America has by far the highest standard of living in the world

jamin wrote:

You go into a mini mart in Europe and the only drink options you have are like Coke, diet Coke, Fanta (orange) and Sprite. In America you go into a mini mart and there are about 50 options of soda, 12 options of energy drinks. Grocery store in America has an entire aisle dedicated to cereal. We have this place we go to called Costco where instead of shopping carts you push around a giant pallet.

Another thing is cities. In any other country in the world, there is 1, maybe 2, major cities where you can find employment. Everything else is small villages with no restaurants, maybe a pub. In America everyone is highly mobile and has about 20 options of major cities to live, plus the "suburbs" where there are these things called "neighborhoods" (the concept doesn't exist in other countries), plus of course plenty of small towns.

Average Joe in America can own an SUV and giant house and take his family out to eat 2x per week at Applebee's. Unthinkable in any other country.

Best health care system in the world. It's almost a miracle how unhealthy we are and yet we have the technology to keep them alive till their 70s or 80s. We even get advertisements on TV for drugs to ask our doctor about. In countries with socialized medicine, if you want some heart or brain medication, the system makes you visit a general practionioner and there's a very high bar to get referred to a specialist and get perscribed a medication and you might have to wait months and months. In the U.S., you can go straight to any doctor and he'll be happy to provide any necessary or unnecessary service you want to pay for.

jamin wrote:

You go into a mini mart in Europe and the only drink options you have are like Coke, diet Coke, Fanta (orange) and Sprite. In America you go into a mini mart and there are about 50 options of soda, 12 options of energy drinks. Grocery store in America has an entire aisle dedicated to cereal. We have this place we go to called Costco where instead of shopping carts you push around a giant pallet.

Another thing is cities. In any other country in the world, there is 1, maybe 2, major cities where you can find employment. Everything else is small villages with no restaurants, maybe a pub. In America everyone is highly mobile and has about 20 options of major cities to live, plus the "suburbs" where there are these things called "neighborhoods" (the concept doesn't exist in other countries), plus of course plenty of small towns.

Average Joe in America can own an SUV and giant house and take his family out to eat 2x per week at Applebee's. Unthinkable in any other country.

Best health care system in the world. It's almost a miracle how unhealthy we are and yet we have the technology to keep them alive till their 70s or 80s. We even get advertisements on TV for drugs to ask our doctor about. In countries with socialized medicine, if you want some heart or brain medication, the system makes you visit a general practionioner and there's a very high bar to get referred to a specialist and get perscribed a medication and you might have to wait months and months. In the U.S., you can go straight to any doctor and he'll be happy to provide any necessary or unnecessary service you want to pay for.

SeattleSilver wrote:

jamin wrote:

You go into a mini mart in Europe and the only drink options you have are like Coke, diet Coke, Fanta (orange) and Sprite. In America you go into a mini mart and there are about 50 options of soda, 12 options of energy drinks. Grocery store in America has an entire aisle dedicated to cereal. We have this place we go to called Costco where instead of shopping carts you push around a giant pallet.

Another thing is cities. In any other country in the world, there is 1, maybe 2, major cities where you can find employment. Everything else is small villages with no restaurants, maybe a pub. In America everyone is highly mobile and has about 20 options of major cities to live, plus the "suburbs" where there are these things called "neighborhoods" (the concept doesn't exist in other countries), plus of course plenty of small towns.

Average Joe in America can own an SUV and giant house and take his family out to eat 2x per week at Applebee's. Unthinkable in any other country.

Best health care system in the world. It's almost a miracle how unhealthy we are and yet we have the technology to keep them alive till their 70s or 80s. We even get advertisements on TV for drugs to ask our doctor about. In countries with socialized medicine, if you want some heart or brain medication, the system makes you visit a general practionioner and there's a very high bar to get referred to a specialist and get perscribed a medication and you might have to wait months and months. In the U.S., you can go straight to any doctor and he'll be happy to provide any necessary or unnecessary service you want to pay for.

Some of the things you mention aren't related to quality of life. But as for some of you other comments:

1. In Germany you can live in Berlin, Munich or along the string of metropolises along the western edge (Dortmund, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, among others). In Italy there is Rome, Milan, Naples, Genoa, Turin, Venice, and Florence, among others. The UK has London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburg, Glasgow, and Newcastle. And there are many "neighborhoods" and suburbs associated with those cities.

2. US medical technology is great, but our delivery system is deeply flawed which is one of the reasons the US is so unhealthy. And apparently in many of those European countries with free or subsidized public medical care, you also can see a private practitioner is you are willing to pay for it.

3. In many European cities it is not uncommon to eat out several times a week. The notion that going to or from the restaurant in a big SUV is a quality of life indicator is absurd.

4. And if quality of life includes walkable cities and neighborhoods and decent public transportation, the US drops far down the list.