Getting more costly to die in LA!
Meatpie, generally the Euros always think that the cost of living is so cheap in Amerika; when the added/hidden taxes/fees/special assessments/insurance costs/healthcare costs are added to the lack of public transport/lack of personal/social security, outrageous costs for education (checked a four-year degree lately?), and the regional differences [New York & LA are uber-expensive compared to "fly-over country such as Des Moines, Iowa, or Omaha, Nebraska] the differences between Berlin and LA, for example, are trivial. The "quality of life", that nebulous factor, is also a huge reason so many choose to live/travel/relocate abroad; I can take as little as 45 minutes to drive to my job, or as long as 2.5 hours, depending on traffic--our national infrastructure has deteriorated to a disgraceful degree; a major freeway bridge in the east collapsed recently, with traffic on it. In Berlin, I can leave the car at home, it's a very short constant journey to work on public transport. Yes, petrol or diesel costs approximately €6.61 per gallon in Berlin compared with €2.98 per gallon in Amerika; the difference is that a car is a necessity here compared with all of the public transport choices available in Berlin. If I'm homeless in Berlin, my "warm" [rent + utility expenses--heat, power, etc] apartment AND and a monthly stipend are covered under Hartz IV; in Amerika, I will be living in a cardboard box under a bridge with little or no other support. I'm not going to get into the Euro Social welfare mentality costs vs Capitalism debate now, that can continue somewhere else; I'm just saying that we pay mucho for our "beautiful" (and it is--I drove to the Westside, Hollywood & the Valley yesterday--it was one of those gorgeous clear days where snow on the mountains was visible everywhere!) life in LA, and I haven't mentioned other relativeley low-cost regions such as some Asian, Latin, or Canadian (eh?!) cities . . . I know that Sofia is also a "hot" town, with great real estate values, and uber-hot men . . .
It's true that Europe has extensive railway network and highways, I can take a direct train here from Sofia to Berlin, London and even Moscow. In addition almost all large cities have metros and extensive public transport.
The US is a huge continent, suburbs can grow for as far as the eye can see, in Europe it's a bit more crowded and that's why cities need to be more compact. There is a very strong movement here against urban sprawl.
Commumist being one notable example - blocks of flats are still common in Central and Eastern Europe.
Not all nations in Europe are welfare states but it's true that if you are homeless and unemployed in the UK you will get a house, benefits and jobseeker's allowance, nothing like that in the US.
Some people in my neighbourhood get:
- free meals every day if the social services see they are starving
- the government will pay your electricity bill during winter to keep warm or give you money
- medication is free for disabled people or people with severe chronic illness
- government here will send you a lady to keep your house clean and wash you dishes if you are disabled
Last year the municipality sent a truck to a deranged whore in my neiughbourhood that collected garbage and piled it up inside her apartment, neighbours complained about the smell, they filled a truckload with platic bottles and all kinds of other nasty shit, including old clothes, pieces of furniture and rotten food.
So yeah, if you are homeless here in Bulgaria you won't live in a cardbox but they won't give you a house like they do in the UK.
The US is a huge continent, suburbs can grow for as far as the eye can see, in Europe it's a bit more crowded and that's why cities need to be more compact. There is a very strong movement here against urban sprawl.
Commumist being one notable example - blocks of flats are still common in Central and Eastern Europe.
Not all nations in Europe are welfare states but it's true that if you are homeless and unemployed in the UK you will get a house, benefits and jobseeker's allowance, nothing like that in the US.
Some people in my neighbourhood get:
- free meals every day if the social services see they are starving
- the government will pay your electricity bill during winter to keep warm or give you money
- medication is free for disabled people or people with severe chronic illness
- government here will send you a lady to keep your house clean and wash you dishes if you are disabled
Last year the municipality sent a truck to a deranged whore in my neiughbourhood that collected garbage and piled it up inside her apartment, neighbours complained about the smell, they filled a truckload with platic bottles and all kinds of other nasty shit, including old clothes, pieces of furniture and rotten food.
So yeah, if you are homeless here in Bulgaria you won't live in a cardbox but they won't give you a house like they do in the UK.