraid of the communists. People believed his lies/conspiracy theory that Germany only lost the first world war because the "left" (SPD) stabbed them in the back (Dolchstoßlegende). The trick to blame a minority for everything that is wrong in the world sadly just worked. This trick was not uniquely used by the nazis and is still being used today. I am no history buff and just wrote down what I remember from my history classes in school. So anyone can feel free to correct me or add more information. Weapons don't help in those scenarios in my opinion. In this case the jews were a small minority group and the majority didn't care to protect them. Even if both sides have more guns it would just lead to more gun fights but the outcome would be the same. People in general don't want to get involved as long as they are not affected by it. Plus it is not like the nazis openly showed what they were doing to the jews in the concentration camps. They actually produce propaganda movies to give the impression that those camps weren't as bad. Lastly, "the great freedom that we enjoy in the U.S." is the same freedom all people in first world countries enjoy. Of course there are differences but contrary to what you might think, the vast majority of people in first world countries outside the U.S. look at your problems with guns and the second amendment and shake their head and are happy they don't have that problem. "We" don't want your crazy gun culture.
Facism can rise in countries with and without weapons. What matters is the political belief in the dictator. Dictators can not rise if they don't have a strong support for their regime. Guns do not change that. In fact easy access to guns could make things even worse. All you need is a few armed people without remorse that threaten everyone and the other people will probably give up as well. Militia and paramilitary groups are dangerous. The SA was basically such a group that threatened the general public in favour of dictators with weapons. In fact one could argue that a gun owning population would make things even worse. Because what does the state have to do in order to combat guns? They need to gear up in order to stay ahead. Now what's better in case a government becomes a dictatorship? Is it better if the police drives bulletproof cars with a whole armory in it, has tanks and military helcopters or if they have a pistol and that's about it. I'd take the cop carrying just a pistol any day.
If you believe that guns would have prevented the rise of the Nazis, you don't know enough about the history of that time. That was certainly not the determining factor in any way. I didn't see any 2nd amendment fans wanting to actually use their right to bear arms when a government actually threatened to ignore the election outcome in 2020. The problem lies within the population and the widespread support. It's not "the government" vs "the people". It wasn't that during the Nazi regime and it's not going to be if Trump comes back into power and tries to turn the US into a dictatorship.
Born, raised and currently living in the US, I don't have enough experience regarding your 5th item about bread/dairy. But the first 4, I'm totally on board with needed things to change
Civil rights activist James Baldwin famously said: "I love this country, and for that reason, I insist on the right to criticize her." I greatly appreciate these points. Thank you!!
Some people like to say, "My country, right or wrong." But they forget the rest of that phrase. It goes, "My country, right or wrong. If right, to be kept right, if wrong, to be set right."
Thank you for that information. I went to look that up after you clarified it… the actual quote was: “Our country-In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right, and always successful, right or wrong." In this context, Decatur's toast is not a call for undying, blind patriotic devotion to one's country as the expression is often used in modern political discourse. It is rather a prayer for guidance, wisdom, and temperance in foreign relations. This was spoken by Commodore Stephen Decatur after the war of 1812 in reference to fighting the Barbary Coast pirates. (hamptonroadsnavalmuseum.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-country-right-or-wrong-what-decatur.html) Honestly, I prefer your version.
As an American, one of the first things I would do is implement immigration reform. Alot of Americans talk about illegal immigration being bad, and I can't say I disagree with that sentiment, but the fact of the matter is that people come here illegally because coming here legally is often incredibly difficult. America should do it's best to prevent illegal immigration while also making it actually feasible to come legally.
16 дней назад
Immigrating to a country should be difficult, otherwise the country would be overrun with undesirable people. I am a legal immigrant myself. I had to have a job offer from an American company before I set foot in the USA. I also had to have a medical exam, background checks and be finger-printed.
The price of tuition went up when the government started subsidizing loans to make it more affordable, the universities raised the price year after year.
And the universities started expanding their administrative/bureaucratic departments at the same time. There are a lot of reports covering "administrative bloat" in US higher education.
Not quite accurate. In Michigan, at least, state government greatly reduced its financial support of state universities (as the state cut costs to pay for tax reductions). Result was tuition went way up to make up for some of the difference. Actual cost per student went down, as Universities also made cuts. But the biggest burden still came as higher tuition. It would cost government (taxpayer) far less to return to levels of state support for universities seen in the 1940s-1970s than to pay for guarantee of high student loans needed today.
On the health care system... Yeah, I'm in that right now. AFTER health insurance, I currently owe about $7,000. For a 15 minute procedure that can typically done at an urgent care, but due to circumstance had to happen at the hospital. It's so messed up
As a former middle school German teacher and current middle school Global Studies teacher, I'm surprised you didn't mention how much simpler it is to shop in Germany (and Europe in general), where the taxes are already included in the price. You don't have to calculate in your head what the final total is going to be, because everything includes the tax already. If the price tag says €10, you pay €10 at the checkout.
To be honest I thought about this because growing up with it you roughly do the math in your head the biggest problem is every city county and state have different taxes so I'm not sure how it would work
It amazes me how many Americans can't seem to understand that the health of the nation is also dependent on the health of the individuals in that country.
I think it's more so many Americans don't want to pre pay for health insurance (which is what countries like Germany do through very high tax rates) as most Americans go decades without life affecting medical problems and would be paying hundreds of thousands in taxes without truly needing expensive and important medical assistance until they're older and that's if they need it. There's also the fact many people are sketchy about leeches on the system and not enough people paying into it which places like the UK and Germany have plenty of (it's one of the many reasons the NHS is failing in the UK)
@@kevinprzy4539 Unfortunately, your statements show half-knowledge. Our health insurances are not financed by taxes but every employee pays 50% of his salary and the other 50% is paid by the employer. And our overall tax burden is no higher than in the USA. Only the deductions from the salary are higher, the so-called wage or income tax. There are other taxes, but these are collected elsewhere. In total, however, we really don't pay any more than citizens in the USA and you can research this in many places on the Internet. And these people you call leeches do exist, but there are nowhere near as many of them as you think. And if you are referring to refugees, that suggests a bad attitude, which I am not trying to impute to you. Most countries with a functioning healthcare system function as a community of solidarity. If my neighbor has lung cancer because he smoked, I will contribute to his treatment even if I don't like the fact that he smokes. That's how compassion and a community of solidarity work. Not every selfish person likes this and because the USA is a community of mostly self-centered, selfish people without much compassion, it won't work there. Especially among the rich
@@gerhardma4297 lmao this was a total assumption comment and literally everything you said has been proven false, this feels like a fever dream with how ridiculous and wrong your comment is.
@@gerhardma4297 That is patently false. The USA tax burden is 27.7% of GDP and Germany's is 39.3%. BTW, when an employer is forced to pay something the public at large STILL foots the bill for it.
My son is in a relationship with a girl from Munich. My wife and I have traveled extensively so pretty open-minded. Your videos help us finetune the German mindset!
It’s important to know the mindset. Some would argue that the mindset in Germany isn’t even German anymore. It is very leftist and godless, I will say that.
It is a mindset of a German girl from Munich. Nothing more, nothing less. What is important is her honesty, her integrity, her love for humanity. And that is what counts about every citizen of every country in the world. That is what can be learned from every system, be it political, healthcare, food related, art related, ideological. If there is a slip off of humanity, integrity or truth, without a serious attempt to fix that, it is not worth any defence.
I'd have more than two viable political parties. I hate the binary choice. The two we have don't really represent me, it would be nice to have other realistic options to vote for.
It's very hard to create a stable system of government which does not give out-sized leverage to fringe parties with a multiparty system. The problem with coalitions as in Europe is that little, sometimes crazy parties can easily become king-makers in a governing coalition. That's the flip side of the coin in terms of the alternative political system.
Loved the video. I am an American who now lives in Germany. Wouldn't have understood all the contrasts before moving here but completely understand now. I am not looking forward to giving up all the wonderful things I have found here like Funnel beer, the Bakerei and so many wonderful experiences. And I pay out of pocket and am reimbursed by my insurance company and completely support your come he on the stark differences in costs for healthcare. And so completely different in my ability to walk or bike places instead of driving. Besides just easier, it's great exercise. And you didn't mention the ability to go to the local market to buy fresh meat and vegetables. Love it. Thanks for your videos and perspectives. Truly enjoy them!
She's right about the high cost of medical insurance here. Americans shouldn't be maxing out their credit cards or even going broke paying for medical care. The rich, like she said, don't have that problem. It's the middle-class that gets squeezed the most. The United States has a shortage of general practitioners. If you don't believe it, you haven't been to the emergency room lately. There's also the ridiculously high cost of prescription medication. Some insurance just covers generic meds that, as most of us know, don't work as well or, in some cases, they don't work at all. The United States falls far short of being the proverbial "greatest country in the world" when it comes to health care.
It's a conundrum, because in terms of the advanced leading edge treatments, the US is the best place. That's why people come here from all over the world including the UK and Canada for treatment. Especially for rare conditions.
No the middle class can lose everything with a bad diagnosis such as cancer. Most poor persons can qualify for medicaid as long as they don't live in a greedy state.
Because they are to busy paying to defend the world who refuses to pay for its own defense. If we were reimbursed for the costs of our military personnel and equipment defending all of these other countries who do not pay for their own defense, like Germany for one, perhaps the American government could pay for our health care, or at least stop taxing us so much so we could use that money on our own health care.
Maternity leave must be nice for the people who get it, but the people still working while they are on leave get screwed. I had two ladies leave on maternity leave and a bunch of their work got dumped on me for 8-12 weeks. Did I get extra pay for all that extra work? Nope. Did I get 8-12 weeks of vacation when they returned and my work got dumped on them? Nope. And the irony is, if I asked for a raise to compensate for all this extra responsibility, when the ladies returned they would probably shout my getting paid more than them amounted to the gender pay gap... "we're working the same job but he's getting paid more than me! SEXISM!!" 🙄
@@JeffKantinthe business should be prepared and, anyhow, they could hire a substitute. After all, maternity and paternity leaves are paid by taxes, not on business money (at least, here, so business don't have ridiculous excuses to overload coworkers).
@@inigogarcia4336 Hiring a temp (or substitute, as you put it) would cost the company money - if they won't pay extra for me to do the work, they're not going to pay extra to hire someone temporarily either. And here, maternity leave is paid for either by the company or by short-term disability insurance (which is also paid for by the company, which is why not every company offers it). Also, not all jobs can be trained in a day or even a couple weeks. At the technical level at my work, it takes up to six months to get someone properly trained to do the job...these are high level accounting positions, not entry-level data entry type jobs. You don't want to spend the time and effort to train someone for those positions just for a few months - and even finding someone who would want to only work them for a few months would also be difficult. This is where the reality of business meets the fantasy of people who don't know how businesses work.
America is a paradise for wealthy racists and intolerant religious hypocrites. Educated, progressive, tolerant types are viewed with suspicion and resentment.
No, not always. A majority of the time it's fireworks but there are definitely times I've thought I heard fireworks and it turned out to be gun shots. Meanwhile my mom thinks everything is gunshots.
Dr. Mike is a doctor in the US. He has a RU-vid channel by the same name, and he addresses in his videos the problems with the healthcare industry, including insurance and access to healthcare. Very informative videos you should check out.
I live in California, i broke my hand (14 metatarsal fractures) went rh the check in desk, and before stating the problem was asked for my id card and insurance and only after she typed all the information in did she say "what brings you in today" i told her i broke my hand and without looking up "so you broke your finger huh" no my hand inm literally holding my hand that is swollen 3x its normal size. After an hour in the waiting rpom watching sniffles, sprains and i kid you not a headache all receive treatment " because all patients are seen based on severity" i finally get in and a nurse practitioner looks at me says i bet rhat hurts orders x rays and a boxer splint! No setting of the bones no cast no pins. Tldr i have a hand tlwith no structural viability, no strength, and loss in sensitivity. So in 2 weeks i get to have my hand rebroken at every fracture set, pinned and a couple of rods ilto rebuild something simple. American medical system is a joke oh that first bill was $8477.24 Edit: this was all done with no pain medication meanwhile the headache patient my roommate the headache guy received 2 shots of morphine and a script for narcos or whatever
U.S. physician here (Pennsylvania). There are no metatarsals in the hand. There are metacarpals…five to be exact (including the thumb, which is typically not injured by the same mechanism as that which involves the other four MCs). In the 35 years I’ve been practicing, most of them at level 1 trauma centers, I’ve never seen any hand with 14 fractures involving the 5 metacarpals. Even in industrial crush injuries, MVCs, falls from heights, never. That’s just not how MC fractures work. Also, in patients with such a massive hand injury, I’ve never seen a patient splinted and sent home. There is invariably nerve and vascular injury. Such patients are always admitted to a trauma or hand surgery service with surgery performed no more than 24 hours after presentation. If there is no hand surgeon coverage at the hospital where the patient presents, they are transferred to one that has a hand surgeon available. I also seriously doubt (no offense) you would not have been given heavy-duty pain medication. Last, upon arriving at the triage desk, you would have been whisked to an exam room, stat, and an admission receptionist would have met you there, to get your info…if you were stable enough to do so. (When we receive a Level A or Level B trauma, patient care is so paramount, no clerical people even get to see the patient, let alone ask for insurance info; it’s common for them to be admitted as a "John Doe" with a temporary ID medical record number). You’re either misremembering, telling a tall-tale, or…California hospital ED care is so horrific, you need to move.
@@mattp422Sorry for the mistype and the breaks weren't from a fall from hight, but rather from being tackled by a dog knocking me free of the electric scooter sending me in the opposite direction of the initial inertia of the scooter. More importantly the hospital in my town lost their trauma certifications more than 10 years ago. Normally any and all trauma cases are lifeflighted or receive ambulance support after stabilization. And as a Dr you should know better than to assume you've seen everything. I wish RU-vid comments allowed pictures so you could see the x-rays and updates and read the summery reports including the determination made by my current orthopedic surgeon who is treating me now. I hope that clarifies the situation for you. And in all my years of riding bikes motorcycles and scooters this was the first time I was tackled by a dog while riding thank you for correcting my errors
I moved here from the UK almost 18 years ago. I am impressed by how you have thrived and really integrated into the U.S. society but equally impressed by how you aren’t afraid to speak up about things that obviously should change - such as the ridiculous healthcare system. Also kudos on the new German citizenship law and I hope it makes your path easier as I know that one is crazy
The problem with US healthcare is government involvement in it, and that increased when ObamaCare went into effect. ObamaCare is a disaster, it's much more costly and far less value to it. It also decimated the US medical device manufacturers with that excise tax. Excise taxes should be illegal.
I agree, healthcare cost in the US is out of control. My surgery for a triple bypass (granted, serious surgery) cost $8000 per MINUTE for just the operating room and staff, forget the doctors and anesthesiologist. Total cost, over $500,000 for just the hospital. Fortunately for me, insurance covered 90% of that cost.
I have family with crappy practically free state insurance (my dads triple bypass) only ended up leaving him with a $4000 bill they broke down to $15 a month for him to pay.
@@TicatHockey yeah I'm part of the public and I dont want my tax money going to some random persons health bill I'd rather have it benefit me and my local community.
@@TicatHockey Paid by tax dollars. Charge me more tax, I pay into the pool, people who need the assistance use the pooled money. Plus, the cost of healthcare managed at cost and not at cost plus profit.
I recently had to have surgery in Australia 🇦🇺. Prior to admission I needed multiple blood tests + echocardiogram + CT Scan + MRI + ECG total cost to me $0.00. Surgery (4 hours) 2 separate surgical teams for 2 different procedures theatre cost, anaesthetics total cost to me $0.00. 3 weeks inpatient + daily blood tests + multiple X-rays + multiple ultrasounds + medications + specialist services total cost to me $0.00. After 3 weeks I just got out of bed and walked out and paid absolutely nothing. I love the Medicare universal healthcare system in Australia. I have absolutely no problems or worries about going to hospital emergency department or inpatient treatment because I know I have no issues with the cost’s causing financial stress or bankruptcy.
Similar here in Germany: My new GP did a full check, blood tests, ultrasound of the whole abdomen. Then, I got the info that I needed surgery. So, I went to a hospital of my choice for a first talk with the assistant medical director to check and decide, whether the surgery really should be done. He was all relaxed and dedicated more than sufficient time to me. I decided for it. So, two weeks later, I got another ultrasound check and blood test at the hospital to prepare for the surgery the next business day. They did a minimal invasive procedure by endoscopy to remove the culprit from my body (around 2.5 hours with two active surgeons). After that, I stayed in the hospital for a total of the days, food, medication, and care, plus two more blood tests included. Also, they gave me extra medication just in case I need it (I didn't) to take home - plus a prescription for more. After hospital, I have stayed off sick to recover for another 1.5 weeks (and should be getting back to work next week - even though my doctor votes for yet another week off me being off. I just don't think, that's really necessary. All this is being covered by my minimal compulsory insurance. No extra insurance involved. I just need to pay a fee of 30€ for the three days at the hospital. By the way: Before leaving the hospital, I enquired what I should tell my employer, by when they might expect me back. The reply was: "Well, in the US, this would have been an ambulant surgery and people would go back to work right the next day." ... I am soooo glad that that's not really the measure here! Couldn't have worked right the next day, plus it would have hindered the quick recovery. So sad, a well-developped and rich country such as the US calls for this.
It doesn't SEEM to cost anything, but you ARE paying for it via taxes. Albeit, it's probably still not as expensive as in the U.S. b/c organized crime doesn't inflate the cost of everything healthcare-related like it does in the U.S.
@@nathan2813Not a tax but a member fee(?) for one of the public healthcare services. That's paid as a share of your income. At 14,6 % but no more than a max of 8760€ per year. It's one of those solidarity based systems.
Tell that to the thousands on waiting list, and why are Australians taxed higher if they don't have private insurance? The Australian system is great for emergency and necessary situations. It's not for things less pressing, and I've had two instances where I was forced to go private. One was to repair an AC should joint because it was deemed I could live with a permanent restriction in movement, and the other was surgery for a broken wrist that was deemed would likely heal satisfactorily if in plaster for 4 months.
Servus Feli! Unlike you, after my initial 6-yr contract working in the US, my kids and I returned home. If I hadn't had school-age children, I might have chosen differently, as I had excellent healthcare insurance. Our deciding factors were safety for my kids, and the poor standard of secondary education. My oldest was 9 when we arrived in VA, but he tested out as grade 7, and already had three languages which weren't available at all until grade 9. Those issues, and refusing to helicopter my kids, made our decision easy. Grussi!
Our school system had huge reform around the early 2000s and it has only progressively gotten worse. Kids can't even stand at the bus pickup spot by themselves.
The schools are being dumbed down deliberately. Not to mention used for programming and indoctrination now. The same thing is going to happen in Germany. This is a global agenda.
My kids and I all have degrees and no debt. Mo medical bills. It's mostly about choices. As far as languages, most languages aren't available everywhere. And languages aren't the only way to measure something.
I think this way but 99% of the people around me calls me a Commie. I need to get out of the US or find new people. I can do it! Im tired of feeling like this. I needed a psychiatrist when I was like 6 and no one noticed. Im 39 now.. but I finally figured out what my issue was. :)
As far as gun violence, come live in a small town. My experience is much more like you describe in Germany. No experience with gun violence at all except hearing about it on TV (or these days, online).
as for gun violence, come live in a big city in germany. No experience with gun violence at all and not hearing about it on TV (or these days, online).
Really? You have apparently never lived in some of the small USA-towns my friends and relatives spent time in or are still living in. The statistics are actually blasting this nonsensical FOXNews talking point, as rural America is more violent and sees more drug use per person than big cities now! In a place with 1000 people, it may be less likely to witness violence, than in a city of 2 million. HOWEVER, if the big city has 100 murders/year, and the small town has 1, or maybe just 3 bar fights a year, that is actually more than the big city has at 2000 times the population! Do the math! 1 murder in a town of 1000, which is NOT uncommon, translates to 2000 in that city of 2million!
@@owenlaprath4135 That's pretty much the case in most small or even largish towns, lots of guns but gun violence is almost non existent. Yeah a lot more drugs than there used to be unfortunately but little to no gun violence.
Amazing! I'm 75 years old and have lived in the U.S. my entire life. Your five things to change about the U.S. is the precisely the same as mine. And about that healthcare thing....I practiced medicine here for 44 years, and the healthcare system is the first thing I'd change if I could.
@@heshy14 Why should he? He has skills that are far more important to a functioning society than those of many billionaires but earns a tiny fraction of the income
@@heshy14 4 years of pre-med, 4 years of medical school, 3-4 years of residency. Thirty years-old before making a return on investment. Why feel guilty?
Yes, healthcare costs in the US or Europe: A few years ago my dermatologist diagnosed me with cancer and performed outpatient surgery on me. A few days later, the laboratory diagnosed malignant cancer and the doctor referred me to the university clinic. I was thoroughly examined and operated on in four places. Then a radiological examination that found no cancer. I had to pay 70 euros for seven days in the hospital. The follow-up tests (free for me) found no cancer. How many citizens in the United States are being consumed by cancer cells because they cannot afford my treatment?
There is a lot of cases that are rare in excessive costs. Where in the world can you find a child cancer or fatal disease treatment research hospital that has an 80+% cure outcome for children at no cost for the child or parents? I know several cases of terminal diseases cured for pennies on the dollar all around the US. Why do you think millions of people around the world immigrate to the USA? Why most leaders and celebrities from Europe come to the US for their surgeries or treatment?
I also know personal stories where people traveled to Mexico for necessary treatment that insurance wouldn't cover so they had to seek help outside the country or they would die.
Do you follow Type Ashton? She really digs into the costs of healthcare and education in comparisons to Germany. She is very thorough with her research. Don’t worry about all the haters, most of them do not know what they’re talking about. You have a great channel and good information. In addition, you make it fun to learn and watch. 🥰
Type Ashton is an idiot or, worse, a liar. She doesn't understand that the problems with US healthcare are due to government involvement, and that just got worse with ObamaCare. Moreover, she actually insists that something in the Bill of Rights, and referred to as a right in the 2nd Amendment itself, is actually a privilege contingent on membership in a militia.
Imagine you were attacked in your home, you called the police and they said "sorry, your police insurance doesn't cover you for this. Goodbye" That's the US healthcare system.
@@Dosbomber But is that a good way to do things? ie, Have private militias paid for by private insurance instead of police paid for by taxes, and that people rely primarily on privately owned firearms to protect themselves?
@@EASYTIGER10 Splitting this into two different paragraphs because the analogy is stretching too far... Anything the government gets involved in ends up corrupted, inefficient, wildly overpriced (taxed), and dysfunctional. Nationalized (socialist) health care is all of those things. I've known two people who were given a 10-month waiting period to see an NHS oncologist for a cancer that would, without immediate treatment, kill them in 3. Their solution? Come to America and get the medical problem actually treated by medical professionals. There's a reason Canada has endorsed "assisted suicide" as a medical treatment. Their tax-funded NHS can't afford actual timely health care, and the government is taking a lion's share of that money for "administration" expenses. As for the analogy of police vs private firearms, having a working local police department who are doing their jobs and incarcerating actual criminals, reducing the chance of a home invasion in the first place, would be great. Unfortunately, government involvement (and increasing "diversity") has also led to this being way too expensive and corrupt, and so is being "regional"-ized so now it takes hours for someone to show up to help you. Having a means of defending your own family when the crisis is "in your face" is literally of life-and-death importance. The government doesn't care about you. Why would you trust them as the only source of either protection OR medical treatment?
@@EASYTIGER10 Cool:) That's the plot of "Mad Max"? Isn't it? Hehehehe Greetings from Germany where Healthcare isn't free, but a community driven insurance and cheap and good as sliced bread!:) I wish you all good health! (Or a speedy recovery of your system to something actually human ... because that lies in the hand of the voters. You;) )
What I would change in US is the "winner takes it all" political system that results in just two political parties (even though there technically are more than two, only the Democrats and Republicans matter). That results in compromises being made from slightly to one side of the center and all the way to the extreme politicians at that side, instead of isolating the extreme politicians and make compromises around the center and moderate politicians to either left or right. If USA could fix that, lots of the other stuff could probably be fixed as a result.
The way to fix this is to have every district's vote count as it was cast. California, for instance, has been basically throwing away 1/3 of its votes every election as one party has a lock on the state. Same with Texas. So in both states, the other side's agenda is never even brought up and often explicitly targeted. Resulting in two extremes in how the state is run - one is basically a free-for-all, and the other wants to return to 1950. With anyone in the middle or on the other side being simply ignored. Where I live now ( I used to live in California, my son in Texas - so I've seen both sides of this extreme ), it's a 50/50 state and we all have to (often begrudgingly - lol) cooperate to get anything done.
@@plektosgaming In Norway we have a storting (similar to congress) with 169 members. Currently 10 political parties are represented there, some big and some small. If a country with 5.5 million people can have 10 political parties (plus several that didn't get into the storting), USA could easily have 20 or more if the election system was different. Then the sane parties could make alliances with other sane parties and let the maniacs scream in the corners without having much influence. I'm not saying our political system is perfect, but it does make it harder for outlayers to block decisions, and people can find political parties they mostly agree with.
@@torejorgensen5344 No, I agree. Our system here is completely broken and designed to keep the two parties in power. The thing most people don't realize is that it's all fake. That is, that these same people eat lunch together, their kids go to the same schools, they go to the same social events. They basically choose which "party" to be part of based on their state but in the end, it's two sides of the same group of people who play the "politics" game. 95% of it is fake to keep the normal people thinking there are huge differences. In the end, it's all about maintaining power. Say the right things, play the game and act a lot for the press and life goes on as normal in the easiest job in the country that also makes you a millionaire in the end.
I was raised by German parents in Canada and spoke German up to age 5. I now live in Madison, WI and became a US Citizen a while back. I am now in the process of getting German Citizenship as well through my mother since she was German citizen when I was born. I am really excited to be qualified to get the German citizenship added which would give me full EU access. I plan on actually spending some time in the Netherlands as I really love it there. I was in Groningen area which is close to the German border up in the northern area. I met alot of German students who go to school at the University of Groningen.
The old Schopenhauer wrote once about the impossibilitly of a lot of people to accept critics to their own country: "The cheapest sort of pride is national pride; for if a man is proud of his own nation, it argues that he has no qualities of his own of which he can be proud; otherwise he would not have recourse to those which he shares with so many millions of his fellowmen. The man who is endowed with important personal qualities will be only too ready to see clearly in what respects his own nation falls short, since their failings will be constantly before his eyes. But every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud adopts, as a last resource, pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and glad to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority."
It sounds like Canada might be what you want. My part of the US has heavy gun ownership, and yet "gun violence" is VERY rare, I actually like to see citizens carrying a gun in public. I personally only carry in public when I am camping and/or hiking in remote locations. Like many Americans, I like driving my own car, and in my rural home it is the only real option, I tend to steer clear of large cities since I have no need or desire to be in one. As for the rest, all these social programs take money, and I believe it is the responsibility of the individual to provide themselves with higher education and health care.
so why do you pay local taxes for the police force? You have a gun, you should be able to protect yourself! And do you pay local taxes for a fire brigade you might never use? According to your logic, people should provide basic needs for themselves!
While you're at it, be your own doctor. And if you're sick and need a nursing home and you run out of money, just provide the care by yourself as well.
Ridiculous responses. Police, fire and medical are protection for all people we are responsible as individuals for our own needs. Society can’t pay everything unless you don’t care how much tax you pay the government for these FREE things. There are thousands of jobs that don’t require a 4 year college degree. And as people that have graduated have found out just because you have a degree you don’t necessarily get a job that compensates for the cost of your education.
@@Ljw48 if you are responsible for your own needs, is calling the police or fire brigade when you need help any different? I am sorry but you are the one who is being ridiculous! Why should you pay to repair a section of the highway if you don’t need to use it according to your logic? Maybe you are not aware that the costs of a degree is very affordable in Europe and in some countries even totally free …
@@pepita46 If you can read English then you will see I specified health care and higher education. Saying that I am against paying for anything else is a "strawman" argument.
The trouble with gun laws.Is it mostly in poor Democrat run cities like Cincinnati... (Which you stated so I give you credit for) that.The problem is if you take away guns from law-abiding citizens.You render us helpless to the criminal?Who doesn't care about gunlaws!,Because he/she is a criminal!... In theory gun laws look good on paper but in reality when have they ever worked? You take away guns... people will be committing crimes with knives. If you take away knives they will use baseball bats the problem is getting mental people, mental help! But the subject is like kicking a Dead Horse.It goes nowhere and because you do live in the U.S. I respect your opinion, but I respectively disagree with the solution.
All really good points. As an American who now lives in Spain, I don't have to worry about going bankrupt over medical costs. In general, the bread does suck in the US, too soft as you mentioned.
Let a french bread loaf sit out for a day and it turns crusty...or buy a baguette that is already crusty...I can go to my local grocery store in Indiana and get one whenever I want
Coming from Germany, It seems like the USA are a whole different universe. Right now, I'm sick with a torn ligament, still getting paid 100% of my wage for 6 weeks and, if needed, around 60-70% of my wage after that, as long as I am unable to walk normally. I was driven to the emergency room with an ambulance, went to the radiology, got a prothese for my ligament and walking support, went afterwards to an orthopedist for further check-up, got pain medication and Thrombose medication, just went to my primal care doctor to renew my sick leave (first one was just for 2 weeks, now it's another 4 weeks) and got new medication. Total cost for me so far for all of this? Around 30€ copay for the medication, nothing else. A good Health system is focussed on getting healthy again, not prolonging your sick leave with stress due to insanely high bills and the fear to get sick. You can focus on getting healthy again. Also, I get back my vacation days I planned, which now fall into my sick leave. No loss of paid time off, or vacation days. You get them back. I never had to pay for education, just lending school books and buying writing supplies. I got paid during my apprenticeship (dual system, love it) and my further job education to Bachelor professional was partially financed by my federal state and partially a credit, which was cut into half for succesful finish and even got 4.000€ bonus from the federal state, so effectively I got paid 2.000€ for the education :D Also could reduce my taxes with the costs for the classes by a few thousand Euros. A good country must support their people with good education and health system. It's not socialism, it's investment into your country.
@@Cole5271 So I'm not allowed to share my personal experience with the german education and health care system, unless I study the american system? No experience sharing allowed?
How can these other countries afford such things for their citizens? Its almost like there's a whole other country contributing the lion-share of funding for things like the United Nations, aid to war torn areas like Ukraine, and things of that nature. So I wonder if that large contributor would be able to do so much more for its own citizens if these other countries paid their "fair share" of the costs... 😜
I love the "Didn't cost me anything" mantra. SOMEONE pays for EVERYTHING. It is socialism and government's main business is protecting it's citizens, not "investing" in anything. Private business does most anything better and cheaper than government can. Farmers don't come to your door and give away their food, doctors don't beg you to allow them to operate on or treat you for free, no company just loves to pay you not to work because you tore something playing volleyball. If you don't pay, SOMEONE does, either through higher product prices, higher taxes or higher bills that they have to pay to compensate for you not paying. It's simple economics. People complain about the cost of drugs but it's the drug companies that cover the huge cost of research, raw materials, the time and expense of the approval process, etc. And when they get sick and there is a drug to cure them they thank God for the drug. SOMEONE pays for EVERYTHING. "It didn't cost me anything" may be true but the cost is passed on to someone else. Pure communist manifesto: 'From each according to ability; to each according to need'.
1. Healthcare-a very complicated subject. 2. College-My college, it now coasts 20 times as much to go to school there as compared to 1989. I am told that this is to pay the ultra high salaries of professors. Suddenly, community college seems very appealing. 3. Public Transportation. Again, a complicated subject as HOA's have really screwed things up. 4. Gun Laws-a really good fix is, you commit a violent offense, you will spend the rest of your life behind bars. A lot, and I do mean, A LOT of violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders. 5. Bread & Dairy-For a brief moment, when I was 8, my family was part of a trading circle. Somehow the USDA got wind of us and shut the whole thing down because unpasteurized milk, to the USDA, was a scary thing. We would let the milk naturally cool, skim off the cream and turn the cream into cheese. Since no one was being harmed, why did the USDA threaten to drop the hammer on everyone in the circle?
Indeed. We are WAY too lax with the wantonly violent and infringe the rights of those of us who are never violent which just further emboldens the criminals. My state is particularly bad about this, almost every murder ends with the reporter saying and the suspect has a long history of violent crime. The 6 safest states all have permitless carry, and Ohio recently went to permitless carry and saw a decrease in the homicide rate in 6 of the 8 biggest cities.
Milk that hasn't been pasteurized can transmit deadly diseases such as tuberculosis. If you are the producer and consumer of unpasteurized milk on your farm, the FDA probably won't know unless you squawk about it. FDA regulation prevents massive outbreak of diseases via the drinking of milk.
The US already has the highest incarceration rate of any western country. It's obviousely not working. And US prisons would be considered human rights violations in any civilised country. And don't get me started in the prison industrial complex. As long as your only answer to reoffenders is to cry for longer prison sentences, nothing will change. Many european countries have great success with rehabilitation programs. The US could easily take a leaf out of their book. If only that weren't such an un-american thing to do...
Being in prison cost a lot of money for the state. Prisons in US is many times private own, they care more about money than rehabilitation. 8 of 10 prisoners in US commits a new crime when they get out. Prisons in Scandinavia treat prisoners like humans and help them to get back to society. 8 of 10 prisoners in Scandinavia get a job when get out.
It was very interesting learning the differences when I had an exchange student from Germany. You nailed it on number 1. That was exactly my pick! I not only base this on what I learned from Benjamin, but a friend's daughter was an exchange student in Germany and had a horrible skiing accident. She had excellent healthcare and her parents here were good!
I think almost every American agrees on the healthcare thing …..and I respectfully disagree about the gun laws I never want to rely on the government for my protection…. I live in a more rural environment though and I understand it’s different in the cities….all in all I enjoy hearing your take on things 👍
Excellent point. In rural areas guns protect you, in cities they hurt you, basically. Makes the issue really difficult for sure, especially because people forget this (I'm guiltier than I like to admit). Good to hear that someone sees both perspectives. Thank you.
@@j.s.7335 Guns in cities "do not hurt you". They may save your life or those of who you love in your home or someone accosting you on the street. Bad guys will always have guns. In cities or in the country. They don't follow rules. That's why they're bad guys.
I wish you hadn’t gone political. I enjoy your channel for carefree lighter side of life. Now no thanks. I’ve unsubscribed. Your choice to be political. My choice to unsubscribe.
This is just the general european opinon, I didn't think it counted as politics but of course a massive sea in between will create a major difference of values of how a society should be run. While we europeans think that the obvious reason for shootings in the US is due to guns you believe it's not the guns that kill but humans, a normal mantra. I must say it's highly facinating to get inside your thinking.
"Well, there's American food all the way across town." Lady, I was in China for 6 years and Thailand 6 months. You tell me there's pizza 2 hours away, I don't care I'm going. :D
In December 2021 I spent 3 weeks in two hospitals. First was in local hospital being treated and diagnosed as having a ischemic attack causing a small stroke. The bill was around $10,000 dollars. All I had to pay was $175 dollars since I had medicare insurance. I spent two weeks in hospital for rehab. The bill for second hospital stay was around $20,000 dollars. I guess insurance paid entire amount as I've never heard from them. I've used ambulance a few times, bill being around $2000 dollars. My Medicare monthly premium is $114 a month. I pay 3 dollars for one medication and $1.87 for another each being a 90 day supply. One thing I would change is term limits for Congress members
@@TeutonicNordwind you already do through taxes… but they are bad spended so just the minority of the population have medicare from it… if everyone joins it will be better and less expensive for the individual person
@@m.s.3041 No. You are silly. We only pay for the Medicare of seniors or those who cannot work and have proven that they qualify for Medicaid. That is NOWHERE NEAR 'paying for everyone'. We have good health insurance through our employer and it hardly costs us anything for top notch care. If I need and MRI, for example, I can get one within 4-6 days. Not wait for months. If I need to schedule a surgery, (and I have had 4 major ones since 2018) I can get in for it within 3-5 weeks. My cardiologist fit me in for a heart catheterization in three days. We do not need the European system of health care. NO THANKS! If somebody wants better health care, they can go purchase it or find a job that offers excellent healthcare benefits like we did.
The problem with what you have suggested is the people who have benefited from the current system will not be willing to have it changed. They will say “Why is it necessary to change it. I and my family and friends have successes, you can too (Without any changes)”.
And they are a slim minority, but that does not matter to them since they will tell you that the U.S. is not a democracy, but a constitutional republic. When you ask them what they mean by a constitutional republic, they will tell you that a constitutional republic is a system in which they get everything their way regardless of how few of them there may be.
@@kosmokritikos9299 The U.S.A. is a democratic constitutional republic. The 2022-Jan-6 attempted coup d' etát was to sever the constitutionally mandated Congressional process to delegate the people's power resulting from the democratic votes of the electorate of the various states to the U.S.A. federal government.
You need to spend some time in a real city. I lived in Cincinnati for seven years, so I am allowed to say this. You can find real bread, (although I am not a fan of hardtack myself), and real mozzarella, etc. in many, many places. Cincinnati is not the place to go for any real ethnic food. It is a small midwestern backwater, (as much as they like to pretend otherwise). Spend some time In New York, Philadelphia, North Jersey, Boston, Chicago, even Baltimore, you will find the things that you are talking about readily available. Most of the population of the U.S. lives in places like this, and not midwestern backwaters where LaRosa's is even considered pizza or Italian food, (it is not - you might as well go to Olive Garden. I cook better Italian food, and I am Irish and German).
Without watching this video, first thing coming to my mind is the U.S. health insurance system. It sucks big time! As a German living here for over 20 years, I really miss how it works over there.
I would agree until I lived in the UK for 6 years, 6 years worth of extremely high taxes when the only thing I did was a yearly checkup every year (which would cost me $4 in the states with crappy free state provided health insurance)
@@kevinprzy4539 Here we have another typical case of someone who has not understood the principle of socialized healthcare. The people in it are part of a community of solidarity. I pay my share for the treatment of other people I don't even know and that's a good thing. Because I am doing something good for society as a whole. Americans don't know and understand this principle. A country full of egomaniacs, intolerance and a lack of compassion. And you show this once again in your statement, and also that education has failed you because otherwise you would have understood the principle
You talked about safety. When I was in Germany I walked the streets without fear. At midnight in Berlin I saw old people strolling down the avenue and a kid riding a bicycle doing the same. I was on my way into München from Neuschwanstein when the terrorist attack came in July, 2016. Listening to Antenne Bayern with my limited German language they were reporting things like shelter in place, no one is allowed to come into the city, and other safety concerns. As you say the city was shutting down. People went the next night to the Marienplatz with memorials and the priest knelt and led the rosary. We have our guns to preserve our freedom. We here just have too many people who have the criminal mind and no regard for life.
@InTimeASMR What he means in having guns to preserve our freedom; is that when the United States was founded, the core principles and God-given rights, was the right to self-preservation. And the self part is a huge reason for being able to have freedoms. Because there is no freedom without responsibility. Most people who carry guns on them don't wish to use them, but they take the responsibility to carry the tools needed when a bad person trys to do something bad. Because bad people do bad things. The best way to fight against that is to have a culture that supports good guys with guns opposed to demonizing them. Which unfortunately the United States has been failing at since the 1920s. So yes it is a necessity to have a gun if you wish to preserve your own autonomous freedom.
@@InTimeASMR Aren't you afraid of your government? Don't you see government is becoming more tyrannical as we speak? And we have enemies around the world waiting to attack us.
about your "gun laws" discourse. You keep saying, "this isn't normal..." Um, It isn't normal in "red" parts of the u.s. either. It's only the "blue" parts, or parts with high "blue" population in a "red" majority region where this is "normal". Try living in a smaller town, or a city that is truly "red"; not a city that is "red" but just barely and you will see. It's not the "guns"; it's the culture that leads to idiotic public policies.
I absolutely love driving and road trips are fun, but high speed rail between major cities would be nice. I go to Jacksonville fairly regularly and it’s an almost 7 hour drive from where I am. I am also perfectly fine with the concept of privatized healthcare, but I do think it needs massive massive reforms
Road trips are great, and cars offer a freedom to go where one wants that mass transit does not. Jacksonville area is great for a history buff like me, Saint Augustine is a place I really enjoyed.
It's best to not rely on media reports to accurately gauge incidence of gun violence. Rather, check statistics online reporting injury & death from guns. Then compare that between metro cities & rural areas. I think you'd find it's most-often associated with drug sales & gangs in metro cities - men aged 16-35.
the last thing drug dealers want is gunmen lurking round. gangs? living in USA gangs serve a purpose of protection... There are far too many people for police protect.
And what is that supposed to tell us? That these dead are therefore not relevant? That these people don't count? Second-class people? Criminals, scum? And what about other crimes carried out with armed force, such as robberies? Surely that's only ever black people and drug addicts or gangs, isn't it? And the statistics alone with the categorization of 16 - 35 year olds already show how broken the USA is! 16-year-olds are included? In the rest of the world, 16 to 18 year olds are busy with the opposite sex and are not part of the statistics for murders. It doesn't help to always talk yourself up. The USA is very close to the abyss... but not just because of the guns but because of its politicians and the rift through society.
I live in rural Brown County Ohio. Our violent crime rate is very low, possibly because almost every house has a gun and children are taught gun safety. I am 71 and know of no one who has been shot outside of military service. I am friends withe retired and active cops, none who have been shot. Several have been involved in shootings. When I was in college, I was a part time armed guard in East. St. Louis which was a very high crime area and was never required to use a weapon. If you are aware of the area you are in and avoid situations that could be dangerous you will not have any problems. By the way, I have a concealed handgun license and have carried a gun every day for the last 20 years.
I'd like to offer a different view on the topic, based on statistics: About 1000 persons are shot do death by US police per year on average over the last years, and the number is slowly rising. At the same time here in Germany, at about one quarter the population, and higher overall population density the number of shots fired by police on human targets is at about 50 to 60 per year over the last two decades, and the number of actual kills per year is around ten on average. Whether you blame that on the quasi omnipresence of guns in the US of A, or the usually much shorter education time of police officers is up to you. I'd say it's a combination of both ...
Thanks! - Edit: sorry for the edit. I clicked way to fast on the super thanks. Were going to Germany (Flying into Munich) in Sept to visit my wife's family near Nuremberg. And as a special treat we are bringing my sons girlfriend along so she can experience another culture outside the USA and see what life is all about. You're videos are so good. I was stationed in Germany in the 90's. Please, don't get me started on the "sugar" in all our food, and SALT! lol :) When we were in Normandy in 2019 we stayed in a home and during the breakfast met with a British couple who were also visiting Normandy. They even said the food in America is over salted and has way too much sugar lol :). Keep up the good work!
You're not wrong about the food!! I've heard American complain about the food in European countries not being salty enough but I think it's just because they're used to way too much salt in their food! And I was shocked when I tried regular (toast) bread in the US and it tasted SWEET but it wasn't advertised as sweet. I realized that they add sugar to a lot of the bread here which was kind of weird to me at first.
You basically just outlined the core beliefs of the Democratic party, so many Americans are very much on the same page as you. Why roughly half the population seems to be against fixing these things is beyond me, but hey, that's politics. As for food, as with many things in American culture, we've traded quality for convenience. Many of the foods you mentioned have a "natural" shelf life of several days, whereas the American versions will stay good for weeks at minimum, usually months, and maybe even YEARS!
The Democrats have a real authoritarian bent to them. It's to the point where they are not only infringing our gun rights, but telling us what kind of heaters we can have in our homes, stoves and cars we drive, moreso in some states than others. BTW, Governor Hochul signed bills in response to the Sullivan Act being removed by the Bruen decision that was even stricter than the Sullivan Act that run afoul not just of the 2A but other amendments in the Bill of Rights as well. Due process, presumption of innocence, etc.
100% agree with all your suggestions. Lack of walkability is very frustrating; there are many areas in my town where there are not even sidewalks. Public transportation is VERY lacking and think you hit the surface on the guns. We could do better!
guns is your average Americans fault not the law, teaching your kids the importance and how to safely use a gun and teaching them it's not a toy is very important and would lower gun violence not to mention majority (70%) of gun related crimes are committed with an illegally obtained gun.
@@kevinprzy4539 You're the dad of a family in the US. You own guns, because you believe in "protecting" your family. You teach your kids everything the right way. But just the fact that you own guns, guns that you, your wife and your growing up kids can get their hands on at any time, always remains. There are so many instances that happen to human beings over the course of a human life, that can trigger somebody doing something really bad and stupid. Just to name a few: Your wife might start cheating on you - you freak out, anger starts growing and you might use that thing on your wife. Or you cheat your wife and your wife does it. Your finances might collapse and mental health issues occur - your health insurance doesn't pay for all of this and you might choose to do something stupid. Your son gets bullied and has issues in school. Your son has mental problems during his teenager period. Or a failed love that breaks his heart. You develop serious family issues with other parts of your family - oncles, aunts, fathers, mothers, cousins. There are various problems, that might pop up over the course of a human life. You can not prepare your kids to never ever make a stupid error involving a gun. That's not possible. We're human beings with emotions and subject to sicknesses and reflex reactions that we later regret. We aren't robots. And your kids won't be any different, even if you're the best mom or dad on the planet. I'm sorry to say that, but it is true.
There are a number of reasons why, but primary of which is when the Federal Government took over student loan management, instead of private institutions as it was when I went (I paid $10,000 total for my education, paid off in less than 10 years). Since the Unis were getting guaranteed money from the government, it took price control away, and thus the inflated costs with the subsequent quality going down - college should never have been pushed by companies as a requirement to get a job. I think, with the number of students going on to college (especially men) going down, and with the various lack of quality exposed to parents of future children. I suspect parents will be pushing (especially to boys) children to explore various trade schools instead, which will eventually force a much needed correction the the University system (along with getting rid of useless degree programs that do nothing for a student's future).
@@jaycee330 Companies don't pay for their job seekers' college education so having a college graduate as a worker is a no-cost gain. I, generally believe that after four years of college education, a college graduate becomes more adaptable than a high-school graduate.
U.S. life expectancy is likely lower because of obesity & injury & death associated with alcohol & drug abuse. We're much fatter here (thus more heart disease) and drive more (thus more driving injuries & deaths) than in most countries.
As always, you can explain it well and understandably, but in the end you in the USA have surrendered to the industry and the lobbyists who bribe your politicians to maintain the status quo. Whether it's healthcare policy, gun policy or any other area that affects society as a whole. Profit and greed have taken over in the USA
The lower life expectancy comes from many causes: sedentary lifestyles from a car-centric culture, poor nutrition as well as over eating, lack of accessible health care, high maternal and child mortality, racial health care disparities and a highly individualistic culture which equates to lack of family anf social support.
@@irmapersoff5385 racial healthcare disparities? They don't exist. Its a talking point with no solid data to support it. Car centric is because we are a large country. Many Europeans come here thinking they can see everything in a couple of weeks not realizing how spread out this country is. The USA defines infant mortality differently than most countries and how the WHO defines it. Its broader here than in Europe.
Yeah ! Transportation in my city is mostly a driving 🚗 a car or truck 🚚 🛻 . Most people have some sort of vehicles, we do have a bicycle 🚲 lanes in some parts of our city . Other than that my city is OK 👍 😊.
Every American should watch this video. You hit upon issues that effect everyone below the top 10% living paycheck to paycheck, even people who are upper middle class are struggling.
I would say one of Americas biggest problem is also it's greatest strengths, is the fact that we are a mixing bowl of so many cultures. Other countries don't have so many people from such different backgrounds and cultures all trying to live together.
My fear as a german is, that germany is going the way the USA does in the future. I got a knee injury lately and I had to wait one month to get my MRT done, because I'm "gesetzlich versichert" ( statutory health insurance) and I know some people with more complicated issues had to wait 2-6 Month. To get an appointment by some specialists you have to wait the same amount of time or longer, if you're not lucky. If I had the money right now to go to a "Selbstzahlerpraxis" so pay for myself by a private specialist or a private MRT-Service, I would pay my 400Euros, my appointment would be in a few days... sad enough
As a German I can say that appointment in the USA would cost you $5000. That is sad. I agree that privately insured in Germany are better off, but there are obviously also some disadvantages. On average the cost of healthcare is about 15 to 20% of American healthcare I had to pay $18,000 at Miami hospital for one night
@@etopsch369 Yes I know that but I have that fear, many hospitals are in really bad condition… I hope this changes but I fear it won’t… some private investors will be at hand and statutory health insurance wont be accepted in this new private hospitals. Maybe there are differences from Bundesland to Bundesland but in Bremen its bad.
Yes the German system has it's flaws too, but it is still a lot better than in the US. Unfortunately most of this flaws were introduced because of some really dumb political decisions that were supposed to improve the system but actually made it worse. Like not paying the doctor if he already treated a certain amount of publicly insured patients. Of cause doctors now try to make patients wait till they get paid again. I also don't understand how any politician could really believe that privatizing hospitals could make them cheaper. Before hospitals just had to cover their expenses. Now they have to cover their expenses and have to make profit. How could this be cheaper?
Yet in the USA we don't have to wait. BTW, my dad had to have a shoulder surgery. No waiting unlike our Canadian counter parts, and my dad was able to set up a (as is standard) a payment plan on the co-pay portion of the surgery at no interest.
@@Anon54387 Well if I decided to get private insurance or pay myself in Germany I usually wouldn't have to wait much either. But the treatment and especially the hospital care would be a LOT cheaper than in the US. And it is not only the treatment that is cheaper but also important medicine. In 2018 the insulin price in Germany was $11 (not the copay, the actual price) in the US it was $98.70 !
Hi again. I did comment in another video of yours today about generalizations, but again, your experience and over knowledge is still a bit too narrow. First of all, the medical insurance coverage and the doctors you can see, and how it can take so long, is all about HMO coverage, and NOT PPO. So, it sounds like you are not aware of this major difference. My wife and I and family always had PPO coverage, and both of our kids had surgery as teenagers, and we never paid even $1,000 for either. Our insurance covered the rest. In addition, we never had long wait times for a doctor visit or the procedure/surgery later. So, I suggest for your benefit (so people do not bad mouth you since I think you are trying to be sincere and helpful), and those listening, that you do a bit more research on a topic before jumping in. Your comments about the ambulance ride and its costs are well deserved! On a secondary note, your chart is also misleading. As I said above, there are two different types of medical insurance coverages, and my guess is that this chart is for the HMO coverage. The other point is that the population here in the US is vastly large than all those countries listed, so another chart would be needed to go along with this one is the ratio of doctors to population. My third point is that your entire presentation about medical care in the US implies that health care in the US is rather poor, but in actuality, it is one of the best. In my case in the last 15 years, I have had a PPO coverage under Medicare, and I have had teo major surgeries (2008, 2009), and many doctor visits in the past 2.5 years. My wife has had two major surgeries also, and many doctor visits on the past 2 years as well. And other than scheduling issues (where the request was lost at one end or the other), we have never had any long delays with seeing a doctor for a regular visit (up to a month max), and within a few days for anything serious. So, my experience now, and when my children were young (in the 70's & 80's), we have never seen such delays in appointments nor with the follow-on procedures or surgeries. Again, we have ALWAYS had PPO type coverages. Your comments about a college education are totally the case. This had skyrocketed on the past 25 years. But getting into private schools is very rare since they cost so much. The key thing to get into a good school secondary system is where you buy your house. The better schools are located in the better real estate communities. This means kids that live in very poor areas do not get to go to good schools, especially in the intercity locals, where getting a good HS education is basically not valued, and the children come from more single parent homes with parent not educated in the first place. So, 'prep' schools, especially private ones are not that common, percentage wise. Most kids in the US go to public schools. It is not too clear what you think is the cause of the high cost of college education is today in the US, but it is outrageous. And it is not the cost of books. I did an MBA in 2003-2004 and they did away with hard copy books 6 months into the program and then went to all ebooks after that. I have a friend whose kids just graduated or will next year from colleges in California, and they used predominantly electronic books also. So, you comment about the cost of books for college as a generalization seems to be a bit narrow again. But there are things that can be done to bring down the cost of college in the US. One big area is the high cost of sports, especially football. This incurs huge costs to run the program, and even bigger costs to 'attract' top coaches. These salaries are in the millions. In addition, state schools should be sponsored a lot more financially by the state, thus reducing student costs as well. Also, all foreign students should be paying at least 3 times the state resident fee and aim the education towards the residents first. Of course, there should be programs for scholarships for both types when it is appropriate. I am sure that there are other areas where colleges can tighten up financially, but tuition needs to be brought down to a third of what it is today. Lastly, you wish for more public transportation in the US is just 'baggage' you have brought from Germany. This is for many reasons, and if you live here long enough you may eventually understand why this is 'counterproductive'. Looking again at US history, at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, railroads were the thing and were very necessary in transversing the huge country and had a lot to do with the westward expansion. But just prior to WW I and very soon afterwards, cars were being produced in quantity, so much so that just about everyone could afford one. This is the complete opposite of what happened in Germany, were the very first cars were made. In fact, by the 1030s and 1940s, people in Germany still could not afford a car, so the great Autobahn were always empty, but cars in America were in the millions. This took the focus away from railroads, which continued in Europe, with everything so much closer. As a result of this, the car gave the owner and his/her family autonomy, and the ability to go just about anywhere. This kicked off the massive road building, and even the famous Route 66. But there was another explosion of the automobile right after WW II, when the 'boys' came home. But something happened in WW II that had a lot to do with the massive auto explosion in the US, and that was General Eisenhower seeing the Autobahn that Hitler had so nicely built, which of course were empty, apart from military vehicles. So, when he became President in the 1950's, he started the Interstate highway system, that was going to go all over the country, and that should finish by 1995. The Interstate roadway started another big boom, and railroads were basically doomed for people transport. This made driving almost anywhere (the Grand Cayon is still hard to get to), easy, and affordable. So, where does this bring us today? The car represents individuality, freedom of when and where to go, and great expanded the ability to work far beyond your place of residence - the Suburb! In addition, the further west you go in the US, the bigger the state, and the more important a car becomes. So, essentially public transportation is mainly in the East coast, which were all developed and populated long before the advent of the car, and where places are close together, which makes sense for public transportation. But out west, past Chicago, it does not. A few of the large cities out west have some form of public transportation, but generally it is minimal, and really helps and is used when traveling to a large city where parking if difficult to find and expensive ($29-$40/day). I use to live in the San Francisco Bay metro area (Silicon Valley) and we would take the train up to San Francisco when we had events of trade shows. Driving was just as easy, but parking was impossible! Even Los Angeles (LA) tried to create some public transportation (rail), but the distances were so far, it turned out to be there but not of much use. There are some busses in LA as well. But LA is probably the largest large city in the world geographically, and the freeway system is 2nd to none. It is very big, and extends about halfway down to San Diego, and east to San Bernadino. My wife and I were just there this past June, and we put 850 miles just while we were in Southern California, all on the south side of greater Los Angeles, in just 11 days. You can drive at the speed limit (65 mph) for a full hour and still be in the city of Los Angeles. You can then drive for another full hour, and still be in the Greater Los Angeles metro (12 M). It is HUGE there! The San Francisco metro area (7.5 M) is not quite as large geographically, and it also has a rather complex freeway network also. Now I live int he Phoenix, Arizona metro area (5 M), which has close to tripled in population since we came here in 2000, and it also has a vast freeway system, which is constantly expanding. So, the bottom line ios that the car is king, and nothing will probably ever replace it since it gives such freedom of mobility, and autonomy. In addition, omce you get out of the highly dense areas and cities, the distances become too great for a decent public transportation system. I do hope that you read my 'book'! And it is great to hear that in general, you really like the USA! But you need more time of 'cooking' here to really get over your European background, and biases. And as for me, I have lived in Rome for 2 years as a child, and in Vienna for 4 years as a teenager, so I am speaking with quite a bit of real world experiences. In the US, I have lived in 8 different major cities, with 25 years in California, and 24 years in the Phoenix, AZ area.
I was a young man. It would take about 35 minutes to drive into work. To be more socially conscious and save money on gas, I tried the buss. 2 and a half hours. Three stops that I had to get off at. This stopped after a week. This added like 5 extra hours to my day.
The reason why a lot of things in the USA are the way they are is sadly because of racism. College and Healthcare would have been free, but racist white people said that would mean black people would get those benefits and they didn't want that. Even public transportation routes were designed around maintaining segregation even after "separate but equal" was rendered unconstitutional. Many highway's were constructed to not have exits in predominantly black neighborhoods. I agree about the gun thing, but I also fully support the 2nd amendment. American bread, cheese and coffee is definitely horrible compared to European and Latin Coffee.
Education is so expensive due to government subsidies and guaranteeing student loans. The government also made student loans not dischargeable in bankruptcy. College was very affordable prior to the 90s and government subsidies. Feli even mentioned that US colleges have too many amenities like rock climbing walls and spas. European schools do not have that.
Watching your videos just makes me want to move from America. If I could only find a nice small village with less than 1k population in Germany or France so that I could feel quant and simple.
I kinda like my freedom of not getting shot. Of not going broke for breaking a leg. Of having my 5 weeks of paid vacation every year. Of not living in a food desert. Of having a political system that doesn't make me pick the lesser evil. THAT is freedom! The people who claim that a lack of security is somehow the price we need to pay for freedom deserve neither!
@@solconcordia4315 You're loopy ! Your sentence makes no sense both grammatically and historically. Do you know anything about slavery and Thomas Jefferson's property, Sally Jenning.
92.1% of US Citizens have Health insurance. Thus 7.9% need to be covered through programs via Medicaid, unfortunately this has not been effectively implemented. Having lived in the EU for 3 years recently as a legal resident, I was under an EU Healthcare System. While the Healthcare was inexpensive, my Income Tax was through the roof - 65% of my salary. Thus my payment was more in the EU than my Insurance fees in the US. The issue to note was the availability of Primary Care Physicians, but the exceptional delays among specialists. I had a Knee Replacement surgery in the US that took place within two weeks of making the decision. I saw work colleagues wait years for this type of procedure. A similiar story with Collegiate Education. We saved money for both our sons to earn degrees without debt. The money I saved was very much in line with the extra tax I paid in EU. The biggest difference is the unbelievably overstaffed and overpaid faculty and admin staff in US compared to EU.
@lilawendland1648 The Average (I was the CFO of an Organization, so I was a higher salary) for Austria, Belgium and France are all 55% or higher. Go ahead and look it up to see for yourself, easy to find with a Google Search. So yes, there is Income Tax at 65% and don't forget the 22% Sales Tax (in Europe the Value Added Tax VAT). The taxes are exceptionally high. So do you want to pay for your Healthcare and Education up front through your tax, or do you want to control yourself with personal savings and choice selections of the Insurance Plan that fits you best. As is done by 92% of the US Population. The real issue in the US is to get proper coverage, likely via Medicaid, for the remaining 8%.
Look it up yourself, a Google Search will easily find it. For example, Austria, Belgium and France all AVERAGE 55% Income Tax rates. Higher brackets, like mine, easily reach 65%. Please don't forget to add the 22% Sales Tax (Value Added Tax VAT) that I paid on the items I purchased.
@lilawendland1648 My Payment to Bank was approximately $120,000 per year, thus about $360,000 salary. I'd also note the company fully paid for my car and apartment, with a value of about $50,000 per year that was not taxable. But only consider the $360,000 salary. The difference in rates between US and Europe was about 30% on an Income of $360,000 or $98,000 per year in additional taxes. Would you rather have $98,000 to control yourself through investment, or just give it to the government to provide low cost to free Healthcare and Education?
It amazes me how often people use terms for which they don't even know the definition. Look up what 1st, 2nd and 3rd world countries actually were defined as.
As an immigrant from Mexico, I personally agree with most things. The healthcare system here is arguably the worst problem this country has. It’s easy to include our mental health problems which include major drug abuse and homelessness into the healthcare system. But this country also has a major culture problem. In Mexico, there are homeless people and drug problems, but neither of those to those of people stop working. Whether it’s selling gum or washing windshields, beggars often perform services to gain a few cents. But i disagree that the US has a gun problem. It has a culture problem. People here are more emotionally charged and I’ve noticed a drastic change in our youth with a lack of empathy and a lack for the value of life. Now I live on a smallish town in the middle of the country where guns are prominent, yet I don’t feel worried around people that I know have them, but I feel worried when I’m in a metro area with certain types of violent gangs. In Mexico, there are 2 gun shops in the entire country, yet gun crime is ultra high thanks to cartels. I have family members that worked for state police and they say cartels didn’t just become powerful because of the drug demand from the US, but became powerful because the police have them too much protection AND citizens are unable to defend themselves or their communities. Now there are more and more I hear from family members there that small towns are starting to take up arms against the brutal violence. Unfortunately they have to do with 60 year old weapons and ammunition. One think I admire this country for is that I have the ability to defend not only my life, but the lives of my family. I don’t know how to curb the gun violence in this country, but taking away the right for someone to say, defend their home from a potentially violent home intruder is not a fix. Some people are not going to wait 12 minutes for police to arrive knowing the average home invasion takes less than 10. I see my people suffer because they can’t protect themselves, and that’s the last thing I want my friends in the country to go through as well. Perhaps the fix isn’t “gun control” but perhaps the better, and I know harder, thing to do is to help change the culture of violence here.
I think the US's relationship with the police is a key factor, when you don't trust the police to defend you, you look for other ways to defend yourself. And the police in the US have an insane amount of power and protections with very minimal requirements for becoming an officer. They have tons of power with very minimal responsibility.
Don't worry about people complaining you're criticizing the US, but weren't born here. If you were born here and criticize the US they rant "If you don't like it, leave!" Basically think and act like them, or you're wrong and should keep quiet.
Yes, and here insulin prices went up by multiples as a result of ObamaCare. There are many, many problems with that law and Justice Roberts went through some seriously twisted logic to uphold that law as Constitutional.
In Britain, it literally is free. No health insurance needed. Its government controlled and paid through general taxation. Its one of the uks proudest achievements.
But how good is that free care? I've heard where it takes months to get needed surgery and procedures in the UK and other places. The UK also has private medical care for those that can afford it.
How are your taxes? Have there been protests about the govt trying to change anything about the benefits received? How does it feel to have to pay almost 1/5 (18 percent) of your income just to healthcare?
@@MarkMiller-i8q waiting lists being high is a relatively new phenomenon. The current conservative government have driven the health service into the ground. The NHS was one of the best health services in the world 14 years ago under the labour government. The way they've dealt with the health service is one of the main reasons the conservatives are over 20% behind the labour party in the opinion polls and are facing oblivion at the next election. It's not the system that's wrong, it's the people that have ran it.
@@SpidermanandJeny actually per person Britain spends far less than America when you factor in government spending in both countries on healthcare. And no there are no protests over taxes. The most unpopular prime minister in my life time only lasted for less than 50 days because people didn't like how she was going to cut taxes.
I would have thought Cincinnati would have more German food options as it is known as being more of a German immigrant destination. As to your gun issues. We unfortunately have more crime problems here than in Europe possibly due to the education items you brought up, but also due to poverty, which breeds crime. I am from Toledo, just 200 miles north on I-75 from you. There are parts of my city I would not go into in daytime just driving through. The area I live in though I am not afraid of going out at night.
Great video. I am 77 and have never known anyone who has been shot. I like your comment that people say that Cincinnati is violent and dangerous. Statistics show it is the most violent city in the US, so I am not surprised by your comments. I agree with most of what you say. Thanks.
If what you say is true, about Cincinnati being the most violent, I am shocked! I would have guessed the most violent to be Baltimore, St Lou MO, NOLA, or Memphis. I would have guessed Cincinnati to be in with less violent cities like Chicago, New York. Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia.
The point is to actually check state gun laws. A lot of these federal problems are mitigated in some states. Should they be better at a federal level? Yes. But there's no denying the effects of state laws.
Yeah, I went to visit by cousin in Cincinnati when she was there for college and it was over new years and within a few days there had already been several homicides in the news. Many places that I've lived, the first homicide of the year was maybe sometime in the spring or summer. Not several in the first few days of the year! I was shocked. I had no idea it was such a dangerous city.
I agree. American's need to get the multimillion dollar insurance companies out of our health care. They determine what level of health care we get, and it is a profit driven business. Middle class people, who pay the bulk of our country's taxes, should want their tax dollars going to keep people healthy because preventative and illness caught in its early stages is much cheaper (pennies to dollars) than treating chronic illnesses. Uninsured people usually wait until they get sicker before going to get care. Countries with universal health care, pay less with better results than we get here in the USA. You can fact check me. Politicians get a ship load of money from interests who don't want changes in our health care system, the industries who desire to keep their billions of dollars in profits. Health care is often not a right in the USA as it is in other 1st world countries, it's a billion dollar business.
