What is it like to live in ...

[hammerfan]

I have to comment on your rant about welfare because it hits close to home. My parents were divorced when I was growing up (they remarried when I was 18), and my father never paid child support. My mother couldn't afford to take him to court (we lived in PA and he lived in MO), so my childhood memories are of her working two, and sometimes three, jobs just to put food on the table and keep a halfway decent roof over our heads.

Before she got a second job, she applied for welfare and food stamps. She was told she made too much money (she was a bank teller) to get welfare, but she was able to get food stamps. After a while, they took the food stamps away from her, too. This really burned her up because, as a bank teller, it was her job to cash people's welfare checks. And they would come in to the bank in their fur coats, dripping jewels, or driving up to the drive-through teller in their Cadillacs and whatnot. And here's my mother just trying to keep her head above water.

[Sistinas666]

Originally Posted by hammerfan

I have to comment on your rant about welfare because it hits close to home. My parents were divorced when I was growing up (they remarried when I was 18), and my father never paid child support. My mother couldn't afford to take him to court (we lived in PA and he lived in MO), so my childhood memories are of her working two, and sometimes three, jobs just to put food on the table and keep a halfway decent roof over our heads.

Before she got a second job, she applied for welfare and food stamps. She was told she made too much money (she was a bank teller) to get welfare, but she was able to get food stamps. After a while, they took the food stamps away from her, too. This really burned her up because, as a bank teller, it was her job to cash people's welfare checks. And they would come in to the bank in their fur coats, dripping jewels, or driving up to the drive-through teller in their Cadillacs and whatnot. And here's my mother just trying to keep her head above water.

Exactly my point! Its almost like you are punished to work. Tonight I'm having meatloaf for supper but I know 1000's of welfare families out there tonight will be having steak.
Don't get me wrong, welfare does have its place but I think a single mother shouldn't have to work 3 jobs because 1 job disqualifies them from any kind of assistance. I'd like to see statistics on how much the welfare system is actually being abused.

[TheWickerFan]

After watching the news this morning, I wonder if the single person who is going to unite the country is Mitt Romney. Nobody seems to care for that filthy rich phony.

As we're on the subject of welfare cheats.

[Bob Gray]

Originally Posted by ManchestrMorgue

What is it like to live in the United States?

I ask because I have become a bit fascinated with the USA. It just seems like such a diverse country to me. Naturally we see lots of programs from the USA, but I imagine this does not give much of an idea of what it is like to really live in the USA.

I can imagine that the answer would be very different depending on which part of the USA that you live in.

So, for those of you that reside in the USA, I would be really interested in hearing you views on what it is like to live there (please include which part of the USA that you live in). Things like: what do you do for recreation; what are people's attitudes like; what are society's priorities; how easy/hard is it to get along financially; what are your communities like; and anything else that defines the place you live.

Unfortunately, I have never had a chance to visit the USA, so my only exposure has been through media, which rarely gives a good view of what it is like for an average person.

Please feel free to use this topic to ask others what it is like to live in their part of the world, if you are so inclined. I thought it would be interesting to share a bit of what it is like to live in our own parts of the world, what we like about it, and what we would like to see change.

I live in the Midwest, Indianapolis to be exact. The U.S. has pros and cons about living here. I think we tend to underestimate the amount of freedom we do have, it definitely is not a perfect system though. Healthcare sucks, the wealthy rule the country (nothing new to any other country I'm sure), we are constantly being lied to by all political parties, our prisons are over crowded because we imprison people for nonsense, I could go on and on. Yet, we also have the opportunities to become wealthy and make a name for ourselves, we have the freedom to speak out against what we don't like, we have the resources to find out the truth about matters, and we have the ability to unite together and change things hopefully for the better. This country was built on rebellion and it could definitely get to that point again. I hope not, but then again, the world is over-populated, lol.

Here in the Midwest, we have a lot of backwards thinking and christian fundamentalism as well as racism (It is not as bad as it used to be but it is still prevalent). We are not as health conscious or environmentally conscious as we should be either, it has been improving dramatically in the last few years though. We still have a lot of farm country but much of what we had has been plowed away to make room for urban development

Our cost of living is still fairly low compared to other regions but so are our wages.

Here in Indiana we don't have any beaches or mountains but we have plenty of wilderness and rolling hills especially in the southern part of the state, the northern part is relatively flat and makes up the majority of our farming areas.

I'd say we have just as much recreation as anywhere else, save instead of going to the beach, we go camping instead

We are a pretty close-knit bunch as well, everyone knows everyone else in small communities and towns. That's not to say that we our unfriendly to outsiders, in fact, I'd say that we have adopted a bit of that southern hospitality mentality.

Well that's all I've got.

[ManchestrMorgue]

Originally Posted by hammerfan

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 - but the amount varies from state to state. I know waiters and waitresses get less than that because they get tips.

And as far as prices of houses, that also varies region to region. The same house you get in the East Coast for $300,00 you could get in the Midwest for around $95K-$100K.

$7.25 - that is about $15K per year if you factor in a 40 hour week.

Do many people earn minimum wage (and not have tips etc to boost their income)?

What would the average wage be per year? And what would someone earn who is doing well (but not a movie star/CEO etc) earn?

[hammerfan]

Originally Posted by ManchestrMorgue

$7.25 - that is about $15K per year if you factor in a 40 hour week.

Do many people earn minimum wage (and not have tips etc to boost their income)?

What would the average wage be per year? And what would someone earn who is doing well (but not a movie star/CEO etc) earn?

Honestly, wages vary by region. People in the midwest don't make as much as people on the east coast or west coast, but the cost of living is less there. As far as what would someone earn that's well off? I have no idea - it's not me, I can tell you that. I'm not poor, but I live paycheck to paycheck, and constantly have to count my pennies.

[ManchestrMorgue]

Originally Posted by Sistinas666

Another thing that pisses me off about the US- how the welfare system works. Heres an example: when I was in college(many moons ago) I was a bag boy at a small grocery store. Being that close to the cashier its a bit hard to not notice how people pay. A couple I was bagging for used a vision card, no big deal right? Then I took their bags out to their early 70's cherry Corvette. I mean this thing had obviosly been painstakingly restored. They could afford that car but not groceries? I call bullshit. My wife and I both work, have 2 children and receive no welfare but I see welfare families with nicer things than us. I understand the economy is shit but its not impossible to find a job. They get their medical paid, free money and food, rent for seriosly, like 30 bucks a month. They will even buy you a vehicle and maintain it(atleast these are things I know they will do in Kansas). If I didn't have pride I'd say fuck this work shit and live the high life.

I thought that welfare was poor in the USA? Unless I am missing something it sounds like you have a more lucrative welfare system than we do. In Australia, people get welfare payments and subsidised housing. Either cheap public housing or rental assistance. They get money from the government but have to buy food/pay bills etc from that. Healthcare is obviously free. But they must show that they are looking for work (by attending interviews etc). That is for unemployment. Single parents can get a pension whilst their children are young. There is also an old age pension, and pensions for people with disabilities.

Another thing that pisses me off are taxes. In protest I haven't filed taxes since 2000(yes, I know I'll be in prison soon).

Be happy that you aren't paying 45% tax and also GST on purchases.

Land of the free? Then why the fuck can't I smoke in a bar? Its ok for people to destroy their livers but the lungs must be saved? The same with buying cigarretes at 18 but alcohol at 21. I think the smoking age should be 21 too. And I love the fact a kid can fight in a war before he can even buy a beer.

Similar thing here. Smoking is banned in pretty much all indoor venues, and some places are trying to ban smoking in outdoor places as well.

The thing is, the government will never ban outright the sale of tobacco products - too many taxes for them to lose out on. I think a packet of cigarettes here costs something like $10-$15 (it has been a really long time since I smoked). Most of that is taxes.

We also get highly taxed on alcohol as well...

Why the fuck do I have to wear a seat belt? Shouldn't it be my decision? Make seatbelts required for people up to 18 but adults? Bullshit. A few months ago I wasn't wearing my seatbelt so they pulled over my wife and ticketed me for $10. No big deal except they told my wife she had a suspended license(which was incorrect). She went to court with the proof she had a valid license the whole time, that they had made a mistake, yet they still refused to give her physical license back until she paid the 70 dollar court cost. What kind of horse shit is that? We paid for their mistake?:mad:

Come and live here. Always had to wear seatbelts.

Movies can't be sold here unless they have been rated by our classification board (and things get banned if they don't meet "public standards of decency"). We don't have an 18+ rating for video games, because those are just for kids, so the highest rating is 15+ and anything that is unsuitable is banned.

The police are revenue raisers that are right there when people travel 5km over the speed limit, but if someone robs your house, there is a reporting hotline to ring, and the police hardly ever attend. Minimal chance of real criminals getting caught, but do a burnout in your car and it will be impounded and possibly destroyed.

We have earned the label "The Nanny State"

[ManchestrMorgue]

Originally Posted by hammerfan

Honestly, wages vary by region. People in the midwest don't make as much as people on the east coast or west coast, but the cost of living is less there. As far as what would someone earn that's well off? I have no idea - it's not me, I can tell you that. I'm not poor, but I live paycheck to paycheck, and constantly have to count my pennies.

Can an average person afford to buy a house of their own? I mean with a mortgage, not outright of course?

Because in Sydney (and to a lesser extent some other parts of Australia) this is becoming less common, with lots of people renting their whole lives - including people with reasonable jobs.

Put it this way - a cheap apartment in the Sydney area (not a nice part of Sydney or very close to the CBD) may cost in the vicinity of $300-$350K. To get a loan you would need 10% deposit and stamp duty. so about $40K. Conveyancing and other costs will add a few thousand. So you need $40-45K in savings just to enter the market.

There is a first home buyers grant that the government gives out to first home buyers of $7k but that is still a fair way off what you need.

It would be hard to save that whilst paying rent and expenses.

[fortunato]

Originally Posted by ManchestrMorgue

What are you studying at school? And what will it cost you to complete a degree? And how much do people pay for primary and high school?

We used to have free university in Australia. No longer. When I went to university (early 90's) I paid about $3000 a year for tuition (books etc were on top of that). It is probably triple that now (if not more - I haven't looked at the costs for a while).

What you said about living in Chicago - great things to do culturally - this is what I imagine one of the great things about living in the USA would be. Lots of things to do, if you are so inclined. I hear things on this board sometimes about movie screenings of classic films, about conventions and the like. We don't get those sort of things very often (hardly ever) in Australia. I imagine it would be great to live in a country big enough an wealthy enough to support these sort of niche interests.

Well, I'm studying cinematography. I don't really want to say how much I'm going to owe by the time I'm done, but I will say a four-year degree at my school, on average, costs around $80,000.
As far as primary and high school, there's no base attendance cost. However, there are various fees and costs for supplies and the like.

Now, about Chicago, it's definitely true that it is a city in which you can find plenty of great events to attend: independent, classic, and cult film screenings; great shows, music and theatrical; amazing food and the like. That's certainly not everywhere, though. There are plenty of places, even some bigger cities around the US, that are mainly devoid of those cultural events.

[fortunato]

Originally Posted by Bob Gray

I live in the Midwest, Indianapolis to be exact. The U.S. has pros and cons about living here. I think we tend to underestimate the amount of freedom we do have, it definitely is not a perfect system though. Healthcare sucks, the wealthy rule the country (nothing new to any other country I'm sure), we are constantly being lied to by all political parties, our prisons are over crowded because we imprison people for nonsense, I could go on and on. Yet, we also have the opportunities to become wealthy and make a name for ourselves, we have the freedom to speak out against what we don't like, we have the resources to find out the truth about matters, and we have the ability to unite together and change things hopefully for the better. This country was built on rebellion and it could definitely get to that point again. I hope not, but then again, the world is over-populated, lol.

Here in the Midwest, we have a lot of backwards thinking and christian fundamentalism as well as racism (It is not as bad as it used to be but it is still prevalent). We are not as health conscious or environmentally conscious as we should be either, it has been improving dramatically in the last few years though. We still have a lot of farm country but much of what we had has been plowed away to make room for urban development

Our cost of living is still fairly low compared to other regions but so are our wages.

Here in Indiana we don't have any beaches or mountains but we have plenty of wilderness and rolling hills especially in the southern part of the state, the northern part is relatively flat and makes up the majority of our farming areas.

I'd say we have just as much recreation as anywhere else, save instead of going to the beach, we go camping instead

We are a pretty close-knit bunch as well, everyone knows everyone else in small communities and towns. That's not to say that we our unfriendly to outsiders, in fact, I'd say that we have adopted a bit of that southern hospitality mentality.

Well that's all I've got.

I spent the second half of my childhood in Indy. What area are you from?