Us Europeans do not have free health care; we pay through the nose for it
through our taxes. In Denmark average income tax is around 45-50% (top rate
around 66% after you go over 40,000 dollars a year). However, everyone is
covered, so everyone can come to a hospital. Prescription medicine costs
too, but there are some limits. In the UK I believe that pensioners do not
pay for medicine though. In my case I get free Zoladex every three months
from the hospital for my prostate cancer, which I believe would otherwise
cost me around 900USD every three months. I have paid into the system for
around 24 years now without receiving much (ner been a night in hospital).
We have good public transport in Copenhagen (and Denmark generally), But it
helps that we live in small apartments and houses that are close to each
other, so that the transport system can be run reasonably economically.
Losses are paid through our taxes again. One of the problems in the US is
that suburbs can be a long way out of town, and homes are spread out, so
that public transport is expensive to run with reasonable service intervals.
On my first stay in the US (Easton, PA) I had no car, so I walked to work
which took me 35 minutes or so (no bus service). My coworkers were
horrified, and organised lifts for me!
Many people here do not own cars; gas prices are not attractive (around
1.60USD per litre/6 USD per gallon at the moment).
As a pensionist I now get very cheap public transport, so I do not expect to
drive so much anyway.
Roger Key
Denmark
>From: Chris Crawford <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
>To: "olympus@xxxxxxxxxx" <olympus@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: [OM] Re: [ot] alternative fuels
>Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 02:29:15 -0600
>
>
>Yes, Europeans have good public transit, which is simply non-existent in
>most parts of the USA. We had none in my hometown in Indiana and here in
>Santa Fe the public transit doesn't run anywhere close to where I live, and
>doesn't go anywhere near my biggest client. So, I drive.
>
>I have a gas guzzler, a huge Chevy Caprice. My grandpa gave it to me, and
>if
>it weren't for him I wouldn't own any car. I can't afford to spend 20,000
>to
>buy a new fuel-efficient car, or even $5000 on a used one. I spend a lot on
>gas, but I did the math and realized that if I bought a used car that got
>better gas mileage than my Caprice, the used car would fall apart before I
>actually saved any money because of the $5000 or so that a decent used car
>would cost me.
>
>This is a problem that faces a lot of working class people in America. They
>don't have the cash to buy a fuel efficient car, and can't borrow the money
>for one due to bad credit that is a result of not making enough to live. My
>credit was ruined by medical bills I couldn't pay. I have had a lot of
>medical problems since childhood and have not had insurance since my
>father's insurance told me I was too old to be on it at age 21. I'm 31 now.
>You Europeans have free health care. Americans don't.
>
>America's ecomomy WOULD be wrecked because the majority of Americans (70%
>of
>us make less than 40,000 a year) would have to choose between food and gas
>if it gets too expensive to drive to our crappy paying jobs.
>
>
>--
>Chris Crawford
>Photography & Graphic Design
>Santa Fe, New Mexico
>
>http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com
>
>http://www.plumpatrin.com Something the world NEEDS.
>
>
>
>On 4/11/07 1:23 AM, "Wayne Harridge" <wayneharridge@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> >
> >>
> >> Most Europeans spend 2-3 times what you do on gas/petrol. Their
> >> economies are not wrecked, they do not curl up in a foetal ball on
> >> the living room rug and the sky has not fallen. They choose to drive
> >> smaller cars, less far. Of course, in many cases (but certainly not
> >> all) they have less far to go.
> >
> > ...and public transport is probably better too.
> >
> > ...Wayne
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