USA vs UK: On The Matter of the Settlement

[Esternial]

Switzerland, if I could manage to negotiate working remotely from Belgium. An approximate minimum of 80-90K euro a year for a software engineer profile like mine does not sound bad.

[Page]

Assuming that in this scenario I'm otherwise the same person IRL, it would have to be America because the substance I need to maintain my mental health is illegal in the UK and I don't want to have to choose between risking going to jail and being constantly miserable. Also it would be LA specifically because it's the only city of those listed that has enjoyable weather.

What the UK has going for it is that it's more vape friendly than any of those US cities and the governments in the US are doing everything possible to force vapers back to cigarettes because they want those Master Settlement Agreement funds back. I could probably quit vaping though if I put some effort into it.

Edinburgh would be cool because I've liked every Scot I've known and Scottish accents are a big turn on for me, but the weather would make me suicidal. Even if I could take home sexy Scots from pubs every night, the shit weather outweighs it.

Of course with America, I have to worry about health care costs bankrupting me but the UK might lose that perk as the Conservatives are starving the NHS of funds trying to make it fall apart so they can push for privatization. In a decade or two, the UK might be in the same boat as America with health care.

Police in the UK are way less likely to murder me. But I have always hoped to get a gun and shoot at ranges just for fun, and that would only be an option in America.

I'll pick LA but every choice has major downsides.

[The Free Joy State]

London because UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE

That's all the UK options.

Except that Edinburgh also has free prescriptions, eye exams and dental check ups because Scotland runs its own version of the NHS.

That's why I kind of lean towards Edinburgh. Although, I like the culture around Manchester; having visited, I can also think of some good gluten-free places to eat without having to rely on chains... so that's good for me.

Manchester or Edinburgh... tough call.

The USA is out, purely for the cost of healthcare.

[CoraSpia]

That's all the UK options.

Except that Edinburgh also has free prescriptions, eye exams and dental check ups because Scotland runs its own version of the NHS.

That's why I kind of lean towards Edinburgh. Although, I like the culture around Manchester; having visited, I can also think of some good gluten-free places to eat without having to rely on chains... so that's good for me.

Manchester or Edinburgh... tough call.

The USA is out, purely for the cost of healthcare.

As someone who has lived in both, I vastly prefer Edinburgh. The only thing that Manchester has going for it over Edinburgh is that they get all the tours from major artists, whereas a lot of them will only do one Scottish show and it'll be Glasgow.

[Saiwania]

The USA is out, purely for the cost of healthcare.

If you have health insurance that will pay for some things, or simply never go to the doctor or hospital for anything, it isn't a problem.

I have a very dim view of the medical professions because its a rip off more often than not, and a Doctor isn't omniscient- they don't truly know what's wrong with someone any better than a technology professional knows whats going wrong with a server or PC. They order expensive tests to try to figure it out. That is why they're called a practicing Physician. They're practicing on someone and don't truly know what to do until later, after they have a narrowed set of results/symptoms to work with.

Its a good job to have in that its high income, but God help you if you're a patient that's not already economically well off. Because it'll cost the patient too much or the government or the insurer depending on who's paying.

You're no worse off in using Google to try to make your own diagnosises and do something about it on your own. A Doctor is only ever needed if you're truly injured or need to be prescribed some medicine that you want.

[The Free Joy State]

The USA is out, purely for the cost of healthcare.

If you have health insurance that will pay for some things, or simply never go to the doctor for anything, it isn't a problem.

I have a very dim view of the medical professions because its a rip off more often than not, and a Doctor isn't omniscient- they don't truly know what's wrong with someone any better than a technology professional knows whats going wrong with a server or PC. They order expensive tests to try to figure it out. That is why they're called a practicing physician. They're practicing on someone and don't truly know what to do until later, after they have a narrowed set of results/symptoms to work with.

Its a good job to have in that its high income, but God help you if you're a patient that's not already economically well off. Because it'll cost the patient too much or the government or the insurer depending on who's paying.

You're no worse off in using Google to try to make your own diagnosises and do something about it on your own. A Doctor is only ever needed if you're truly injured or need to be prescribed some medicine that you want need to live.

FTFY.

Some of us would rather not play Russian roulette with our health, thank you very much.

[Drongonia]

FTFY.

Some of us would rather not play Russian roulette with out health, thank you very much.

This

[The Federated Soviets of North America]

I honestly want to move to NYC irl, but at the same time, I know I would probably be better off in Edinburgh.

[Saiwania]

Some of us would rather not play Russian roulette with our health, thank you very much.

Many people in my country are complaining about some "Opiod crisis" but I'm not effected by it one bit. Because whilst some doctors pushed poison onto people for pain relief or whatever other minor health problems people had and they just accepted what they were given, I opted out of anything and avoided the whole mess entirely.

Looks like I was wiser in not trusting the pharmaceuticals or anyone else who could conceivably be in the conspiracy.

[SD_Film Artists]

None of the above, city living is shit.

This^

But if I had to choose I'd say Edinburgh as it has beautiful architecture as well as not having all the crime and 'oyster card' nonsense of London. The USA is tempting with its liberal gun & traffic laws* but its healthcare and worker's rights are 3rd world compared to Europe.

*except the lack of legal motorcycle lane splitting. When done sensibly it actually reduces road accidents and increases traffic flow yet it's illegal in most US states. California does allow it but then you'll still have the problem of.. living in California.

[Old Tyrannia]

Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities in the world, and it's also frequently listed as one of the best places to live in the UK, so really it's a no brainer.

[Bombadil]

I like the sun and sea so there’s only one choice for me and that’s LA, specifically southern LA and even more specifically Hermosa Beach.

One might argue SF but the micro-climate is all over the place and I’m not a big fan of SF anyway.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

America would be okay if it wasn't for their policing system, their prison system, their healthcare system, their political system, the guns, the racism, the religiosity, and the militarism.

[Alien Overlord]

America would be okay if it wasn't for their policing system, their prison system, their healthcare system, their political system, the guns, the racism, the religiosity, and the militarism.

What's wrong with guns? And that militarism keeps much of the free world safe so it can't be that bad.

[Saiwania]

Weather wise, San Francisco might have the best weather out of the US cities given as choices. Rarely below 39°F or above 83°F.

[An Alan Smithee Nation]

America would be okay if it wasn't for their policing system, their prison system, their healthcare system, their political system, the guns, the racism, the religiosity, and the militarism.

What's wrong with guns? And that militarism keeps much of the free world safe so it can't be that bad.

Let's not turn this into a gun thread.

[Dowaesk]

Seems like people prefer the UK to USA. I can get why. I myself would definitely prefer UK. If I were to choose from those cities in UK I would go for Manchester (maybe)

[New haven america]

Ireland.

That way I get EU citizenship.

[Radiatia]

Speaking from experience I prefer the USA 1000 times over to the UK. The UK is crowded, cold and people aren't particularly nice there. If depression was a place, it would be the UK.

The USA admittedly depends on where you are - I'm not a fan of New York City, but the time I spent in Los Angeles was some of the happiest in my life. The weather was great, people were nice and while it's expensive by US standards, compared to where I came from (which was New Zealand) is was remarkably cheap and I had opportunities I never got anywhere else.

Frankly once the pandemic blows over I want to go back.

[Countesia]

Probably Edinburgh, it's the least shittiest to live on this list.

If anywhere, I'd rather emigrate to Australia or Singapore.

[The New California Republic]

Edinburgh because it's closest. I'd just need to travel down the road on a very short journey to get there.

[Chan Island]

Please consider the following hypothetical:

You are an average member of the middle class; you are a college graduate with just a little work experience but not much. You have no family.

You must choose to either live in the USA or the UK. In both scenarios, you’d have to job hunt, find a place to rent, save up, and try to “make it.”

For the UK option, you have a choice between three cities: London, Manchester, Edinburgh.

For the USA, you have a choice between four cities: New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles.

Consider all factors including but not limited to cost of living, convenience, economic opportunities, culture/lifestyle, and other tangibles and intangibles.

Which city fo you choose? What’s important to you in your choice?

I choose London.

My reasoning is UK is better because I would feel safer without the guns. Though things may be more expensive, I dearly value the architectural style of London. The rain is a huge huge huge downside but not enough to mitigate the advantages. I chose London instead of the other cities because it was once the heart of a great empire and I would take pride in living in such a historically important city.

Music stops.

Yup, that is me. Reading my own life described as a choice in an IM hypothetical. In a thread where everyone was describing the pros and cons of living the exact life I was living. What have I become? Am a joke? A story? A fiction serving only as fodder for others to ponder over. Here's how it happened....

... London's pretty nifty it has to be said. People give it a bad rap but it's got a hell of lot of charm, and the sheer happening of that place is exhilarating.

So, um, by virtue of experience, I can confidentially say I'd choose London. Because that's what I chose in real life.

[Kilobugya]

UK - London. I like big cities, the bigger the better. And no way I would like in USA, even if UK politics is somewhat sh*tty especially since Brexit, it's nowhere as bad as USA. And I hate both cars and guns, two things way too omnipresent in USA. In UK even most cops aren't armed !

[Dakini]

Some of us would rather not play Russian roulette with our health, thank you very much.

Many people in my country are complaining about some "Opiod crisis" but I'm not effected by it one bit. Because whilst some doctors pushed poison onto people for pain relief or whatever other minor health problems people had and they just accepted what they were given, I opted out of anything and avoided the whole mess entirely.

Looks like I was wiser in not trusting the pharmaceuticals or anyone else who could conceivably be in the conspiracy.

Yeah, shocking how making medicine for-profit results in pharmaceutical companies bribing doctors to give people all the opioids and whatever other pharmaceuticals as much as possible.

There's are reasons the USA has an opioid crisis and most other highly developed countries do not.

[Mercatus]

None of the above. All of those cities in the US are shitholes in blue states, and other countries are even worse.