2 ms·

I believe that those regulated domains are generally much more expensive in all those countries, no?

by nickpp 5y ago

oblio 5y ago
You don't need to believe anything, you can check for yourself. The numbers are easily available online. Healthcare is 2-3-4 times <<more expensive in the US>>. Education is generally <<free or very cheap outside the US>>. Housing is expensive outside the US, too, a bit less so. I feel the problem is not regulation in the US, it's that you half ass it. Americans are all about "rugged individualism" and "small government" when advanced societies are advanced because large groups of people work well together, which is the opposite of individualism. I've been in places where there is an extreme emphasis on individualism and they generally they don't look good (for example Eastern Europe does it due to a huge negative legacy of forced collectivism).
- nickpp 5y ago
  Nothing is "free" anywhere - it's just paid from a different pocket. From people's taxes in those "other" countries. And the quality of state-provided healthcare is significantly worse than in US. Most people with means get private medical insurance skipping the one purchased by their taxes entirely. Eastern Europe has two huge problem completely overshadowing their advantage from less regulation: a strong culture of corruption instilled by the years of communism and a gigantic brain drain to a west more than happy to lower their own costs (in health care as well) with the best of the cheap, highly educated Eastern workforce.
  - oblio 5y ago
    If the tax burden is 10% more but you pay 2-3-4-10x less, your point is moot. And countries with comparable stats like waiting times pay less overall. Don't die on this hill, it's not worth it.
    - nickpp 5y ago
      Living in Eastern Europe, I am paying both the tax burden AND private medical insurance and care since I do not want to end up in state hospitals. I would much rather live in the USA and pay private insurance enjoying the standard of care there. It's the hill I live on, so I will probably die here.
      - oblio 5y ago
        Well, do what all reasonable Eastern Europeans do and go to an OECD country minus Mexico or Hungary or so :-))
        nickpp 5y ago
        I did that for a while, but I'd rather be part of the solution: I can do much more good and help many more people over here. And I also do not enjoy the hard left turn of the recent Western politics. Although I am sure they will realize their mistake eventually and turn back to the principles that brought their prosperity - I am afraid it will be a bumpy ride.
- mrep 5y ago
  The US has the 3rd lowest housing price to income ratio [0]. You just need to avoid the west coast and northeast and you can find plenty of affordable housing [1]. [0]: https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/rankings_by_country.jsp https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/rankings_by_count... [1]: https://www.supermoney.com/inflation-adjusted-home-prices/ https://www.supermoney.com/inflation-adjusted-home-prices/
  - oblio 5y ago
    Interesting.
  - deadbunny 5y ago
    How does the availability of jobs/salaries map to that though? Sure you might be able to buy a 2000sqft house for $40k but what salary are you on?
- cheeseomlit 5y ago
  I do think our regulation is half-assed, but that's mostly due to corruption and regulatory capture. I don't think it has anything to do with our penchant for rugged individualism, and far more to do with price-fixing healthcare cartels, cronyism, a ridiculously broken healthcare insurance system, and lawmakers who have been lobbied hard to not break up these schemes. Regulations have to actually be enforced (not selectively) to do any good, and they have to be created by people without perverse incentives. Small government is not the problem, it's corrupt government

I believe that those regulated domains are generally much more expensive in all those countries, no?

by nickpp 5y ago

I believe that those regulated domains are generally much more expensive in all those countries, no?

You don't need to believe anything, you can check for yourself. The numbers are easily available online. Healthcare is 2-3-4 times <<more expensive in the US>>. Education is generally <<free or very cheap outside the US>>. Housing is expensive outside the US, too, a bit less so. I feel the problem is not regulation in the US, it's that you half ass it. Americans are all about "rugged individualism" and "small government" when advanced societies are advanced because large groups of people work well together, which is the opposite of individualism. I've been in places where there is an extreme emphasis on individualism and they generally they don't look good (for example Eastern Europe does it due to a huge negative legacy of forced collectivism).

nickpp 5y ago
Nothing is "free" anywhere - it's just paid from a different pocket. From people's taxes in those "other" countries. And the quality of state-provided healthcare is significantly worse than in US. Most people with means get private medical insurance skipping the one purchased by their taxes entirely. Eastern Europe has two huge problem completely overshadowing their advantage from less regulation: a strong culture of corruption instilled by the years of communism and a gigantic brain drain to a west more than happy to lower their own costs (in health care as well) with the best of the cheap, highly educated Eastern workforce.
- oblio 5y ago
  If the tax burden is 10% more but you pay 2-3-4-10x less, your point is moot. And countries with comparable stats like waiting times pay less overall. Don't die on this hill, it's not worth it.
  - nickpp 5y ago
    Living in Eastern Europe, I am paying both the tax burden AND private medical insurance and care since I do not want to end up in state hospitals. I would much rather live in the USA and pay private insurance enjoying the standard of care there. It's the hill I live on, so I will probably die here.
    - oblio 5y ago
      Well, do what all reasonable Eastern Europeans do and go to an OECD country minus Mexico or Hungary or so :-))
      - nickpp 5y ago
        I did that for a while, but I'd rather be part of the solution: I can do much more good and help many more people over here. And I also do not enjoy the hard left turn of the recent Western politics. Although I am sure they will realize their mistake eventually and turn back to the principles that brought their prosperity - I am afraid it will be a bumpy ride.
mrep 5y ago
The US has the 3rd lowest housing price to income ratio [0]. You just need to avoid the west coast and northeast and you can find plenty of affordable housing [1]. [0]: https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/rankings_by_country.jsp https://www.numbeo.com/property-investment/rankings_by_count... [1]: https://www.supermoney.com/inflation-adjusted-home-prices/ https://www.supermoney.com/inflation-adjusted-home-prices/
- oblio 5y ago
  Interesting.
- deadbunny 5y ago
  How does the availability of jobs/salaries map to that though? Sure you might be able to buy a 2000sqft house for $40k but what salary are you on?
cheeseomlit 5y ago
I do think our regulation is half-assed, but that's mostly due to corruption and regulatory capture. I don't think it has anything to do with our penchant for rugged individualism, and far more to do with price-fixing healthcare cartels, cronyism, a ridiculously broken healthcare insurance system, and lawmakers who have been lobbied hard to not break up these schemes. Regulations have to actually be enforced (not selectively) to do any good, and they have to be created by people without perverse incentives. Small government is not the problem, it's corrupt government