Yes, that is the swedish “Air Force One” that normally only the king and the ministers use. He could have flown 10x cheaper and just as comfortably on a first class ticket, but our prime minister (i guess) wanted to pull off a movie-like gesture. I wonder if Bush even heard of it.
I wonder what he would say if we snatched a random american somewhere in the world where we have UN troops and placed him in a cage on the Gotland regiment to rot for two years…
To be honest, I think Bush would thank Sweden for its cooperation and support in the war on terror, particularly if that American were arrested while with a group of Al Qaida fighters retreating from the battle in the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan, like the Swedish man was.
I wonder what kind of excuse he would have for hanging out with a bunch of these guys in a remote Afghani battleground? “Just passing through, don’t mind me.”
I think to hold anyone for 2 years without due process ( meaning a trial or at least a hearing ) is not good policy. That completely contradicts our beliefs in the United States. I understand the need for security but, if we give up our freedom in the name of security then “they”win. To be honest I do not know anything about the above case. Since he was released one can only assume the government felt that they could not prove any wrongdoing in that case.
I think to hold anyone for 2 years without due process ( meaning a trial or at least a hearing ) is not good policy. That completely contradicts our beliefs in the united states. I understand the need for security but, if we give up our freedom in the name of security then “they”win. To be honest I do not know anything about the above case. Since he was released one can only assume the government felt that they could not prove any wrongdoing in that case.
Anyway to get back on topic:
The debate was about the quality of life in the US v.s. Europe.
We have had a few people talk about what life in the US is like but, how about Europeans? How would you describe your quality of life?
yes but was the swedish guy arrested during the “war on terror” or the war with afghanistan (or more correctly the talibans) ?
To me, “the war on terror” feels like the endless war used to justify certain behaviour…
Generally I would say I feel very safe in Sweden with all the “social safety nets” . So safe it’s almost boring
I go to college and work. Even get paid to go to college (student grant, around $320 a month while studying) which is a huge contrast to the US where I get the impression that people have to work and save money for college ?
What I don’t like about Sweden is that authorities and politicians are a bit old fashion and not very open minded to new ideas.
The swedish way of living is basically:
Go to your work, pay your taxes and we’ll help you if you have any problems. But don’t stand out too much.
The climate in europe is a huge reason for so few having A.C… Most people in north europe dont need any A.C, cause the climate/summer season is just too cold/short, so many people see it as a waste of money.
There is also a difference between poor americans and swedes… In sweden you have a right to have a house, no matter how poor you are, while in US these same people will have to live out on the street. Also you have free health care in most eu countries, so the living standard for the poor is better than a poor person in america.
The summer in scandinavia only last for 3 months usually, which is june, jule and august, and even then the temps are quite chilly compared to warm countries… Like this years summer has been absolutely horrible, not even been over 20c in july where i live… “middle of norway”
Right now the temp is a whole 13c here
A warm day is considered 20c and upwards, but it is quite rare the temps raise much over 30s. The southern europe is quite hot though 30-40s, and most people do have aircondition there.
I find that quite sick aswell I also heard that you must have a house to work legally aswell, which means you will be in a endless bad circle… You cannot afford a home without a job, and you cannot get a job without a home
Well it could be true, why not, but remember all things are often from what angle u look at it.
Take me for example i have cystic fybrosis and need expensive medication.
Also hospital bills…in usa my insurance would kick me unless i would have a good income with is with this decease not so easy. My lungs always go down in time more and more. Here in the netherlands the goverment pays for most of that, in usa lol i would died. Witch hospital would take me or witch insurance would pay for my medications or for a cystic fybrosis specialist. Every plus has also a minus and visa versa
So for the ppl at the wrong side of the coin usa isnt so good as for me here in the netherlands. Often there is no just one side to truth but it has more sides then just one to look at it. And all those sides are part of the total picture. Usa also has some advantages like lower taxes etc.
There is no system at this moment in the world that only has advantages to others.
The life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 34 years. It’s probably because of HIV.
Monitor199a: We will probably never know what the swede was doing. His story is he travelled with a travel companion in Pakistan, and was convinced to follow him into Afghanistan. When he understood how dangerous it was he left and went back into Pakistan where he was captured by pakistanis who sold him for money to the Pakistani police, who in turn gave him to the americans.
The abvious question is what the hell he was doing going into a country at war. I doubt he will ever answer that question. He is hiding now because of threats fro people over his luxurious transport back to sweden…
I am not sure but, I do not think it works quite that way. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. The way I believe it works is, if you are homeless then the government will provide you with a place to live. An actual apartment, not just stuff you into an over crowded and under funded shelter ( like we do)where all sorts of bad things happen to people. There fore there is not an endless cycle like you mentioned
Anyway, lets say someone had an income of $1,370.00 (US) per month after taxes in any of the European countries. How well could that person live off that income. Would they be able to afford shelter, food, transportation, etc. and still have anything left to save.
I just thought I would resurrect this old thread because I have talked with Q a lot about moving to the US. It seems that a lot of people from the Netherlands want to move to the US and lots of people from the US want to move to the Netherlands. Yet the cost of living in both places seems to be the same.
(student grant, around $320 a month while studying) which is a huge contrast to the US where I get the impression that people have to work and save money for college ?
