ashish raval wrote:Primus wrote:^
I don't know about it being a third rate country, but it certainly is not what the Brits historically have claimed or imagined it to be. Britannia no longer rules the waves (hasn't in a long while) and the Sun set on the Empire a very long time ago.
I spent six years in the UK and thought it was an amazing place, in comparison to the India of the 70s and 80s. And yet, when I moved to the US, I was equally amazed at how backward the UK was in comparison to the US. I have had good friends from the UK visit over the past several years and they are always in awe of 'America'.
OTOH, on my recent visits, I was quite surprised at how far ahead China and Japan are in some ways, compared to the US.
Agree on last line (having visited both in the past) and first two lines. It depends on the lifestyle you choose based on money in the pocket. If you earned X and measured quality of life that you can buy with k.X money, where 0≤ k≤1, then yes I would say your dollar goes much further in amount of services you can get. I have been to US a few times. It also depends where you were in UK versus where you are now in USA.
Customer services may be marginally better in US at certain places.
Don't want to turn this into a US vs UK thread. However, I did live in the UK for almost six years, and for most of that time I was 'holding my breath'. Despite all the history of slavery and continued racial tensions in the US, it is a place where I've been able to breathe freely. No shouts of 'Paki' ever directed at me.
As far as economy and how far your dollar goes, you have to live here to understand how it works, visiting for a few days or weeks and seeing Las Vegas, Orlando's theme parks and Niagara Falls does not give you a true picture of the vast depth of this nation, in terms of resources. A gunshot victim gets 30 units of blood within hours if needed. Even though the healthcare system sucks for many people, it promises the best care in the world if you are insured or if you are below the poverty line. It is worse than in the UK in terms of global access (the NHS is way better), but for the insured it is far superior.
Try going to Dakota and apply your theory on services and see where it stands. I found Scandinavian nations pretty much on par with Japanese in terms of quality although they are pricier than anywhere on the planet.
The 'poor' guy in Dakota lives on a one acre lot. Typically, small towns in America are far cheaper to live in. The people are very nice and the service in public places is much better than you may find in big cities like NYC, but that is probably true everywhere in the world.
I found Scandinavian countries, in fact most of Europe very expensive. Accommodation, travel, food, clothing, everything costs way more. The quality is not great either, at least in my experience. FWIW, I never buy anything at Duty-Free shops anywhere, even Dubai. My local electronics and wine shops are actually cheaper even though I live in New York.
Would you believe, my camera gear is cheaper in the US than in Akihabara? I was shocked to see the prices there, at least 20% more than what I pay here for camera bodies, lenses, SD cards etc.
Can you get me a train from Oregon to alberquerque?
I found US marginally better than UK in certain aspects.
The US is a HUGE country. The flight from Boston to LA takes 6 hours. There are no long distance trains like in India. Yes, you can go from anywhere to anywhere, but it will take a lot of time and effort. OTOH, I could drive from Aberdeen to London in far less time than it would take me to go say from Houston to El Paso - and I would still be in the same State!
We all choose to do what we do in life and that includes where we live. No country, no place is absolutely perfect, we pick what matters to us most and make our decision, the rest is always a compromise. And if you are happy where you are, then life is good and you are a very fortunate man.