The British Economy v. The American Economy

Then I humbly suggest you stay in the US.  Because quite frankly, I'm happy with the UK the way it is and I would be absolutely heartbroken for it to become any more like the US  than it already has.

  Because quite frankly, I'm happy with the UK the way it is and I would be absolutely heartbroken for it to become any more like the US  than it already has.

Yes yes yes

i want to see lower taxes, more privatization,

Like the really successful privatization of the railways, for instance

And there are those of us who would observe that, in many ways, the mostly unfettered capitalist system of the USA is largely as much an economic failure in history.  The current government is certainly well on its way to going broke -- at lightning speed faster than the the former USSR did.  Lower taxes?  Hmmm...  I rather like the idea that *anyone* over here can go to a local doctor & receive basic medical care & low-cost medicine.  The fact that millions of people in the US (including a high proportion of children) cannot afford basic medical care & medicine is unacceptable in the 21st century.  Further, it would be nice if the British government could find enough funds to allot at least 50 cents per child/per day for school lunches -- instead of the 27 cents available now.  More privatization?  Hmmm... what? so we can have even more MRSA outbreaks in the hospitals due to government cost-cutting & contracting out work to private companies?  The collective mass psychology of the masses?  The rest of the world is still scratching our heads over the re-election of GWB, not to mention the increasing religious fanaticism of the USA - thereby isolating it from the rest of the developed modern world.  I could go on & on...poverty in the US, environmental concerns, the proliferating & unnecessary access that the free market provides for people to purchase enormous quantities of bad food & cheap plastic crap that will sit in a landfill for all eternity.  Plus, the whole myth of the 'self-made' man or woman...  Argh - give me a break!  The wealthy people I know have all received some sort of help -- whether they are willing to admit it or not...via family money, public education funding, tax breaks, old boy networking...  Also, the middle of the USA would be in a world of you-know-what were it not for the financial resources (tax revenue) it is afforded by the densely populated coastal areas.  Maybe those areas should cut themselves loose & let the middle of the country truly live on the 'fruits of its labour'.  Hee hee - this has become quite a rant!    Oh well -- tenthplanet, please, this is nothing personal -- more just my own not quite so humble opinions...I'm an American living in the UK & I do love my home country too -- but for different reasons than for its money & free market.  I love that the people are friendly & approachable...I love the land itself -- so much beauty & diversity... and I love that it could be so much better than it is---if only the people could somehow find the collective will to make a stand against things like poverty, access to health care, taking care of the environment, etc...which, in turn, would mean that a privileged few would have to be content with less (money) so that everyone could enjoy a basic, humane standard of living.  I think I agree with a number of people on the forums here who have commented that if your main concern is making as much money as possible & focusing on yourself/family rather than more community & global & social concerns -- the the US is probably the right place for you to remain.  Me -- I prefer the more international & social conscience of Europe, plus I love my Brit hubby who is the best hubby in the world & who doesn't want to live in a place where everything was built from plastic yesterday.  

Carolyn B

Excellent posts, Lightbulb and Carolyn, thank you both for taking the time to put things so well.

Well written, Lightbulb - as usual. 

someone above stated that coz there are more lawyers (and other specialists) etc in big cities that they can therefore be paid less, but NYC is saturated with lawyers compared to Utah but NYC earm twice as much in numerical terms, though that doesn't equate to twice as much in purchasing power terms.

Exactly.  New York lawyers may earn more actual dollars than Utah lawyers, but they get paid less in regard to what percentage of  their paycheck goes to rent, food, etc.  Therefore, they have less money for  savings and luxuries, and in terms of lifestyle, they aren't as "wealthy."

I agree with the others who said that you should probably try to stay in the US, if you won't be happy unless you are guaranteed the same standard of living.