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Hanne Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 12:49 PM |
| Dubz, I just love that image teehee |
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moominbadger Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 1:42 PM |
| wow, I'm a bit late on following this thread but I can't believe how little holiday you get in the US!! It seems so backwards in this day and age, how do you people cope? I don't feel justified to moan about my job ever again! |
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Turtleneck Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 1:54 PM |
We can't afford to take the time off anyway because we're too busy paying off our student loans and saving for retirement (because the vast majority of companies don't have pensions anymore) and saving the rest for when we enter a nursing home. Oh, not to mention that child day care costs so much that unless both parents have a higher paying job, it's cheaper for one not to work. And medical costs, shewwwweeee, you don't even want to know how much my family paid in medical costs this year. We have to pay our entire premiums ourselves and it hardly covers anything.
I guess some things are starting to make sense now. I always wondered how people in Europe made it because things are so much more expensive there than here. Maybe it's because there are also more "freebies" than we get. |
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mozman68 Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 2:03 PM |
I've worked for the same company for 15 years...I'm finally up to 19 days off (which is technically just under four weeks).
5 days after one year, 10 days after 2 years and then an additional day every two years.
And do you really think I actually get a true vacation carrying a Blackberry around?? |
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Hanne Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 2:05 PM |
Turtleneck wrote: We can't afford to take the time off anyway because we're too busy paying off our student loans and saving for retirement (because the vast majority of companies don't have pensions anymore) and saving the rest for when we enter a nursing home. Oh, not to mention that child day care costs so much that unless both parents have a higher paying job, it's cheaper for one not to work. And medical costs, shewwwweeee, you don't even want to know how much my family paid in medical costs this year. We have to pay our entire premiums ourselves and it hardly covers anything.
I guess some things are starting to make sense now. I always wondered how people in Europe made it because things are so much more expensive there than here. Maybe it's because there are also more "freebies" than we get.
Definitely more freebees, but definitely also heavier taxes. I pay 41%, and I'm far from the highest tax frame. |
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Turtleneck Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 2:05 PM |
mozman68 wrote: I've worked for the same company for 15 years...I'm finally up to 19 days off (which is technically just under four weeks).
5 days after one year, 10 days after 2 years and then an additional day every two years.
And do you really think I actually get a true vacation carrying a Blackberry around??
Does your wife work or stay home with the kids? |
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la femme qui Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 2:13 PM |
Hanne wrote: As Sebastian Dorset said (he was one of those being interviewed by 60mins), the Danes reserve the right not to be spoken to :oP
That's genius :D
Turtleneck wrote: Maybe it's because there are also more "freebies" than we get.
Just out of curiosity, what kind of freebies? |
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Hanne Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 2:15 PM |
la femme qui wrote:
Turtleneck wrote: Maybe it's because there are also more "freebies" than we get.
Just out of curiosity, what kind of freebies?
I'm assuming she means free health care, subsidised daycare etc.
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Turtleneck Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 2:33 PM |
Hanne wrote: la femme qui wrote:
Turtleneck wrote: Maybe it's because there are also more "freebies" than we get.
Just out of curiosity, what kind of freebies?
I'm assuming she means free health care, subsidised daycare etc.
Exactly. Just not having to worry about college (university) expenses would take such a load off of people's minds. I was lucky that my parents had saved money for me to go (I'm an only child, that helped), but my husband had to pay for it himself. We got married just before graduation and had this big debt hanging over our heads from the start. Now we're saving money for our kids' college expenses. Parents start saving for college the minute their kids are born. People are split between trying to save for their kids' college and their own retirement. But as they say, kids can always get a loan for college, no one is going to give you a loan for retirement! |
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Hanne Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 2:56 PM |
Turtleneck wrote:
Exactly. Just not having to worry about college (university) expenses would take such a load off of people's minds. I was lucky that my parents had saved money for me to go (I'm an only child, that helped), but my husband had to pay for it himself. We got married just before graduation and had this big debt hanging over our heads from the start. Now we're saving money for our kids' college expenses. Parents start saving for college the minute their kids are born. People are split between trying to save for their kids' college and their own retirement. But as they say, kids can always get a loan for college, no one is going to give you a loan for retirement!
Believe it or not, some people here have college debts as well. We get students' grants, but it's also possible to take a extra loan every month. Many students do this cos it's bare possible to live from a grant. Furthermore, many parents stop giving money to their kids once they're able to get this grant. Therefore, some students end up with about $100,000. I know it sounds like peanuts to an American, but I would explain it like this: When US citizens finish uni, they have to pay off student loans etc. from their salary. Here, they take about half our pay in taxes instead.
The big difference is this; we're secured an education/health care etc. when we need it, and the government take our money to pay for it. You can "select" whether you want all this, but you have to save for it yourselves. Long live theory. If you get ill, you'll litteraly have to pay for it for the rest of your life. If I get ill, I will be on a waiting list and hope that they get around to treating my illness before I kick the bucket. |
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ricv64 Posted Wed 20 Feb, 2008 3:12 PM |
| I never liked the idea of taking out a loan for school . Getting into debt to keep a administration with a job was how I viewed it. At 18 your choices are not very good but for the older people there were alotta freebies when I went to school . I got grant after grant no problem , kept my grades up and next semester another grant . I was on the GI bill too but finacial aid couldn't count that against me because I had already paid the tax on that when i was in the service . Bush & Arnold maybe have gutted that program since I went though |
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