How your income stacks up

[Sheilbh]

This is Languish 

Yeah.  To be honest, though, I get the sense that you're reading through a filter of pre-judgements rather than things as they are.

Americans here denigrate my system and europeans in general all the time. I wouldn't write something like that anywhere else.

But they're pulled up on them when they're wrong and many of them at least make it funny.

Edit:  Actually I'd say most Euro-denigration comes from self-loathing Euros on Languish.

[The Brain]

Rent control is retarded and should be ended if people had any sense. And what the fuck is wrong with gentrification? I don't want to fucking live with poor people. In Sweden only losers are poor.

[Pat]

Yep, there are many problems and there is a lot of abuse. There are many problems with the system. I might add I'm renting my apartment in second-hand, while the first-hand contract owner is in the US working on a doctorate in neurobiology (which I understand should take 4 more years or something like that). While I don't think I'm abusing the system, it's true I wouldn't have been able to get it without connections.

Your a Stockholm lad aint you?

Think about those who come to study here and are from the other parts of the country....or even worse from out of the country. Didnt we have some sort of tent village a year back or so for students from abroad? Disgrace is what it is....

But never mind me. I´m just a tad bit bitter about being sick as a dog the day before new years. Looks like I wont make that party.....

Well, students from abroad, even those from countries outside the EU, receive the same subsidised student housing as everyone else in addition to free education. Which is why they come here in the first place. We are already very generous, perhaps too generous. I agree we should build more student housing, though.

[Cecil]

I might add that the Swedish system is immensely preferrable, for the following reasons:

1) It is more meritocratic, because admission is based only on merits, and in no way on how much money your parents have (which I personally find quite disgusting).

2) In the American system, the educated are made slaves to the free market, because they accumulate large student loans they can only pay back by making money in the free market. There is no free market of ideas for educated americans; at the very least, it is subject to very strong incentives and punishments.

3) I assume it's more cost-efficient from a societal stand-point. I would be interested in a comparison of years of education/capita and cost of education/capita between Sweden and America.

4) At the very least the quality of education isn't worse. The best education in a country of 9 million will never be as good as the best education in a country of 300 million, but I think we do alright for our size, and I would be very interested in hearing an argument of why our system leads to lower quality of education - I've never heard such an argument, and I don't think it could be made.

1) Do you really believe American universities (and particularly law schools) admit on the basis of how much a persons parents earn in income or are you just used to posting on the Paradox OT where this kind of silliness is accepted?

2) Were you on drugs when you posted this?  What the hell does being a slave to the free market mean?  Again, acceptable on the Paradox OT but you are going to have to do better then spout some meaningless jargon to make a point here.

3) Given the average income you say is available I would say you are going to be a slave to the State and I would be much more concerned about you then I am about our American friends

4) Actually, given the reasoning in your post, I have my doubts about the quality of the education you recieved.  Sounds to me like the State has you very well trained into thinking you actually have a good deal.

You would have a good time reading the "readers comments" when articles about the US are posted in our major mags.....

[Cecil]

Yep, there are many problems and there is a lot of abuse. There are many problems with the system. I might add I'm renting my apartment in second-hand, while the first-hand contract owner is in the US working on a doctorate in neurobiology (which I understand should take 4 more years or something like that). While I don't think I'm abusing the system, it's true I wouldn't have been able to get it without connections.

Your a Stockholm lad aint you?

Think about those who come to study here and are from the other parts of the country....or even worse from out of the country. Didnt we have some sort of tent village a year back or so for students from abroad? Disgrace is what it is....

But never mind me. I´m just a tad bit bitter about being sick as a dog the day before new years. Looks like I wont make that party.....

Well, students from abroad, even those from countries outside the EU, receive the same subsidised student housing as everyone else in addition to free education. Which is why they come here in the first place. We are already very generous, perhaps too generous. I agree we should build more student housing, though.

I´d prefer we ditched the free education part tbh if it ment we could get some better education going but knowing the wastrels at goverment level I already know that would be a futile thing.

[Pat]

This is Languish 

Yeah.  To be honest, though, I get the sense that you're reading through a filter of pre-judgements rather than things as they are.

Maybe, but I'm always happy to change my opinion if I'm convinced I'm wrong.

Americans here denigrate my system and europeans in general all the time. I wouldn't write something like that anywhere else.

But they're pulled up on them when they're wrong and many of them at least make it funny.

Edit:  Actually I'd say most Euro-denigration comes from self-loathing Euros on Languish.
[/quote]


Feel free to pull me up on it if I'm wrong, and yes, I know this is a very right-wing forum, and most Euros here are Euros who don't like the European welfare-states, for example - which runs the risk of Americans only hearing one side of the story from Europeans. While I might be frank, I write what I write in the interest of transatlantic understanding, and I don't think I have been rude by the standards of this forum.

[The Brain]

I don't think I have been rude by the standards of this forum.

Then try harder FFS.

[Pat]

Cecil: I think article comments are retarded everywhere. I like our free education (but I could very well see it more restricted)

[The Brain]

Something given has no value.

[Pat]

It can have

[The Brain]

Can not.

[Pat]

Whatever

[The Brain]

I won.

[Pat]

Yes, you did. Congratulations.

[The Brain]

Yes, you did. Congratulations.

I'm touching myself with joy.