Park Life 70 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 (edited) I don't think there are that many places in America where you could have a conversation without getting irritated after 5 min..... Lot of crime and inequality. Depends how much money you have and where you live. People reckon N.Y. or L.A. are worth a crack. There's some great wilderness if you want to get chickens, join a 'gun club' and grow produce. My cousin spends a lot of time in Mexico...Says it's the best place ever. Great people great good and beautiful landscape everywhere. Europe as a whole has pretty much got it all. Culture, food, lifestyle, healthcare, articulate and intelligent people most places. Edited November 13, 2016 by Park Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howmanheyman 27109 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I'd hate to live there, selfishly in my case as they can't understand a word I say so my craic is lost on their poor souls. They can be such a friendly bunch but they are quite insane and I'd be sacked at every job I'd get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howay 12480 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I guess that's the point, the states are such a vast and heterogeneous place it's a bit nonsensical summarising it as a single destination. I had some very unedifying experiences in North Carolina, but who the fuck in the right mind would move there? The other issue is money. A lot of places are okay if you're minted. Even so, the idea of gated communities you get in some regions isn't appealing. Aye they're a world apart really, my wife has a friend that lives in Texas and her bloke has several automatic rifles in his truck, the laws like stand your ground etc are also pretty scary when you read them but none of that shit occurs anywhere near me. Of course there is still guns allowed but not to the extent of openly carrying rifles. Your second point is another contention a lot have with here tbh, there are very sharp changes in the quality of areas, like you can drive through a really nice town and then very shortly be in a hell hole of an area. Honestly though if you pick the area to live in right you don't see any of it. If you ever want to see the stark differences in society go to the bogs in New York Penn station on a weekday morning, you'll see investment bankers looking uncomfortable as complete lunatics are fighting with bathroom doors with bags filled with newspaper clippings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 i love the US. i have spent a lot of time on the west coast and the east coast over the years and would happily live in several places there. it's a big decision to make because i've got two kids, have lived in london for 16 years, my 5 year old is happy and excelling in school and i have a solid support network of family here, who help look after my 2 year old. i've had an issue with the second amendment bullshit. the gun culture has always been the one thing that has made me question whether it's a place i'd want to bring my kids up in, but the chances are it would have little impact on my life there. the sad reality is the majority of people killing each other with guns are poor and desperate people. unlike a lof people, i love the sincerity of the yanks, it's endearing, they're a friendly, hospitable bunch in the main, if a bit loud for some. personally, i admire their natural confidence and enthusiasm and i enjoy the service culture and the food. i love california and its wide variety of natural beauty from the striking coastline to the mountains and deserts. the holiday thing isn't an issue either as i work for a UK company so i'd get the same benefits as i do here, plus a raise and a housing allowance. though american holidays and a hit to the work-life balance is something that puts the wife off, especially as she works in financial services and would have to find a new employer. the positives outweigh the negatives but trump as president definitely contributes to the negatives, partially because it's such an unknown. i think he could bring the worst out of the country. i've only really been to the two coasts. there are a whole load of hick towns sandwiched between. Might be worth it as a life experience you can always come back if it doesn't suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howay 12480 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I don't think there are that many places in America where you could have a conversation without getting irritated after 5 min..... Lot of crime and inequality. Depends how much money you have and where you live. People reckon N.Y. or L.A. are worth a crack. There's some great wilderness if you want to get chickens, join a 'gun club' and grow produce. My cousin spends a lot of time in Mexico...Says it's the best place ever. Great people great good and beautiful landscape everywhere. Yeah I mean it can easily be a country of bubbles really, you can go most of your time without experiencing anything different to your norm (depending where you live of course, I think only the really really rich have that experience in places like NYC), I suppose that's like anywhere but it is probably more defined here, for instance we have friends that live in rural Pennsylvania and every time we go there we leave thinking there's absolutely no fucking way we could live out there and they're only about 2 hours from us. Lots of people like Mexico, I've never been, heard some horror stories about the water there mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 26550 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I could happily live in the all inclusive resort I spent my time in in Mexico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 19878 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 The Mexican food in California is another thing in the positives column Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 17859 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Tbh gloomy you really are 95% californian already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 5955 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 How many holidays a year do you have, if you don't mind me asking? Can you walk to the pub/restaurants/shops? I think it's the car culture (outside the big cities) that I found most off-putting, not sure how representative my experiences have been though. I lived there for 6months and of course you can walk to the shops if you live in the suburbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 19878 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Tbh gloomy you really are 95% californian already. I definitely eat enough avacados Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howay 12480 Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I could happily live in the all inclusive resort I spent my time in in Mexico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 34835 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I got 20 days holiday plus the bank holidays and unlimited sick days when I was there. And you better believe I tested their definition of "unlimited" to top off my holiday allowance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted November 14, 2016 Author Share Posted November 14, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 3986 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I did read she never went to Wisconsin - for an experienced politician her campaign did seem a bit amateurish - or maybe the right word is complacent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 19878 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 This is exactly the kind of shit I'm talking about ffs https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/thinkprogress.org/amp/p/ad23b5c166f6?client=safari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayvin 4964 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I know you're all sick of me harping on about Neoliberalism, but here's another article from Monbiot again, in today's Guardian. Covers the origins, how Thatcher apparently slammed Hayek's (who is responsible for all of this, the fucker) book on the table at one of her early meetings after taking over the Tories, and said 'this is what we believe now'. Also spans the failure of Blair's third way (although mentions that it was always going to fail given that Neoliberalism was in the ascendency and social democracy was dying). Covers the election of Trump, why this was both inevitable and a disaster (though I'd argue it was necessary to wake people the fuck up). The debate should be happening around stuff like this IMO. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/14/neoliberalsim-donald-trump-george-monbiot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 19878 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 [tweet] [/tweet] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 26550 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 I know you're all sick of me harping on about Neoliberalism, but here's another article from Monbiot again, in today's Guardian. Covers the origins, how Thatcher apparently slammed Hayek's (who is responsible for all of this, the fucker) book on the table at one of her early meetings after taking over the Tories, and said 'this is what we believe now'. Also spans the failure of Blair's third way (although mentions that it was always going to fail given that Neoliberalism was in the ascendency and social democracy was dying). Covers the election of Trump, why this was both inevitable and a disaster (though I'd argue it was necessary to wake people the fuck up). The debate should be happening around stuff like this IMO. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/14/neoliberalsim-donald-trump-george-monbiot If you read Monbiot for your economics insights then you might get misdirected a bit by his politics. There is a world of economics called Welfarism which is the predominant strain within European policy circles (or often referred to as extra-welfarism) which provides the framework for understanding when to leave humans to the process of trade which predates written language and when governments should intervene and why. The normative value judgements which underlie this framework provide all you need to combat the ills of neoliberalism without the idea of throwing out self interest. I will try and think of some good books to read on the topic if i can think of any that arent dry as fuck. Which is half the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 19878 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 understanding trump speak. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/13/understanding-trumpspeak-big-bold-daring?CMP=fb_gu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 19878 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 "i'm not antisemitic. some of my best friends are kikes" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayvin 4964 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 If you read Monbiot for your economics insights then you might get misdirected a bit by his politics. There is a world of economics called Welfarism which is the predominant strain within European policy circles (or often referred to as extra-welfarism) which provides the framework for understanding when to leave humans to the process of trade which predates written language and when governments should intervene and why. The normative value judgements which underlie this framework provide all you need to combat the ills of neoliberalism without the idea of throwing out self interest. I will try and think of some good books to read on the topic if i can think of any that arent dry as fuck. Which is half the problem. Not so much for his economic insight, just because he's one of the few people I can see talking about it. I agree he's no economist though. Also agree that you need some aspect of self-interest otherwise human progress pretty much stops on its head - will readily appreciate any books you would recommend on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 If you read Monbiot for your economics insights then you might get misdirected a bit by his politics. There is a world of economics called Welfareism which is the predominant strain within European policy circles (or often referred to as extra-welfarism) which provides the framework for understanding when to leave humans to the process of trade which predates written language and when governments should intervene and why. The normative value judgements which underlie this framework provide all you need to combat the ills of neoliberalism without the idea of throwing out self interest. I will try and think of some good books to read on the topic if i can think of any that aren't dry as fuck. Which is half the problem. What about this Obamacare lark? What's gonna happen there and can Drumpf part replace it or make it better or worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gloom 19878 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 jesus wept Trump’s vice-presidential pick, Indiana governor Mike Pence, has opposed same-sex marriage throughout his career, and supported so-called “conversion therapy” programs that purport to change people’s sexual orientation. Why Trump in the White House is bad news for US justice https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/14/trump-supreme-court-abortion-same-sex-marriage?CMP=fb_gu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayvin 4964 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 (edited) I don't see it. So he's not repealing gay marriage, and he's leaving abortion law to individual states...? That doesn't seem like the end of the world. If anything he's abdicating responsibility on both issues. Mike Pence is another issue of course. Edited November 14, 2016 by Rayvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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