J/F

im paying 2.5% of my wages and im free of stress i can see any doctor for anything i feel the need to and operations, tests, visits and drugs dont cost me more than 10euro being able to go to the doctor for anything helps with preventative healthcare too as people are more inclined to go, their medical issues dont exacerbate on top of that we have free eye exams and teeth maintenance twice a year completely free im fairly young and in good health, and if my money goes to help my fellow citizens who need it more then im fine with that as i know that if the time comes that im in need, i wont have to stress about it or burden my family with costs being a country, being part of a whole, means caring for those you stand with. how can you be a country if you dont care for your fellow citizens? and on top of that i pay less that i ever would in total if we followed the american model you have no clue or concept of what you are talking about your worldview is an impoverished selfish pvp shitfest and your opinion on the matter reflects it by your logic, you shouldnt have a fire department either. you are paying for other people's fires next time a fire breaks out in your vicinity be man and walk in it fkin dumb fuck

3 or 4 things for Americans who unfortunately did not get to enjoy proper education: Let’s talk about where Europe objectively does better than the US. Not feelings. Structures. --- 1. Health care and life expectancy The US spends around 2.5 times the OECD average on health per person and still has lower life expectancy than almost all Western European countries. In Europe you do not go bankrupt because of an ambulance ride or a broken arm. Universal healthcare is standard, not a political fantasy. Maternal mortality and infant mortality are dramatically lower across most of Europe than in the US. Basic medication like insulin costs a fraction of US prices and is not rationed out of fear of bankruptcy. In other words: the US pays Ferrari money for Lada results. --- 2. Education and student debt Large parts of Europe have free or near-free universities: Germany, France, Austria, Nordics, etc. There is no trillion dollar student loan industry built on trapping teenagers for 20+ years. Basic reading, math and science scores in many European countries sit above US scores in international comparisons. Vocational training and apprenticeships are respected paths, not treated as failure. In Europe, education is an investment. In the US, it is often a trap. --- 3. Work, time off and life balance The EU legally guarantees at least 4 weeks paid vacation for every worker. Many countries have 5 or more. Paid sick leave is standard. You do not get fired for being ill. Paid maternity and paternity leave exist in most European countries. Children are not treated as a purely private luxury project. Average working hours are lower, burnout is lower, productivity per hour is often higher. In Europe, rest is a right. In the US, rest is a luxury. --- 4. Crime, guns and safety US firearm homicide rate: about 4.1 per 100000. EU firearm homicide rate: about 0.19 per 100000. That is over 20 times lower on average. In most of Europe, school shootings are practically unheard of. They are global news when they happen at all. Children go to school to learn, not to rehearse “active shooter drills” as a normal weekly routine. Overall homicide rates in Western Europe are a fraction of those in the US. In Europe, “freedom” does not mean “every idiot can easily get a gun.” --- 5. Prisons, crime policy and punishment The US has about 541 prisoners per 100000 people, one of the highest rates on Earth and the highest among democracies. The US has roughly 4 percent of the world population and around 20+ percent of the world’s prisoners. Many European countries: 50–120 inmates per 100000. An order of magnitude lower. Europe focuses much more on rehabilitation, not on using prison as a permanent warehouse for the poor. In Europe, prison is supposed to end. In the US, it often becomes an economy. --- 6. Housing, homelessness and cities Stronger tenant protections, rent regulation and social housing in many European states. Large-scale homelessness exists, but not at the “tent city under every bridge” level seen in many US cities. In a lot of Europe, you can live in a big city, rent a flat and take public transport without needing 3 jobs. The US has higher GDP, Europe has higher basic dignity. --- 7. Public transport and infrastructure High-speed rail is standard: France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria etc. Dense public transit in most major cities. You can live “car-free” and still have a full life. Less commuting time, less wasted fuel, less stress. US: endless highways, decaying bridges, 2 hour commutes. Europe: trains, trams, subways, less life lost in traffic. --- 8. Food, water and standards Stricter regulation on food additives, hormones and chemicals in many European countries. Obesity and diabetes rates are significantly lower in most of Western Europe than in the US. Tap water is safe basically everywhere. Flint-level disasters are not treated as normal background noise. Europe treats food as food. The US often treats it as an industrial byproduct. --- 9. Social security and risk Lose your job in Europe: you get unemployment benefits that allow basic survival while you look for work. Become disabled: there are structured disability benefits and systems. Have children: there are child benefits, family support and subsidised childcare in many places. Old age: public pension systems that at least exist and work. In Europe, bad luck is a risk. In the US, bad luck can be a death sentence for your life prospects. --- 10. Free speech and free press (ironically) In Europe, free speech and press exist without being fully dependent on 1 or 2 billionaire-owned platforms. Public broadcasters have legal mandates. Private media is regulated. There are strong protections against defamation, harassment and data abuse. GDPR gives citizens real rights over their data and punishes companies for abusing it. In Europe, free speech means you can criticise power and still have a life. In the US, “free speech” often means billionaires are free to shout the loudest. --- 11. Data protection and surveillance capitalism GDPR gives Europeans the right to know how their data is used, to demand deletion and to sue companies for misuse. US citizens are largely naked in front of data brokers, ad-tech companies and platforms. European regulators have repeatedly fined tech giants billions for abuses. In Europe, surveillance capitalism at least has a referee. In the US, it runs the stadium. --- 12. Democracy, money and politics Corporate money in politics is more restricted. Direct “Citizens United”-style buying of politics is much less pronounced. Campaigns are shorter, cheaper and less dominated by mega donors. Lobbying exists, but the raw, naked legalised bribery level in the US is on another scale. Europe has plenty of problems. But the US turned politics into a monetised reality show with nuclear weapons. --- 13. Inequality and basic stress level Income inequality (Gini coefficient) is generally much lower in Europe than in the US. The gap between poor and rich is smaller. Life expectancy in poorer US regions can be 10+ years lower than in rich ones; this gap is generally smaller in most European countries. People in Europe still struggle, worry, fight. But the floor is higher. The drop is shorter. The landing is less fatal. --- Put simply: The US screams “number 1”. Europe quietly delivers on life expectancy, health, safety, education, vacation time, social security, public transport and basic sanity. You can call that socialism, weakness, whatever helps your ego. You are basically a third world country with AMD and south african Musk.

@Private98391230 @PawlowskiMario That's building on quicksand.

@PawlowskiMario No, that’s insane, we need to patch up our relationship with the US.

Canada should join EU and UK should re-join EU🇨🇦🇪🇺🇬🇧

My cartoon in today's @irishexaminer.

@sloo86668 @KimDotcom

The EU is being played It's obvious now Here is what needs be done: 1. Restore NordStream 2. Give Russia its assets back 3. Re-establish business ties with Russia 4. Take the L, cut Ukraine and Zelenskyy 5. Send Ursula and Kaja packing 6. Stop being US vassals 7. Reform EU media

🇪🇺 The F35 Requires Three Hundred Mechanics. Gripen Requires Sweden and an IKEA Manual. Ukraine Has Exposed the Truth. The F35 Cannot Survive a Real War. Ukraine has made one thing impossible to ignore. An aircraft that depends on a massive global logistics chain, proprietary software systems and contractor approval for even routine maintenance is a liability in real war. The F35 may offer advanced capabilities, but its sustainment model is extremely complex, expensive and deeply dependent on US controlled infrastructure. Even the Pentagon’s own audits have pointed to readiness problems, spare part shortages and heavy maintenance burdens that slow down operations. This is not the kind of aircraft you can keep flying under extreme pressure without absolute political alignment with Washington at every moment. European fighters are built on a very different philosophy. Eurofighter, Rafale and especially Gripen were designed for situations where airbases are under threat and turnaround times must be fast. Gripen can operate from road bases, be turned around by a small ground crew and stay in the air without relying on a global maintenance network. Sweden’s entire doctrine is based on dispersed operations that survive real conflict conditions. The point is simple. European jets are built for wartime practicality, not for a maintenance ecosystem that collapses the moment a supply chain breaks. 🇨🇦 For a country like Canada, the choice should be obvious. You need an aircraft you can maintain at home, in Arctic conditions, with national control over spares, data and upgrades. You need a fighter that works when supply lines are strained, not one that depends on overseas depots and political permission to stay operational. In that world Gripen, Rafale and Eurofighter are not sentimental European picks. They are the realistic, sovereign and war ready options. The Swedes even build Gripen with the same mindset as IKEA. It just works anywhere, with the team you have, and without the fantasy that someone else will keep it alive for you.

@EcoTechBro Libertarians have one brain cell and it's used for memorizing the age of consent in every state and country.

@JACPton @brandstof Yeah, it's nonsense.

@brandstof But backing in does not?

What is the reason for this?

@TroyWestwood @Rainmaker1973 Sounds like a skill issue

@Rainmaker1973 Safer and more controlled to back into a parking spot than out of it.

@iamjohndorn @potatoslav @mayukh_panja henleyglobal.com/passport-index… sorry, the US didn't even make the top 10

@potatoslav @mayukh_panja An American passport is basically the gold standard of passports anyway. That's not likely to change.

I have been here 9 + years and I became eligible for the German passport a year back. I could have applied for citizenship a year ago, but I did not. I have thought about this a lot and I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that I can’t do this. Because I don’t feel German. I know it is only a document, but at the end of the day I am Indian and it would feel odd to become German. I can’t relate to German stories, the history, the language and the culture. I can understand them, sure, but that is not the same as actually relating. I can blend in pretty easily in international culturally ambiguous settings in Berlin and scientific and tech circles but beyond that I can’t really integrate. I don’t feel anything when Germany loses or wins a football game. Sure I experience second hand happiness but beyond that nothing. An Indian World cup win would make me euphoric. And it would always be that way. I see myself as a friend of Germany but never truly one of Germany. It is a subtle but important distinction. But above all this, the most important thing is this: the moment I become a citizen I would be expected to align my ideals, values and ethos with those of Germany. And rightfully so. I, myself, wouldn’t feel comfortable being a new citizen and expect existing culture which has developed over centuries to adapt to my whims and fancies. I am perhaps too proud to enter such an unequal relationship. In India, even if my opinions do not resonate with the overwhelming majority I feel entitled to stand my ground and try to nudge things towards what I feel. I am a part of India. My opinions are by definition Indian opinions. You may not like them, but fuck you, they are. An Indian passport lets me have that entitlement. And inexplicably it matters a fucking lot to me.

@CobyValentine24 @robertojames192 @Republican_cad Not even remotely the same scope: worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankin…

@RagingInfidel @robertojames192 @Republican_cad same in canada with "free health care" if said incident is not covered or u need really expensive drugs that are not covered

"Canada's healthcare is so great" Try sitting on the dirty floor of a hospital with your sick 7 year old boy who's been puking profusely, can't walk or stand because he was just diagnosed with a rare symptom called myositis. No wheel chairs. No chairs available. So great.

@robertojames192 @CobyValentine24 @Republican_cad You can go broke with "insurance" as well, if the insurance company decides they don't cover something you need or something or someone isn't "in-network"

@CobyValentine24 @Republican_cad I agree, our health care system isnt what it used to be. I was simply pointing out that Americans pay taxes as well... and if you've been in an American hospital you'd know they have issues as well... and bonus, if ya dont have insurance, you can go broke paying your bill.

@Johngalt1991686 @gpatterson828 Had to scroll too far for someone to mention Coldplay.

@gpatterson828 Coldplay.Extremely generic sound.

@stats_feed New York above Athens or Vienna? Lol. New York is a lot of things, "pretty" isn't it.

Ranking of the most beautiful cities in the world: 1. 🇮🇹 Venice 2. 🇮🇹 Rome 3. 🇪🇸 Barcelona 4. 🇨🇿 Prague 5. 🇺🇸 New York 6. 🇬🇷 Athens 7. 🇭🇺 Budapest 8. 🇦🇹 Vienna 9. 🇫🇷 Bordeaux 10. 🇮🇹 Milan 11. 🇸🇪 Stockholm 12. 🇫🇷 Paris 13. 🇮🇹 Florence 14. 🇮🇱 Tel Aviv 15. 🇩🇰 Copenhagen 16. 🇲🇦 Marrakech 17. 🇺🇸 Chicago 18. 🇳🇱 Amsterdam 19. 🇩🇪 Berlin 20. 🇹🇷 Istanbul 21. 🇷🇺 St. Petersburg 22. 🇫🇷 Strasbourg 23. 🇦🇪 Dubai 24. 🇺🇸 Miami 25. 🇨🇳 Beijing Source: Online Mortgage Advisor

@davebabler @bloodylikeab0dy I use a kettle also, but a kettle on 120V vs 230V is a massive difference.

Are Europeans allergic to convenience

@CeaselessWatchr @oummoulhasan @Lexi_3188 The difference is night and day, sadly. 120V is ass... Especially combined with the world's worst plug/socket standard.

@oummoulhasan @Lexi_3188 i did not know this, that's so interesting

do americans actually microwave water for tea?

@NewtypeApologia @maiamindel Beat me to it

No, Austrian. The other one? Also Austrian. Third time's the charm, right? No, AUSTRIAN

@SkypeSpringham @maiamindel Goethe. Also musicians ... Bach, Beethoven, to start with.

@maiamindel I just started thinking of philosophers, Kant, Hegel, Marx, all Germans.

@lukafiroth @HamasCEO He's what stupid people think smart people sound like. A common error mistaking confidence for competence.

@HamasCEO Peterson is genuinely... the stupidest man I have ever seen. He is breathtakingly uninformed about... everything. His only skill seems to be the ability to speak with authority and use rhetorical devices to trip up those he debates, because he never debates in good faith.

He’s in hospice

@PsionicPsittacc @Cointel_hoe

@Cointel_hoe What about now? Did the claim-denial resume? If so with sufficient data it should be possible to calculate an optimal CEO burn rate for maximum life saving...