Oh gosh.
Kevin, you are oversimplifying. I can see where you come from, and in part I agree, but you need to be more thorough if comparing the cost of living.
Let's look at what is the helathcare costs in US vs what you get out of your own pocket when visiting doctors. Then let's consider that for Americans dental is a separate thing. A root canal in Chicago was 1200$ for me (luckily I didn't pay out of my pocket). In Hungary, I could get the same tratement at 10% of that cost (not State-subsidized). And so on.
There are big parts of the economy that don't rely so much or directly on the fuel cost. Some services, software etc. Housing costs something in the Bay area, where software engineers can get 200k salaries, and less in Nebraska
.
I bought antibiotics in Chicago at a certain price. In California, same prescription cost me double. I looked for the cheapest Pharmacies in both instanes. A pound of fruit was again double in sunny California.
Let's not compare Europe as a whole with US as a whole. You have two continents with huge disparities, depending where exactly you live on said continents.
I also don't get why you'd invite someone to visit other countries. Provided I am reading that properly (emphasis), I think it is uncalled for. If you are trying to even hint at the stereotype of the uneducated American, you also need to make sure you're not confirming other stereotypes as well along the way. By the way, it seems to me "we" as Europeans are heading in the wrong direction, we are not getting smarter or more educated at all. (We are hard at work even to erase our identity, but that is another discussion.) I am basing this on statistics and partly my own experience hiring people in high-tech fields, and not as an ignorant HR guy. But as a software engineer and manager.
All in all, and this is not directed at you, in fact not necessarily at anyone here, I will never get the outrage over what some believe to be inflated prices. I will acknowledge that some don't make sense to me, from a price to performance ratio, and I would not pay so much even if I were a billionare. However, as long as no one is forcing things down my throat, I couldn't care less. (Sometimes, though, it is simply ignorance on a buyer's part. You get the kind of people that don't understand why a performance-bred animal like a greyhound, with finely-tuned genetics, costs more than a "greyhound" they can get from their local shelter. Idiots. In this particular case, steel is steel, so it does not apply.)
I don't have time, nor the inclination lately to enter debates, so, hoping I'm not antagonizing anyone if possible (Kevin
or someone else
), this will be my only input on this subject.
797DCE83-AFF3-4CDE-87D7-AD4F03AE533A (1) by Agent Hierarchy, on Flickr
