I’m so ridiculously privileged compared to others in the USA. I can’t imagine their true struggle. Everyone in 🇺🇸 deserves more. More human rights. More workers’ rights. More children’s rights. Simply, more humane treatment.
Your videos actually have pushed the door open further on conversations with my spouse about moving to Germany. My twins were born 9 weeks premature with one needing heart surgery at 3.5 weeks. We pay $700 a month for our health insurance and our hospital bills were over 300k. Land of the free is a joke. More like land of the beaten down and broke.
OMG how hard it must have been. I admire you for all you've achieved against all odds. Your story makes me realize how privileged we really are. I wish more people would see this and stop their negative thinking. I was born in the fifties and I appreciate that I have an easier and more relaxed life than my parents did.
Is Germany running some kind of reclamation program for people whose ancestors emigrated in the 1800s? I didn't ask to be born in the US and I'd love some sweet sweet universal health care
@@WillmobilePlus you Do realize you can be Wealthy And not a scum sucking evil son of a bitch who gets off on people suffering Right? then again For some people Thats HOW they got/stay rich so i understand the confusion
Funny how you assume that those billionaires aren't in the same hamster wheel. Just look at Warren Buffet he is famous for being a ridiculous workaholic. That is an addiction. Fight the System, not the people.
Many Americans aren’t ready to hear it because they’ve suffered so much and we’ve been told if you can’t make it, it’s a personal failure, not a deliberate failure of the system. Our economy demands sacrificial laborers to keep the wheel spinning. Finding out this isn’t the way life is supposed to be can turn people to denial and spite. I’m glad you’re one of the people helping to peel the rug back to show how dysfunctional it all is.
That’s my politics that puts me in the deep blue to indigo stripe on the flag. “I just like to be a little more like Europe, that is the EU, if you please.”
As a german, while I criticize my country very much for not being social enough as poor people still get way too little opportunities and support, I could not imagine living in the US.
As a foreigner I cannot say enough how happy I am to leave Germany behind me, and how sad I am for people still living there with all this what is happening. If you think Germany is good u should try it 20 years ago. Now most European countries are better than Germany.
As an American, I could genuinely bawl at how brainwashed my fellow Americans are. Constantly voting against their interests. Why do the effing corporations get to have all the gains and riches. NONE of those gains or riches would’ve happened WITHOUT LABOR!!! SMH
I have cried over this. I’m American by birth, moved to the UK at 26 and Australia at 30. I’ve tried to educate my sisters and nephews about the benefits for ALL with universal health coverage, free/low cost universities and better social support. They just tell me I hate America 😢.
SERIOUSLY THOUGH!! I’ve seen my dad vote against his interests his whole life, which in turn caused us to have a looming threat of homelessness over our heads & never food on the table.
Because people have been taught to fear and hate and buy into each new culture war, which is generated by the wealthy. It’s the “Oh look a squirrel!” strategy the wealthy use. They’ve even convinced the right to believe in a deep state to counter the very possibility that they’re behind the culture wars.
@@pholliez THIS is so frustrating. How can an American hate America when you’re literally only advocating for fairness and the wellbeing of ALL AMERICANS! It’s mind boggling. 😢😢😢
I'm slowly learning more and more about how brainwashed I was raised and it hurts the more I learn but it's an important hurt so that one day I can go somewhere better
“bUt yOu GoT MaRrIED! That’s why it’s better!” No, Brad, we make about the same amount of money I made in 🇺🇸 and have two more children to care for. It’s because we contribute to and benefit a functioning social system that prioritizes its people.
Although always driven by greed, the U.S. used to be better than the almost total sh**show it is now. I truly feel for Gen X and forward. You all have gotten seriously shafted. What kind of monstrous society craps all over its children?
Careful now, social systems are created by socialists which is just an other word for communist and anything communist is bad because..... Well, it's not American!😜
There are so many Americans who will do ridiculous mental gymnastics to avoid confronting the lies they've been fed. They'll find any excuse to explain away the truth, even when the math just doesn't add up!
My husband and I have been in France almost a year. I've been a SAHM since 2019 cus our oldest was developmentally delayed and need to extra help. This was not a luxury to stay home. We have 3 kids. His income in France was half what it was in the US. Yet we are more financially secure and in the US we were struggling every month. And this is because of the French social system that prioritizes it's people
YES! Thank you so much! I am from the US and I went to Germany on a whim on a student exchange program. I was supposed to stay for 4 months but at the end of four months I realized how much more freedom I felt there-- freedom from the constant fear of becoming financially destitute (the bank accounts don't charge overdraft fees-- instead you have a certain amount your account can be "negative" and they just charge interest on it like a credit card), freedom from gun violence (we don't even realize how much that's a daily burden till you experience not having it). Freedom from police violence (the police have everyone's address on file so if you run away they can track you down pretty easily), freedom to walk down the street in a skirt and tank top without being harassed (yes really! There might be a few folks here and there who flirt with you but I never felt judged or threatened) -- the freedom from not feeling safe and going into parks late at night (because they are not filled with desperate people with nothing to lose because they already have lost everything.) plus Freedom from needing to own and maintain a car (if you're in a city anyway). I came back to the US after two years thinking I could change things but it's a constant struggle and frustration because people aren't even aware of how much little freedom they have.
I live in Canada. Never heard the term medical debt. 4 years ago my wife suddenly developed a severe lung disease, just about died from it and spent 10 days in the emergency ward and then intensive care. Cost $0 (I spent a few $100 visiting and bringing her lunches). Now she requires a drug costing $10,000 every 6 months. We pay a deductible of $500. My employer said don’t book your the time to look after your wife as sick time or vacation, we’re paying you anyway. I still got my 6 weeks of vacation. Not as good as in Germany I expect but a stark difference from USA
In Switzerland it is even better than in Germany. Switzerland is beautiful and a rich country. Austria is a good alternative to Germany.The whole north of Europe are very wealthy and have high living standards .Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland and Iceland are great. Uk has not the best social system but better than USA. France is really nice and the neatherlands, too. .
I'm glad your wife is doing well now. I don't know exactly why some Americans incur medical debt either, bc health insurance is supposed to cover that. My husband takes a $300,000 per year medication that insurance fully covers after we meet our $7800 annual out-of-pocket maximum. But the drug manufacturer reimburses that to its patients so that he has no co pays for anything, no deductible, just the monthly premium. He pays less than I do as a healthy person. It should also be noted that this life saving medication was developed in the US and approved eighteen months earlier than in Canada. So not everything medical in the US is terrible
It’s exactly the same in Italy… I’m American and my husband (who I met in the military) is Italian. Life in Europe is FANFUCKINGTASTIC. We have healthcare attached to US, not a job. Cost of living is cheaper, life is simpler, food is better. 4 weeks of vacation is mandatory (my husband gets more, but 4 is the minimum and IT DOESN’T MATTER how long you’ve been at your job). Postpartum time off is TWO YEARS. I could go on and on… Everyone deserves this. It’s not propaganda, it’s truth. We have good things BECAUSE WE PAY HIGHER TAXES AND THOSE TAXES WORK FOR US
You also won't ever be able to own a fraction of what the successful owns the USA. Not to mention Italian hospitals are awful. I'll stick to the USA. Enjoy living in your shoebox.
The "propoganda" part is implying everyone will have a wonderful experience if they move to Western Europe. Her experiences are great partially because she's white, and we can't gloss that over. Your life will still suck, or may get even worse in your experiences, if you are the "wrong" race.
You are just neglecting to mention that you also make as a couple half what a single software developer in the USA makes. Italians are not even having children anymore, because life is about more than having lots of time off. People need dreams and goals to work towards, in Europe that is killed when you start going to school. In the USA you get told to dream big. To be the best. Not to work at some government job or work for a big corporation. And be happy with the crumbs they throw you.
@@MoDa87 So your solution is for everybody to become software developers, a job that's becoming increasingly competitive and work intensive? Not forgetting everybody needs to be THE BEST, SPOILERS: they can't. Accepting the depression and unhappiness that come with the inevitably realization, depression which will lead to health problems and immense medical debts, addiction, unhappy families, unstable homes etc.... eg. See the lower halve of the entire population of the USA. (2021 = 12% of USA below poverty threshold not counting those above who are barely getting by***) If the line for decent pay and living conditions is software developer and above, we failed as society, you should make a living with any job or it is not worth doing. (exception: Hobbies, volunteering, non-profit etc.) On the schools in Europe: I honestly don't know what you're talking about here, generalizing the death of ambition in EUROPEAN schools is the same as generalisation the death of actual children in the schools of the USA, in which case the birthrate of 12 would make sense if a quarter of them don't get past puberty. I would even day schools in the west(world) in general play their role in turning us from inquisitive intelligent beings into depressive anti-social gears of a machine. The European approach to provide a decent living standards with pay, and time of to pursue your dreams ambition and happiness is what should be the norm, you say don't be happy with scraps from a govement jobs, be your own boss at all costs. I say be happy to make a living not working yourself to death and still have money to vacation in France or enjoy time with a family or hobby. Like you said life is more than having time off, it's also more then just working, it's about appreciation, freedom to choose, and most of all the right the pursuit happiness. Something the USA forgot along the way and Europe discovered. Birthrate Italy, 8.5 USA 12.4 per 1k people * ~7 Italy ~12 USA** *world population review .com **CIA .gov ***Census .gov
Friend of mine back in high school went to Europe on a trip, big one, goes from France to Switzerland to Germany. One of the very first days there he breaks a leg. Gets it set, put in a cast, given some medicine and the doctors called ahead to the other towns he was due to go to to inform them he would check in with them (he did). Total cost for him? About $30 out of pocket if I remember right. MEANWHILE my little brother breaks his hand in two spots taking a fall and has to pay out over $7000. It's not freedom, that's debt slavery right there.
That seems suspect to me, to be honest. I was traveling abroad in the mid-2000s and needed a basic doctor's visit (maybe I'd end up with a prescription for an antibiotic). It was about $250 USD, and I had to pay before the doctor would see me. I've also visited my uncle while he was in hospital in Italy, which people will _say_ is technically free-at-the-point-of-service, but I had to bring him things like sheets and towels, as well as all of his meals. I can't imagine what it would be like if you didn't have family to do it -- it wasn't even a service you could pay for if you wanted to at the hospital, and it was in a pretty large and well-known city. Sure, $7000 is a lot. But it also means that 1) that's the structure of the insurance _they_ chose, and 2) they almost certainly won't have any more medical costs for the year -- possibly even for the whole family -- based on their OOP max. And, of course, if they were poor, they would have used Medicaid and not had that bill to pay. It's a tricky system everywhere, and there are always trade-offs.
@@jacksyoutubechannel4045I dont know about Italy but in German Hospitals you definitely dont have to bring towels or food. Also, as i have private insurance atm i know the prices of doctors visits and Just seeing a doctor and getting a prescription will cost nowhere near that amount you said. Was that Incident in Germany? 7000 is a crazy amount for a broken hand. And also not everyone can afford insurance in the US. Thats why in Germany its mandatory to have insurance and the amount you pay is based on your income until a certain limit. As a student who got arrhythmia after having COVID, i am very happy about that. I never need to debate if i can afford to go to the doc.
@@jacksyoutubechannel4045did you have auslandsversicherung? So kind of an insurance for in case smth out of state? Also, in what country did you go to the hospital? Some countries have better health care and a better social net than others. Germany, Austria, Switzerland for example have excellent ones while Eastern countries may be a little more expensive. Northern countries are also notoriously more expensive. I am from Austria, a country with a very good social net and I never had to bring anything with me besides phone, charger, money (hit chocolate from the automat is banging and usually pretty cheap) smth to entertain me and cloths in case I want to go outside for a little bit without looking like a lost dementia patient. The thing about Italy is that their economy isn't the strongest and the government is lacking money to afford everything because of the mafia. I know it sounds stereotypical, but I learned Italian in school and have been there a few times and you need to be careful where you go and when, especially as a woman. The mafia sound like a phantom, but they are very much real and have pretty much full control over the south. The North should generally be OK though and safe and is also the only part that really brings in any money for the government to invest
@@DigitDesign The biggest difference is, people in other countries that are posting that have also lived in the US and can make a valid comparison. The US folks defending their country have never lived anywhere else and have no actual idea what it's like elsewhere. Hence they still believe the propaganda they learned in school.
@@DigitDesign I do appreciate the American military keeping autocrats everywhere at bay. I also kinda like that American leaders tend to rally other civilized nations towards some noble goals. Smaller countries by themselves tend to be a bit selfish and unorganized. Growing up in the US with poor parents or while beeing unhealthy is still much more painfull than in most other civilized countries. American society is really cut throat. America is still important for the world order and needed as a counter to Russia, China and even smaller countries like Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Nigeria. I also appreciate having the world reserve currency in a democracy and not in China (: I think that the US could still benefit the world in these ways without beeing such a horrible place to live for the lower classes.
I went to New York with my 13 year old daughter. After experiencing the constant hustle of desperate people begging or trying to sell you something, she said, "Oh it like Morocco". People in America genuinely don't realise what America seems like if you are outside the bubble.
First problem. You went to NYC. If you'd gone 1000 meters outside the city limits you'd find beggars and homelessness are a non issue. Cities are full of disparity regardless of where you are in the world.
It seems people outside America look at NY, LA and Chicago like they are the end all be all. The population of those three cities could disappear and so would 4/5 of the crime. It's amazing. If we lost just one European countries worth of people we would be the safest country on earth.
@@dusfitz you know something like 73% of all Americans live in cities right? If you get rid of cities, you get rid of the majority of Americans. Of course a bunch of the problems of a country disappear when you get rid of nearly three-quarters of the people who live there lol. This is such a silly argument. Like yeah, it would be easier to put out my house fire if three-quarters of the fire disappeared too, but it does not solve the problem that my house is on fire, nor does it actually address the cause of the fire.
Fun fact: "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" was originally meant as a sarcastic phrase, as it is impossible to lift oneself off the ground by merely pulling up on their shoes. Even this phrase, meant to show how impossible were the burdens and expectations of achieving "the American dream" got turned around to serve that dream's narrative.
Fun fact in the fun fact: to turn on every computer performs an operation known as “booting” because in order to get the OS going it needs to load a series of smaller programs first, self testing integrity and if the hardware requirements are met. A computer literally “pulls itself up by its bootstraps” (proves itself worthy of operating) every time it gets turned on :)
I am disabled and chronically ill in the US. My partner is also disabled. All I’ve ever wanted since I was a child, before I even got sick, was to leave this country. I don’t think it will ever happen. We can’t get jobs. Or disability benefits. We do literally whatever we have to to survive. We have spent most of the last five years homeless or on the verge of it. I will die hungry and sick and disappointed. For no reason. Other than inability to afford the damn plane tickets.
That's because americans whine and complain about socialism and communism and refuse to pay higher taxes for a universal health care system. Well Guess what America. You are already living under socialism!! Who pays for your school teachers, military, Fire fighters, Librarians, Roads and Infrastructure, and other public services. YOUR TAXES. So the more you CUT taxes, the more you will LOSE from those public services.
I feel for your set of circumstances especially since I have struggles, but even if you could fly here unless you are a German citizen they are not keen on people moving to use the system here. The exception is if you are highly skilled.
@@cedric3973 correct, you will be standing in a row and unless you can make it seem like you did flee out of a war zone, you most probably dont get any worthy benefits imo.
@@lienbijs1205 my gene pool is primarily Scandinavian ,German, and Celtic, and I’m well aware. Would very much like to go to any of the countries my gene pool comes from, rather than where my gene pool landed.
@@Itsgonnabeok1325 I mean, my DNA heritage is from Germany, Scandinavia,Finland, England, East Europe and Ireland. But I am 100% Dutch. There is no such thing as Dutch DNA. All the Dutch people have DNA from other countries and no Dutch DNA at all. But they describe my ethnic group exactly to the place where I come from and still live, Gelderland, a Dutch province. That is pretty amazing.
America isn’t just the only industrialized country without a universal healthcare system, it’s the only country with a majority that fights to deprive themselves of that.
@@robertmartin6800 no it’s the point of a state, you pay taxes, the state has ur back when your down. You guys pay taxes and they name a drone after you…
@@carelesswhisper6561 No, that is not the purpose of a state, and that's not how they function. That bizarre notion gives the state license to do all sorts of horrendous things with absolute impunity.
@@robertmartin6800 Horrendous things with impunity? dafuk. So since the 40s the different european countries started building up public healthcare systems (some more extensive than others but they all did), because the idea of someone dying cuz they cant afford treatment, or going bankrupt to pay for it is abhorrent in an industrialized country. Not even the most right wing parties in europe propose to abolish their respective healthcare system cuz it would electoral suicide. And you know what horrible thing happened? Nothing. In the US the number 1 cause of personal bankruptcies is medical debt. You changed my mind in this regard: you people deserve that.
@@robertmartin6800 immoral to you. And only to you. And to people like you. To me, the health care system in the Us is pure evil. To me and all the people I know, that system is not only immoral, is life thretening. I'm actually sorry for you
Wonderful, wonderful. I too grew up in the US. And left it 45 years ago. I worry about the medical costs my friends and relatives struggle with in the US. You're not a propaganda machine. You're a truth-teller. An honest voice.
I am a physicist and when someone asks me who is the brightest person I say : the billionaire who made Americans believe that Universal Healthcare is bad for them. They keep making them stupid to do what they want
@@jasonl.r674 Universal Healthcare is bad. Not that our current system is perfect mind you but try getting non emergency or even BH care outside a major city. Some of the people most in need of services and medication can't get them for months. Also I don't see those countries creating life saving procedures, devices, and medicines or say a vaccine for an epidemic.
I wouldn't say lazy, I would say scared. Most people are. A secure job can be terrifying to leave. The devil you know is better than the one you don't. But sometimes if you want more in life then you have to make that decision. Also remember benefit packages are just as important as your annual salary. Your Healthcare benefits should be part of the reason you work someplace. You don't need your Healthcare benefits until you need them, and then you want it to be as good as possible. If people didn't take jobs with bad benefits then companies would have to pay a larger portion of it or make them better.
Toxic patriotism is a real problem in America. Americans are obsessed with their country, even when given obvious problems. Speaking as an American who is trying to find a way out. Edit 1: Nationalism is the term I was looking for 👌 Edit 2: the responses though🤣
I really don't think its patriotism. A lot of countries are highly patriotic. Its consumerism that is making corporations powerful enough to even dictate the government to act against the publics interest and prefer the few powerful people in corporations. Then these powerful people market themselves as patriots to justify their bad actions.
I think patriotism should not be loving your country so much that you claim it is the greatest, even it is obviously is not but rather supporting it in order to make it a great country and improve it where it should be improved.
America was great before WWII. Afterwards everything went downhill quick. I still have so many people telling me Americans have issues because they eat too much are addicted to their phones and that's the problem. No. The problem is because Americans are stressed and that is their outlets. Then I'm told said country works their citizens 50 hour work weeks and they're not obese. True, but those places are given NAP LOUNGES and given time to recharge and given time to eat and to focus on themselves WHILE at work. In America you're supposed to work a 12 hour shift with no breaks, no time to eat properly, no time to focus on yourself. That triggers a lot of stress levels that causes people to retain weight. That's the difference between here and other countries. Other countries don't even have 24/7 stores like America does. So you're up at 4 am but you're still home by 6 PM at least. In America you're up at 4 am and don't get home till 8 PM or later. Which one sounds more rough? Us.
That's the difference between nationalism and patriotism...... Nationalism is blind faith in your country where as patriotism is loving your country while working on it's flaws.
This. I lived in Europe, made less money, paid more taxes, and somehow, I had way better work/life balance, and was significantly less stressed. The entire philosophy and way of life in Europe is just so different.
My view on it as someone from the UK America is set up for corporations and the top 5% the rest of it's citizens exist to feed their greed Our politicians and corporations have to have a bit of accountability
Yeah this Well you're free enough to open carry But your kids don't get to be free from fear of a school shooting And we're rapidly removing those rights Banning books, when the internet would be more harmful to a kid than a book Removing rights people worked so hard to get Trans and gay rights, abortions, one state is rolling back the age of child labor! All great stuff
The entire point of the phrase “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” is to describe an impossible task. It’s literally, physically impossible to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.
Don't sweat it, 99% of Americans have never actually been outside of America so they have no clue what you're even talking about they can't even wrap their heads around what that actually looks like in real life. You just keep doing you and enjoying your life.
I lived in Germany for a year. Wonderful country. You can take a beer to a park and let your dog off leash and not be harassed about it. Just don't walk in the bike path!
hehe 😏 i grew up near a us-military station in germany. it happened more than once that a us soldier married a german woman and retired from the military/stayed in germany. greetings!
In the 50’s my grandmother became one of the first exchange students in America. When her stay was over her host siblings and friends asked her if she was sure if she wanted to go back to Sweden because USA was so much better. And sure it was a different time, both Sweden and USA looked very different from what they do now but I still find it funny, especially considering grandma is from a very well-off family.
I was in the hospital in January for an operation really close to my brain to remove a "growth". I meet a lovely American woman who had a emergency we shared a room. She was in pain and so happy she could talk englisch with someone who could really explain hospital in Germany. And be a translator for the nursing students or the night shift nurses. One evening she started crying and explained that something like the emergency she had here would have been a catastrophic event in America she would have lost her home or the car or both. Even though she and her husband worked full-time for a big university. But in Germany it just means she has to pay 10€ a day only if she stays shorter then 4 weeks and you can pay it 5 € a month if you want. And she gets her full work money. She just wants her family to move to Munich with her to have them safe. That's so heartbreaking 💔 😢
In America you don't lose your house and car for medical bills. You can pay $20 a month forever. Or, you can talk to the financial office and have them waive or greatly reduced the price. If you are in poverty you can apply for Medicaid retroactively. Really the problem came when they forced everybody to buy socialized healthcare that people couldn't even use because the deductibles were so freaking high but nobody could afford to use it. Socialized healthcare, DMV style healthcare. We didn't have those problems before Obama. He also got as many people on food stamps as he possibly could. And biden's got as many people on unemployment as he possibly can. It's so crazy that you guys can't see what's going on.
@@Auvas_Damask you do have a point. When my husband and I were very young and a bill went to collections and we told them we could pay $10 a month, we were able to renegotiate it way way way way down. And in the end it only ended up being a couple of hundred down from 20000 or something. 13 years ago when my baby was in the NICU we racked up over$1000000 in medical bills. No joke. But after insurance and after Medicaid for him because he was disabled we didn't end up having to pay anyting. But I do see what you mean. Obviously it's not perfect but socialized healthcare is not the glorious thing that certain people would have you believe. I used to be a lot better in this country before Obamacare popped up forcing people to buy insurance that they couldn't even use because the prices were crazy and the deductibles were so high you couldn't even use it.
@@louisacapell one thing to keep in mind is that socialised healthcare usually is much better than medicare. I live in Canada and I've never had any big issues with our healthcare, and absolutely none that would be helped by privatization
Ich liebe es am Ende des Monats nichts übrig zu haben weil die Regierung alles ins Ausland verschenkt, die Energiesicherheit absichtlich zerstört hat, die höchsten Strompreise der Welt erschaffen hat, Luft besteuert und ich am Ende des Monats für die Fehler der Regierung noch bezahlen darf. Und dann wird man als N@z1 beschimpft wenn man mit denen, die noch Nahrungsmittel herstellen und von der Regierung fast in den Bankrott getrieben wurden, auf die Straße zum demonstrieren geht. Wer es hier toll findet will diese Zustände genau so haben oder muss dringend in ein freiheitliches Land zu einer mehrjährigen Therapie
Das denke ich auch immer. All die Jammerlappen bei uns, die mosern wie schlecht es hier ist könnten ggf einfach mal 2 Jahre in den USA oder in Russland, oder in Indien oder oder oder leben.
@@Slazlo-Brovnik Wieso sollten die in die USA? Indien und eventuell Russland machen als Negativbeispiele Sinn, aber den USA geht es bisher noch um einiges besser als Deutschland. Außer die Demokraten schaffen eine zweite Amtszeit
I'm an American living in South Africa where we have our power cut 6-10 hours a day so the grid doesn't collapse and I still feel way less stressed because I don't have to pay $1500-$2000/mo for rent, I don't have crazy insurance premiums for health/life/vehicle, and a medical emergency won't completely devastate me financially for the rest of my life. It feels weird even typing that, but it's honestly easier to adapt day-to-day without power from the grid than dealing with the financial burden of American "freedom."
It's so funny to me. I am German and a very close friend of mine is American. I told her I would not want to live in the US because I would not want to lose the freedom I have here. She was shocked. It sure sounds strange to American ears.
I have a genuine question. What is better about Germany? How is it more free? I moved to america when i was a kid and i'm considering moving out in the future to a european country likely.
@@ki2348 So, in my opinion, one is better protected as an employee in Germany. I am allowed basically unlimited sickdays, I have health insurance that covers most things, I get 30 (business)days of vacation time which Americans can only dream of. I went to an excellent university basically for free. It is true, we pay more taxes, though the percentage depends on your income (the highest rate is about 42%). But because I pay for all my basic needs through taxes, it leaves me free to live my life and not worry about a medical emergency or getting an education bankrupting me, you know what I mean? Also, my employer cannot just fire me on the spot unless I do something really bad. They can't fire me for getting sick, for instance. Don't get me wrong, Germany IS a capitalist country (not at all socialist like Americans believe) but it has social welfare which Americans are taught to fear. There is nothing bad about the government taking care of you and regulating the economy in a way that prevents exploitation. Having said that, there is still problems here too and things that need improvement but I still take Germany over the US any day.
@@horsemumbler1 For example, the freedom of not having to worry about sinking into poverty if you get seriously ill, or not having to worry about you or your kids getting shot in a mass shooting or at school, or that your parents don't have to be rich for you to go to college and you don't have to carry around a six-figure debt load afterwards. Just to name a few. But just asking that question shows that you don't really care about the world outside the US.
I completely understand every word I remember Germany, and given the chance I will be back it’s part of my heritage, and you bring me some comfort with your videos thank you
@@mattlane2282 Ah yes, conservatives' favorite guilt trip: because veterans fought for your safety, you are not allowed to have any problems with the government!
@@gymnasticsgirlie0647 what are you talking about I said to get here like illegal immigrants what are you talking about veterans veterans in fight to get here......
@@mattlane2282 Oh I thought you were saying the propaganda phrase like "veterans fight for our lives every day so you need to say America is the best country in the world and if you don't then you're disrespecting them"
By the way Germany has a firm statement for the kind of caring capitalist economy they are aiming for. It's called a social ( not socialist) market economy.
I retired in Germany after serving in the military. I live comfortably on a government pension and part time job. Germany’s social support structure dramatically outdoes the US in almost every way. While I don’t vote in their political system, there’s no real reason because the focus of the big political parties is to improve the quality of life for its citizens. But I do enjoy listening to Americans who have never left their home state whine on RU-vid about how American is “the greatest country in the world.” It’s a weak ideology that, in combination with individualism (bootstraps) and manifest destiny, makes me highly doubt the sustainability of the current way of life that Americans parrot as being “the best ever!”
I'm not a native speaker and when I first came across that term, I tried to make sense of it. I figured boot straps might be something like laces or whatever, but how would you pull yourself up by them, they're at your feet? It was only with time that I learnt about its actual, sarcastic meaning.
@@prunejuice9032 its because the bad apple gives off gasses that can make the whole thing bad. think about it .. some people (bosses -ceos) people make a whole bunch of bad decisions that affect companies and the people beneath them ruining the whole barrel aka the company
Don't put too much weight into it... Except for the socialized healthcare - You don't actually have more rights. You don't even have freedom of speech... the most basic right in the world.
As a german who needed to spend a few days at a mental hospital due to psychological issues, I was so happy to life in germany. I talked to two therapists, they checked my blood, where able to pre-diagnose me so I was aware what I need to do after I get out and had a room as well as fod for 3 days (I released myself afterwards for personal reasons) I paid 30€ for that. Yes we have insurance, but even uf I would pay that myself (which I don't as I fall under "family insurance") it still would be about 125€ for me monthly, which is fine considering I don't have to pay for anything else when I am at a doctor, only 5€ each for medicine prescribed by the doc and 10€ a night at hospitals even if baught in via ambulance. I would always choose to have insurance over debating if I have the money to visit a doc and pay the medication, always
My mother is 45 years old. Mom went to the cheapest college in the state for one semester, but then she had to drop out. Her father, my grandfather, developed terminal lung cancer. She had to throw out her dreams of becoming a nurse to take care of her father. She ended up going to a technical school to become a phlebotomy technician as a way to compromise. She ended up 70,000 dollars in debt. In West Virginia, that's simply not an option. At one point in her life, she worked THREE jobs at once. We are still below the poverty line. Mom started going gray when I turned four. She is permanently disabled due to a serious back injury that gave her hypermobile ligaments and completely ruptured spinal discs. But hey. Work hard and maybe the man will give you a raise.
That sounds awful, I'm so sorry you have to go through that. The system is truly disgusting and neglectful. You're a champion for having been put through so much.
Hey man, leave west virginia. Also, another option is to join the army. My family was pretty poor, I joined the army along with my 5 brothers. I left the army 7 years later with about 45k in savings and some valuable leadership skills that are more in demand than you'd think. Thats a way out if you've got the grit
@ItsNotaCult also, why would you fight for a country who could give less of a shit about you. All you get from serving is mental trauma and sometimes life changing injuries. And not to mention the almost non-existent support for veterans to re-adjust to civilian life. And don't even get me started on the medical bills.
@@ItsNotaCult420 I really can't leave West Virginia because I'm underage. Not only that, but I can't join the army. I'm disabled. And even if I wasn't, I don't want to have to risk my life just for the mere possibility to leave this state. I would leave if I could, but right now that isn't an option
As an Australian, we hear Americans preach freedom and laugh, then we see the medical debt, the gun violence, the massive poverty, the push to feed yourselves to your military machine and how many of you are in prison….. we just feel pity. Every country has its issues, but you seem so naive to your own.
Australia has gun violence, the news just doesn't report it. I was in a barber shop in Bankstown that got shot up by a drive by. Luckily I was sitting against the wall and not the window.
Sadly most people are blind to it. They believe everything they're told just because someone on television said it. Those of us who actually see it are called traitors and told we should leave if we hate freedom so much. I was blessed enough to have a mother who taught me to to think for myself and pay attention more to what is actually going on than what I'm being told is happening. No place is perfect, but the flagrant deceit that goes, not only unchecked, but is most often rewarded in this country is insane to me. Please just keep in mind that not all Americans worship celebrities and think they're better than everyone else in the world. Some of us actually can see what's really happening, it's just such a small amount that we can't do anything about it.
Yeah, you guys were basically under martial law during Covid and china is swallowing your country up. You guys got big problems. And a small section of the US is a mess. Many places like where I live are wonderful. don't believe the hype.
If Americans are naive to their own problems, why do you know so much about them? It's because Americans are free that we're free to criticize our country and try to make it better. You hear about these issues because free people in America constantly expose, argue, and debate them. In many other countries, you don't hear about these things because the government/media conglomerate don't want it heard. Don't forget most North Koreans think their leader is a perfect god. I think far too many countries have taken our freedom for granted, not realizing how hyperbolic, partisan, and exaggerated many of America's criticisms are, and only by discussing them are we able to work on them. P.S. this same anomaly is how Florida man exists. Florida is a state that publicly allows their crime reports to be accessed. Crimes normally hidden from public this are revealed in Florida. The same dumb crazy stuff happens everywhere, but because Florida is more honest, people thing Florida is the problem. Scale that up, and you have the US, one of the only countries not afraid to make their current president look bad.
@@whatsawhizzerwebnovels4927 you can criticise your own country as much as you want, but nothing is going to make it better, only go backwards. Every man and their dog can carry a gun regardless of their abilities or mental or criminal status. Every vote does not count when it comes to elections, it's only "majority" of areas that count. If you sick you can't get help unless you have insurance or are at the absolute bottom of the barrel poor, and even then, your health care is based on what someone else thinks and the costs instead of what you actually need. Women no longer have control of their own bodies! You have to work to live, not live to work. Police have no boundaries. They are allowed to shoot first and ask questions later. The school system... ok I don't know where to start there, that just every aspect of it SUCKS ass BIG TIME! the American military even though it's one of the biggest is the absolute WORST! Not only does the government not give a flying fuck over the medically retired or the returned retired vets, they don't even train correctly or assist back into civilian living. From the rest of the world, America is pretty much the land of idiots. You have no freedom, you have nothing special, America is pretty much just the world's entertainment. We laugh at how behind the times you are and how brainwashed you are.
In a country that has so many resources, it's remarkable that most people living in it struggle. Most of the problem is big companies have way too much power. The US is ruled by large business interests.
I was stationed in Frankfurt in the early 80’s and thoroughly enjoyed my tour of duty there and often gave passing thought to staying there after my discharge. Watching your videos makes me wonder if I should have.
Your story is really compelling because it isn’t a hypothetical. It’s real, it happened to you, and it changed your mind. Please keep posting, you have a real shot of getting through to people. We deserve this type of life!
I briefly lived in German a a few years ago and absolutely loved it. Time seemed to move slower and many of the unnecessary stressor from America just melted away. I think about that freedom everyday. Luckily I recently found out that I may be eligible for German citizenship under their rule changes. I’m super excited!
It's crazy how I, as a german, can't see this dream land you all paint of Germany. But if this country is already kinda shitty, I don't even want to imagine how shitty other countries especially the USA has to be. Most of the times I hate this sh*t hole of stupidness, but sometimes I'm just really grateful that this is just a hole of sh*t, and not of poison.
@@schokoloko2092 I feel the same way when people immigrate to the US. But then I look at the countries they come from and for them it’s a step up. I’m not saying moving out of America will solve all of my problems but some of my major worries I have will instantly disappear. I also acknowledge that Germany has its own problems but in the US were still fighting for the most basic things which will probably never happen do to the level of legalized corruption.
It is truly a badge of honour… Life is so much simpler in Europe and Scandinavia. There are few things we really need to worry about to the brink of sleeplessness…
I 100% agree. I finally moved to Australia at 36 and I have been so much happier and extremely thankful because I've had some health challenges that would have broken me in the states.
Healthcare in the USA is a government controlled or influenced market. Once incentives and subsidies were introduced the costs for most people skyrocketed. You can breakaway from this with high deductible catastrophic insurance, healthier eating and exercise. But it’s up to you.
@@bgorg1 In 2004, my last year in the states, I worked in a hospital and my insurance (hospitalisation only) cost me $450 per month just for me. I was 35 then. In Australia, healthcare is a little complex as we have a tiered system; You can rely solely on Medicare (everyone has Medicare if you're a resident or citizen) and it only costs approx. 1% of our taxable income, it's deducted automatically - if you don't have an income, it costs nothing. It covers doctors and hospitals, surgeries, etc. The catch is that there can be a short wait, it just depends on what the medical reason is and how much of an emergency it is - if life threatening, you'll be seen immediately, if it's something that isn't, then they schedule an appointment. My wife and I opted to buy our own insurance so we wouldn't have to wait for anything to be done if we wanted it. Our insurance also covers chiro, osteopathy, massage, dentistry, physio, podiatry, glasses, etc. If you can imagine a health-related thing, then you can probably get an insurance that will pay for at least a portion of it. Insurance for our 2 person + 1 dog family costs about $425 per month. Yep, our dog has insurance, too. Believe me, it's worth every penny. I developed an autoimmune disorder several years ago. I have been in the hospital 8 times since March 2021 and it didn't cost me anything. I spent at least a week or more in hospital each time. I was in TICU for several weeks as well (thoracic intensive care) because I had pneumonia and Covid. That sucked. But it didn't cost us anything. So as not to be a burden on the system, I used my health insurance which covered almost everything, and Medicare covered the rest. Yeah, we actually have the choice to use our insurance or not in situations. I didn't have to, and I would have gotten the same exact care no matter what. The healthcare here is awesome and so are the doctors and nurses, who get paid way less than American ones. By the way, the health care system here is entirely government run/controlled and government funded. I can tell you that, after having worked in the health care field in both the USA and Australia, they BOTH have good points and bad. I have also been a patient in both as well and that is where a whole lot of difference lies. I've found that the doctors here do not lord their position and title over their patients, they don't insist upon being called doctor, they usually tell you to call them by their first name. The attitude difference in the nurses is also different. They want to work there, obviously, because there is no 100k + per year salary for them and the doctors' starting salary is barely more than a nurse's. There is so much that people don't know, or even understand, so they reject it as "communism" or some such bs. Anyway, then there are the medications. Basically, if it's a regular med for 1 month, it costs $35, if you're retired or disabled it either costs $5 or it's free - depending. Sure, there are some meds not covered, like medical cannabis, and newer, super expensive, experimental type meds for cancer can be a lot more but usually there is help with insurance and whatnot. Sorry, if this didn't answer your question or was a little long. But, I do hope it helped.
I would gladly move to the USA. I am in Madrid, doing well because I am prepared to do what the Spanish can not. But most a struggling making f all money. I had an American friend here. She moved back after 2 years because she could just make no decent money. She moved to Nashville to stay with her parents for a while. Within 3 weeks she had a job making 100k usd a year. That instantly put her in the top 1% in the Spain. The USA is hard when you have no skills that are actually useful. Even electricians in the USA Make fat bank. Just don’t study a useless degree.
@@MoDa87 The problem with the "fat bank" in the US is that you need it. 100k a year is the same level of well being as an average income in Europe. Your friend probably did not realize that, while looking and comparing numbers. I have a few friends from the states that live in Europe. And all of them realized at some point that they need a lot less cash to be in the same place as in the USA. They often realize this, when they tell their parents at home how much they make here. While they are perfectly happy with their salary their parents are often shocked with the numbers. Of cause there are parts of Europe where many people struggle to make ends meet. But you should not believe that you could be rich in the US if you are struggling in Spain. Chances are you would be far worse off in the US.
@@Chiungalla79 I am sorry but that’s just not correct. After taxes and all other costs someone in Nashville TN who makes 100k a year still has way more left at the end of the month than someone making 50k in Spain. Especially considering that many things are cheaper in the USA. It’s only really housing, some public transit and some food that is cheap in places like spain. Everything else is as expensive as the USA. Germany is crazy expensive these days. Every time I go I am shocked and just glad when I leave again. Basically if you are unskilled and have nothing to offer to society but labour, Europe is better because you can get buy a little better. But the moment you want to actually make a decent living, afford a nice place to stay, maybe drive a car that’s not an old banger, you are much better of in the USA. And that’s why the USA will always economically over Europe or any other nation in the world. It attracts the best of the best. I realise many Americans are leaving to move to Europe. Madrid is full of them. They come to teach English etc. they love it hear for a while, but eventually they all leave again. Because making a good living as a welder in Austin is better than struggling in Europe. Germany is a good country, if you are a sheep that follows the rules and pre-planed career path everyone else takes. Just don’t expect to ever make something of yourself beyond mediocre.
@@MoDa87 "Germany is crazy expensive these days." If you go as a tourist that might be true. But nearly every place is expensive if you go as a tourist. You can live a pretty good life with 50k annually in Germany. "After taxes and all other costs someone in Nashville TN who makes 100k a year still has way more left at the end of the month than someone making 50k in Spain." Unless they get sick, unemployed or retire. Or need an education. The US is a good place to live for healthy succcessful singles that already made their degree elsewhere. "It attracts the best of the best." Depends on your definition of best. "Germany is a good country, if you are a sheep that follows the rules and pre-planed career path everyone else takes. Just don’t expect to ever make something of yourself beyond mediocre." You are a clueless idiot talking about stuff he knows NOTHING about. There are no pre-planed career paths in Germany. What the fuck are you even talking about?
You are 100% correct! I am a professor and poverty researcher in the US and I agree with everything you say. You are my favorite person on the internet.
When raised a certain way and you find out that things are far different than you imagined and you feel relief of not having to conform to a society in which you do not fit. Life is good. I too would sing it from the rooftops. Good luck to you and all you do. Keep sharing your journey. It is lovely to see and hear. I wish you all the best.
I used to believe America was the promised land, literally the greatest country of all time and I dreamt of someday living there, but day by day I see that I couldn't be more wrong.
It always baffles me when I hear that freedom is something typically American, but people in London, Berlin, Madrid or Paris enjoy way more liberties than in the US.
@@princesscake70 In the US you don't have the freedom to receive medical care without a bill so high that it discourages people from going to the Drs. In the US you don't have affordable housing, that provide people with the ability to have a home to live in. In the US lawmakers are passing laws to take away your freedoms to access the internet (its a bill that is going to pass). We will turn into China, everything with access to the internet (ring cameras included) will be supervised by the government. In the US you don't have the freedom to your information not being sold to companies in this country *cough* Meta *cough* In the US there are politicians actively refusing to pass laws that outlaw child marriages, putting children at a further risk of being abused. In the US you barely have your right to life if you go to a school and happen to be there at the wrong time. If you want anymore examples lmk.
I came to Germany with American ideas of how things should be. I wanted to have "my own money so I could buy things my son wanted. I went out and got two jobs. I worked seven days a week. I literally worked on the weekend to pay for daycare during the week. I was exhausted all the time. But then I started looking around and realizing that I was the one putting all that pressure on myself. I was so hyper focused on wanting to prove to myself I was a hard worker that I didn't realize I was also a very unhappy person.
i call bullshit... since the 30s germany has a maximum of 40 hours a week work schedule, you're not allowed to have a second job that requires you to work more and if you have a second job you have to prove to the Arbeitsamt that you do not work more than 40h/week
@@CharlieMoonstoneThe main full time job employer is required, under regular working contract, to approve a second job, so as that one does not have a negative influence on the main job. On top, 10 hours maximum on any given day (full and second job combined) with a max hour cap in total for the months. Most likely you’re better off looking for a better paid full time job, and then a second mini job (if still necessary). However, the Finanzamt will be involved, eventually, unless the second job is not properly set up und im Grunde Schwarzarbeit.
@@CharlieMoonstoneSpätestens Krankenkasse und Finanzamt hätten bei 2 Jobs mit keinem freien Tag unter der Woche mal die Augenbrauen hochgezogen. Finde es auch highly unlikely, dass das mit 2 Jobs möglich war.
@@KathLady ich kenne sehr viele Handwerker, die 7 Tage Wochen haben und dadurch gut was beiseite legen können. Merkwürdigerweise findet das Finanzamt das nicht so toll XD
''They call it the american dream, because you have to be asleep to believe in it'' best quote I have ever heard in my life. I feel so unbelievably drained in this country..... 70k in student loan debt only to no be able to get a job do anything paying a decent wage. words cannot express how how much anger I have towards life... literally doing exactly what i was told to do and now being told... welp, that's your own fault. I like when you talked about everyone else around you being in medical debt, because I don't believe it's just the pain I feel in my personal life, but the pain I feel from everyone around me too. whether it's friends, colleagues, the homeless, this country is just a cesspool of depression and pain.
You decided to take out $70,000 in student debt you do not have to you did not mention what you try to major in likely something stupid you could have went to a trade school paid way less and walked out with a trade. You decided not to has nothing to do with this country I'm sorry you had too much freedom like would you like to be an ant where you are assigned your job and then that's it that's what you do. You are legitimately complaining that you had a freedom to choose what you wanted to do The ability to get that money in order to try to do that and you just failed. That's on you
@@mattlane2282small comparison to Germany: I'm going to start studying chemistry at a local university. It will be a total of 3460€ including additional costs like lab eqiupment for a Masters degree (studying 6 semesters for Bachelors and 4 semesters for Masters).
@@SmileyXY yeah but see it won't be because for the rest of your life you'll be paying taxes to support that so at the end of the day the real cost is going to be way more I love how you people are like oh this is what came out of my pocket physically when you have 25% tax rates added on that's all money out of your pocket it should be a way employers test how intelligent their employees are or people at job interviews I should say if the total cost of education is that low in your mind great way to know not to hire you because you're kind of clueless
As someone in the UK I get it. America is not a place of freedom but of debt. Medical debt Car debt Student debt If you have enough money all your problems go away.
If you're from the UK, exactly what do you get? The same way I don't assume that you wear a tweed jacket a bolder hat, and a picture of the queen in your wallet. How can you assume that all 300 million Americans have the same issues?
@@cooltjh4 you want to know what Germany does now? Teaches every single child, student, citizen about what happened back then in full detail and why it was horrible so that they understand their own history and never want to repeat it. They don't look back at it like, ah well, it happened, it's in the past, we're better, no they're like, we did some seriously fucked up shit, we were an awful place, we can NEVER be that again. There are zero statues of Nazis, Hitler's bunker is a parking lot now, and there's a massive Jewish memorial. What does America do?? Not that. We gloss over slavery and the genocide of Native Americans in two weeks of middle school, tell lies about our Founding Fathers and Thanksgiving, focus on a handful of non-controversial black heroes every year in February and then never talk about them again, shower endless praise on ourselves and our history as the end-all-be-all of civilization, meanwhile it's still "controversial" to remove statues of Confederate soldiers....
I've been in Taiwan for 22 years. Yeah, it's way better here than in Canada. And you know what's funny, Canadians think that our system is fantastic, but that's only because we live next to USA. It truly isn't all that much better. In Taiwan, education is cheap, we have health, eye and dental coverage, also covers medicine. We do have a small fee to pay, like roughly $5 to $10 max for medicine. We have 1 day a month paid for women who need to take a day off because of menstrual cramps/unwellness. Yeah,we have a much better system going on here. And all of thst is just the tip of the iceberg. What's unfortunate is quite a few Taiwanese don't understand how good we have it here, only because they haven't lived in North America..
I’m Australian, living in Australia. My eyes were opened about the USA when I had to live there for a time due to work. Going there, I was excited, being there, I couldn’t wait to leave. I’ve lived in a few countries. The USA was the worst. I have friends there and am always offering them sponsorship to move here. Due to crippling debt, they can’t.
After scrolling Deanna's profile I will assume that they actually came to America with some kind of SJW mentality and found out that Americans don't hold their tongue and are happy to tell you what they think, regardless of your feelings. I say this because the top videos are about drag shows and Trans folks. Those are exceptionally controversial topics in the US, and you will find that most Americans really couldn't care less, but if you decide to spout off preaching they will shut your zealous ass up. It's your life, live it, but for the live of all, don't expect people to cater to you for it.
I'm an Australian and the USA is pretty much the bottom half of places I want to go see with Hawaii at a comfy 1st because it's not attached to the mainland with NZ and Japan close 2nd I'm partial to go to Germany and Austria and the Netherlands
I work with a girl from Napal. She is shocked that not all parents pay for everything for their college age children. I am always telling her that America is not the land of opportunity.
As an Australian who spent most of ages 5-25 in the US, moving back to Australia twenty years ago was transformative, for all those reasons. I know that whatever happens in my life, I will still have medical care and won't starve. It's far from perfect here, but the existential stress is so much lower.
Australian here. Medical care has sky-rocketed the past 5 years. We are probably 70% Americanised in a lot of things right now and its very concerning.
What I like about Germany is that if I fall down a flight of stairs because I was walking and distracted by eating a good bread roll sandwich kinda thing, I can break my ankle knowing I can call an ambulance and get treatment no matter what the numbers on my bank account say
I can confidently say that if you fell down stairs due to the German food you were eating was so delicious that it distracted you, you would be the first person in history to suffer such an injury.
Same in America hospitals cannot refuse to help it's the law in the US also in the US it's cheaper to get insurance per year then it is to pay taxes in Europe for your "free healthcare" plus we have the right to pick and choose our doctors. There's a reason why rich people in Europe have private health care or travel to the US to see doctors.
@@kershekfamily you clearly haven’t had German bread rolls then :P They are really nice with a little butter and whatever you want to put on it like cheese, lettuce, tomato, maybe some of the selections of sausage we got.
@@chadklaren9537 oops, sorry if I came off as overly negative. Sadly I don’t have a lot of money, if I fell down and got severely hurt in America as an American, I’d probably be unable to ever pay off those bills. Treatment is a little bit cheaper in Germany especially since even general insurance usually covers all the necessary treatments. Private insurance gives you preferential treatment, sure, but general insurance also is nice to have especially since your employer usually takes care of that for you - as far as I know. I am just a normal person that has an average amount of knowledge of living in Germany and I only know about American healthcare what I learned in American studies. I might of course be really off because I haven’t lived there.
@Chad Klaren It's not cheaper though. The US is by far the most expensive country regarding health care. Per capita, the average US citizen pays significantly more than anyone in any european country. Look it up, just google cost healthcare US vs Europe (or something similar, there are dozens of studies showing the same result). And additionally, the US has a significantly lower lofe expectancy, significantly higher birth mortality rates and has generally worse outcomes on nearly all measurements. And I always wonder how people can claim that they are better off. Do you know what insurance you will have in 5 or 10 years? Can you actually know how expe sive yout insurance will be in 5 or 10 years? Are you really sure you will pay significantly less than the average US citizen? Because chances are high that you are paying more for your healthcare than a German does.
Its actually nice to see so many people on youtube come to germany and realize this. There are quite a number of people with such youtube channels. I guess this doesnt need too be national news. But the more the merrier. Freedom of speech put to good use!
Your doing just great! Your caring enough to try to wake up some of us Americans to the fact we are not living in acceptable conditions, nor should we just assume we have it the best. And congratulations that you didn’t drink the punch and your life is better because of it!
Earning a degree from a German institution is an inexpensive path to getting your foot in the door and eventually qualifying for a longer, or perhaps permanent, stay. It worked for me.
I know everyone is busy, but if anyone could clue me in - how much to live/rent an apartment, while going to college in Germany? I’m too old to live in a dormitory.
@@avril.227 Depends on the city and on whether you are prepared to take a room in a shared apartment with other (mature) students or professionals. Arranging that is complicated but saves a lot of money if it works. For a student visa you must prove that you have 930 Euros/month at your disposal. I think in most cases that's actually quite a bit more than students actually spend. I don't know if Americans are exempt from this rule. If not, you will have to pay the money into a special bank account in advance, or something like that. Of course there is no obligation to actually spend it. Most university students do not have cars because they simply don't need them. Usually a mandatory season ticket for public transport is payable along with the administrative fees (amounting to normally < 200 Euros/semester total), and bicycles are also an excellent mode of transport in university cities. With a car you can rent something far cheaper outside the city in an inconvenient location, but since having a car in Germany is expensive, you will probably not end up saving money, and your social life may suffer. Food is cheaper and of better quality than in the US. As a student you are automatically entitled to comprehensive public health insurance at a very cheap rate of around 25 Euros/month. University courses in English are severely limited and may be hard to get into. For courses in German you need to prove that you speak the language at a relatively high level. If you don't quite reach that, you will have to take an additional test at the end of your first semester or so. German is a very close relative of English and has very regular spelling, but conjugation and especially declension is rather complicated. The trick is not to concentrate on these complications, but initially focus on comprehension only and produce grammatically incorrect sentences that people will still understand. Learning the correct grammar is much easier later, with immersion. Only learn them at the beginning to the extent you need to in order to pass tests. Concentrate on vocabulary, reading, and watching German videos. Try the Michel Thomas audio course.
One thing I will say is that a lot of people don't seem to know that a lot of the younger generations of US Americans are very well aware, we just can't get out. Thank you for acknowledging you're privileged - people seem to think we can just leave
Save up your money and leave. Real Americans don't want or need people living here that hate out country and try to turn it socialist or whatever. Just, PLEASE, save your money and LEAVE 😊
I'm still amazed you earned a PhD in your twenties! That's incredible! You're incredible! I'm glad youve found the much needed repose in Germany! Like you, I have yet to find freedom in the United States - hopefully a day will come when the country we're born in will provide the freedom necessary to live our life to the fullest, allow us to provide for ourselves, our family & have enough left over emotionally to have a positive impact on the world outside of our own.
She's a professor, she's not a working person. Why would you get in debt for a long degree, then debt for a house, then have the nerve to upset that you have to pay for that stuff? Nobody told her she had to get a long expensive degree or an expensive house or any of that stuff. She wanted it and then blames "America" because she made bad decisions for her life.
@@ohyeah3365 Medicare for all won't fix out healthcare problems. We need less regulation. Healthcare even a couple generation ago was cheap and easy to get for basically everyone. All Medicare for all is gonna do is funnel money into drug monopolies that are propped up by our governments regulatory institutions.
I came to Germany in '19 for two months because of my last job and fell in love with the country. I moved here for good in '22. I have never been more at peace. ❤️🇩🇪
I came to Australia at 19 back in 1978 never been back to the UK, been to Germany some six years ago loved it and can completely understand why someone would live there! NSW in Oz
It is so weird to hear how different people form other countries especially the US see our country... I'm German and right now I feel the complete opposite especially since I had to quit my job...but It's nice to hear how much you guy's like Germany ❤
In in america you have the most free vehicle, the car, the only realistic transportation option in the usa, because the alternatives do not have good infrastructure and funding and that forces you to be in traffic all day and that only if you can even afford a car.
I want this so bad…I hate feeling STUCK here. I am starting to think the lack or second language learning here in the U.S. is somewhat meant to trap us here.
Well everyone speaks also english in the german countries Like germany austria switzerland east and netherland Also scandinavian countries Stay away from france and italy Its pretty and beautiful but you need to be perfect fluently in there language Because they dont like to speak crappy english with you Our english is crappy but we like to use it I would say, maybe collect some money like 4000$ (to be safe) for an backup, and just try it. Stay away from munich , hamburg, berlin cologne howl switzerland bregenz and salzburg Its to expensive (maybe cheap compare to the usa) But you would be more struggling With getting an apartment And its okay to work as a nurse or something (the university can be also in english)
@@meinemudda3095most idealy work in switzerland and life in german, that has the most benefits to your situation since you get payed a lot in switzerland but have high kosts and germany as a habitat for you to avoid huge expences and a nice autobahn to drive 300 km/h 😗
@@alex_blue5802 well i dont fucking know Bevause i live in austria And as a european i dont care if i workbin germany or netherland or italy Because of the EU But if you want to work in a hotel (most hotels gives you a apartment free food und pay you well) i think your boss figure it easy out Just try it But have some money for the flight back You never know Because ukraine war russian viruses and more creative worldending events
@@alex_blue5802 see that is my worry. When I try to research a bit it seems like so many require you to know the language to some degree. Even when they do speak a lot of English. If it did not seem like a job requirement I’d try to make it work and learn while I was there.
LOVE this. don’t live in the US but plan to move to europe sometime in the future. the functioning social systems and reasonable workloads are just too good to pass up. thank you for speaking out about these things and congratulations for being as empowered and successful as you are! having a child at such a young age and achieving academic and professional success the way you have is incredible. and even then, you speak out about the ills of the so-called american dream.
Pulling yourself ip by your bootstraps is already an insane saying. It was an expression of something that's impossible. America then made something impossible the thing you are expected to do.
I started working at 14 and couldn't afford to go to college which is a common theme among the rural poor unfortunately. Now I try to educate myself and learn as much about history, politics and philosophy as I can which has led me to channels like yours. You do a great service by showing Americans, who often can't afford a vacation, let alone one outside the US, what life is like in another country. Americans can look to other countries as examples and take what works and reject what doesn't. Unsurprisingly "what works" for average laborers doesn't "work" for obscenely wealthy capitalists and vice versa and so here we are.
Remember, the purpose of government is to provide the best possible benefit for citizens and the environment, not the corporatocracy billionaires. Corruption in government has taken over on a global scale and our capital is sitting in their tax free offshore accounts, it's so much easier to control an impoverished population.
You often remind me that I really should love my country. Not everything is perfect. We still need to engange in politics, vote and demonstrate. But we can. And we can do so without fearing for our lifelyhood.
When you need to tell someone that you are the king, then it's a empty Titel. America, the land which calls itself the greatest at any opportunity, is the equivalent of that.
Ok wait not you got pregnant at a very young age. You went to college for a PHD full time which had to have been mostly funded by student loans.... you then bought a house??? Of course your going to be in debt America isn't perfect but good lords that's alot of rough decisions. There are hundreds of jobs you can get with a certification associates or bachelor's degree that will put you earning 60 or 70k a year. Your promblem was your life decisions not that you lived in america.
Bingo. And now her entire personality is "I'm a 'US American' mommy who lives in Germany and Germany is better than USAmerica in EVERY SINGLE WAY!" God how boring.
It blows me away that USA insists it’s the best country in the world and the most free. Those of us in other developed nations just look in either pity or ironic humour or both.
If you’re “ freedom” depends on government granted benefits….it’s not “ freedom”. Not saying it’s a bad thing…it just not “ freedom”….it’s more akin to satisfaction due to dependency. The part that most people miss is that the US doesn’t guarantee happiness or satisfaction,..or an easy life. It’s focus is on allowing you to pursue your happiness, and nothing more. Yes, there are consequences to your choices. For example, if you have a degree in a field that offers little commercial value, you’re gonna be trapped in the education loop ( your education as a student only leads to opportunities as an educator in that field) and not be financially successful ( though you might be more fulfilled and satisfied). To each their own…but let’s not confuse terms here. Government provided benefits is not “ freedom”
I'll never understand why we want to be competitive in everything except low debt, good childcare, less bankruptcy from medical debt, less stress. It's a set up and we need high level workers like doctors, nurses, scientists but we can't be competitive because debt hinders who can actually be in these positions. People just don't know until they travel outside of the states. All they do is point out how high European taxes are but not what you get back for those taxes
I'm in the UK and my American friends pay more tax and don't get universal healthcare. Neoliberalism is determined to make slaves to debt. We can thank Reagan, Thatcher and the global corporatocracy for getting that ball rolling 🤑
2years ago my boyfriend ate something he was alergic to and we decided to take a taxi to the hospital as it was midnight and we didn't think it was that bad. So the first taxi driver didn't want to drive us, "he's not an ambulance" so we called another. My boyfriend got a drip, oxigén and medicine and stayed over night for observation. He didn't pay anything and got discharged. As I was leaving, due to covid I couldn't go in, I triped in the darkness over a something and hit my head. I was bleading badly and needed stitches so I went back to the emergency room got checked out and a doctor came and stitched my forehead. I got discharged and they gave me instructions for care and some extra bandaids. All I got from my insurence was a form to fill out about how it happened How much would that cost in the US?
Sadly it's difficult to move to a "cheaper" place let alone new stater or new country. Most of us are kept too poor we barely survive. We can't even think of leaving.
@@jordynwhite3986if you're trapped you're doing it wrong. I've lived in several states. I love the US and probably would hate Europe. Ugh. Not paying medical bills would be great though. Oh, I don't. That's right.
@@koo-core7274 I'm not well off at all. I just make decent choices. Why would you think I'm rich or well off? My monthly net income is 2100. Try to say something that makes sense next time. Maybe I'll listen then.
I would absolutely move out of the US to a European country like Germany/Sweden/Denmark/Portugal if my husband was more open to it. He’s a lot more conservative than I am. I’m totally disenchanted with the US at this point.
thats sad to hear.. although i can understand this "fear" to move to another country. a country with another language i dont speak.. it can be overwhelming. come and visit europe for a vacation if you can, if you stay away from italy and france the changes are high you dont even have a language barreer
Remember what they pay for in taxes in Germany Is nothing compared to what you pay for at a pocket for the same exact services in American. In fact, often our services are shittier.
Genuinely, as a young disabled person in the US that hasn't been able to work in over a year, I can't even finish the video cuz it's triggering AF. More so cuz I know I don't have the option (even if I could do so financially) to leave this country. The diagnoses I have bar me from immigrating to pretty much any other developed country that has better systems in place. I am CAN'T leave. I just have to do my best & hope I get enough help to be able to make a difference in the systems here one day.
same, it’s triggering seeing liberal people say “leave the country” when we are stuck here, trapping us with conservatives seems like hell on earth. also sucks thinking about how even if i could leave, most countries i would love to move to aren’t disabled friendly
You both realize that it's not JUST funds that keep people from moving from country to country right? Have you read the requirements to immigrate and gain nationalization and gain citizenship? Might wanna look at that before you get all worked up. She got her citizenship by marriage.
@@GredelsRage Both of us stated our main challenges are being disabled, not the funds. It's possible to scrape enough money together for things if it's necessary enough to be prioritized. The issue is in exactly that their immigration laws prohibit us from becoming citizens there due to being disabled.
Sorry to hear about your situation. If you’d disability allows it, learn software development. It really is the most needed skill in the world right now. I wish I had the brain for it, but I am more practical and need to work with my hands.
