Unless you have serious jobs already lined up? As bad as Italy is (and I can add to your list but won't) the US right now is a shit hole. No money here? Honey you are rich beyond your wildest dreams compared to how it will be stateside.
My friends regularly send me pictures of prices in the grocery store. September one of those plas…
Unless you have serious jobs already lined up? As bad as Italy is (and I can add to your list but won't) the US right now is a shit hole. No money here? Honey you are rich beyond your wildest dreams compared to how it will be stateside.
My friends regularly send me pictures of prices in the grocery store. September one of those plastic cartons of fresh spinach was 8.99. Last week 9.99 ON SALE. This was in Arizona where they grow this stuff so there is no transportation tax.
Housing. There is this ýoutube guy goes around NYC asks people what they pay in rent and then tours the apartments. 1800 to 2000 for an apartment with the EXACT SAME DIMENSIONS as a prison cell. 8x10 feet not meters. The 2k one is 10x12. Take a look at them. John's not big enough for 2? Probably a mansion compared yo US.
Taxes. Yes Italy's top rate is 43%. But we all know nobody pays that. First of all find me anyone in Italy with the exception of Tom Ford and Clooney who make 50k. Also that 23 to 43 %rate is inclusive.
Let me count the ways that 43% saves you money. Self employed in US 13% on top of income tax for social security. Work for a company they pay half you pay half. PLUS another 6% for Medicare. Oh did I forget health insurance? I worked for the post office. Not the 800 pound gorilla in the room its the 8000 pound gorilla. Largest private employer in the USA. My currently employed USPS friends? Their monthly premium average cost among all providers is 350 a month. Other companies? 500 a month. Self employed? 1000 a month even with Obama care. And that is why about 25% of Americans have no health coverage.
Even with the platinum plans. Deductibles and co-pays? Mine averaged $4000 a year. And the insurance company decides what I get to have in terms of care, not my doctor. That's with dual coverage. My husband's employer Gannet provided insurance too. Adding him to my plan and me to his proved cheaper than single premiums in terms of uncovered costs like those deductibles I mentioned. Our final years stateside I counted every penny spent on medical. Turns out we could have bought Cadillac every 7 years if we had Italian level health care costs.
Health care itself. HMOs stateside make ASL look like Mayo clinic (which doesn't take insurance BTW so it's truly rich and famous care).
My experience with HMOs is 50% of the medical staff is NOT Doctors and nurses. People seeing you? Writing prescriptions? They are Physicians assistants, nurse practitioners. A little fact that is carefully not emphasized. PPO plans same s**t different "doctors". Here at least you see a doctor!! Yes you may have to wait for a routine care item. But get a lump on your breast? 12 hours later mammogram and 12 days max you can be on an OR table. My sister in law? 12 weeks she finally had her surgery
Loneliness. I call it the 5 year syndrome. You go back home, everyone is thrilled to see you, they throw parties, "we will get together soon" then crickets. Dead crickets. Their lives have changed, they no longer include you. You will be ghosted except for the big 3. Christmas or New Years (not both) 4th of July, and Thanksgiving. No one meets for coffee or drinks.
I lived in Arizona one of those states people move to. You know sun 360 days a year, fruit dripping off trees? Within 5 years 50% of the people who move to Atizona leave.
Garbage have you been to NYC lately? Or any American city lately? There the "garbage" is human beings. There is homelessness in Italy. I am not blind to it. But compared to the US it is non existent. Literally fewer people live on the street in 3rd world countries.
Bureaucracy we expect it to work. And it does there. But who wants the only thing that functions to be Bureaucracy?
Finally and most horrifically gun violence. Last week a 6 year old shot his teacher. 31,000 school age children have experienced gun violence since Columbine. Washington Post this week.
The only thing cheap in America is gasoline and lives.
Everything you wrote is true. But there are no jobs for us here. None. So even if NYC is hell on earth, which I am perfectly prepared for it to be, the very fact of being able to get a job makes it the only "choice" we have. In truth, we don't have a choice. We don't want to go. We have to go.
NYC will NOT be hell on Earth, it’s a fantastic. place. The only problem is that, from what I hear, it has not yet fully bounced back after the pandemic.
It's pretty much back to "normal" (whatever normal means). Though midtown office real estate is suffering, with most former office dwellers working remotely.
That is true, in some areas...but I've personally never felt threatened. As in any city, it pays to remain aware, keep valuables close (or at home), etc.
Neither has poor Italy! I just read today that NYC is planning to put a CASINO--a freaking casino!--on the top floor of Sak's Fifth Avenue. Now that weed is legal, too, it would seem that Manhattan is planning to live up to its reputation as Gotham ;-)
I promise you, NYC isn't hell on earth. Anywhere you (the editorial "you") live will be as you make it. There are pros & cons to it (and everywhere else on the planet). Some love it; some hate it. It will be what "you" make of it. See you soon! 😊
1) healthcare costs: when I retired from teaching in 2015 my district was paying $1,500 a month for my family insurance premiums. But don't worry...state Republicans stepped in an required me to pay a larger portion of my insurance sucking $7,000 out of my salary that could have been spent in our local economy.
2) Last April (2022) I returned to the US for several months and was appalled at the prices in the grocery stores! Filling just the baby seat section of the cart cost me $80, with no meat in there. I can eat for two weeks on that amount of money in Italy. And there's been no significant price increases on my Conad since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
If you're in or close to a major city, that might very well be the case. But who knows? Maybe it's just my part of Umbria. All I can do is report on what's happening here.
When I return from Italy and its reasonably priced wine, it just KILLS me to pay the NYC prices for a cocktail/wine/prosecco. What we pay in NYC for one glass, would pay for an entire bottle (more likely, two) in Italy. The mark-up here is criminal.
Unless you have serious jobs already lined up? As bad as Italy is (and I can add to your list but won't) the US right now is a shit hole. No money here? Honey you are rich beyond your wildest dreams compared to how it will be stateside.
My friends regularly send me pictures of prices in the grocery store. September one of those plastic cartons of fresh spinach was 8.99. Last week 9.99 ON SALE. This was in Arizona where they grow this stuff so there is no transportation tax.
Housing. There is this ýoutube guy goes around NYC asks people what they pay in rent and then tours the apartments. 1800 to 2000 for an apartment with the EXACT SAME DIMENSIONS as a prison cell. 8x10 feet not meters. The 2k one is 10x12. Take a look at them. John's not big enough for 2? Probably a mansion compared yo US.
Taxes. Yes Italy's top rate is 43%. But we all know nobody pays that. First of all find me anyone in Italy with the exception of Tom Ford and Clooney who make 50k. Also that 23 to 43 %rate is inclusive.
Let me count the ways that 43% saves you money. Self employed in US 13% on top of income tax for social security. Work for a company they pay half you pay half. PLUS another 6% for Medicare. Oh did I forget health insurance? I worked for the post office. Not the 800 pound gorilla in the room its the 8000 pound gorilla. Largest private employer in the USA. My currently employed USPS friends? Their monthly premium average cost among all providers is 350 a month. Other companies? 500 a month. Self employed? 1000 a month even with Obama care. And that is why about 25% of Americans have no health coverage.
Even with the platinum plans. Deductibles and co-pays? Mine averaged $4000 a year. And the insurance company decides what I get to have in terms of care, not my doctor. That's with dual coverage. My husband's employer Gannet provided insurance too. Adding him to my plan and me to his proved cheaper than single premiums in terms of uncovered costs like those deductibles I mentioned. Our final years stateside I counted every penny spent on medical. Turns out we could have bought Cadillac every 7 years if we had Italian level health care costs.
Health care itself. HMOs stateside make ASL look like Mayo clinic (which doesn't take insurance BTW so it's truly rich and famous care).
My experience with HMOs is 50% of the medical staff is NOT Doctors and nurses. People seeing you? Writing prescriptions? They are Physicians assistants, nurse practitioners. A little fact that is carefully not emphasized. PPO plans same s**t different "doctors". Here at least you see a doctor!! Yes you may have to wait for a routine care item. But get a lump on your breast? 12 hours later mammogram and 12 days max you can be on an OR table. My sister in law? 12 weeks she finally had her surgery
Loneliness. I call it the 5 year syndrome. You go back home, everyone is thrilled to see you, they throw parties, "we will get together soon" then crickets. Dead crickets. Their lives have changed, they no longer include you. You will be ghosted except for the big 3. Christmas or New Years (not both) 4th of July, and Thanksgiving. No one meets for coffee or drinks.
I lived in Arizona one of those states people move to. You know sun 360 days a year, fruit dripping off trees? Within 5 years 50% of the people who move to Atizona leave.
Garbage have you been to NYC lately? Or any American city lately? There the "garbage" is human beings. There is homelessness in Italy. I am not blind to it. But compared to the US it is non existent. Literally fewer people live on the street in 3rd world countries.
Bureaucracy we expect it to work. And it does there. But who wants the only thing that functions to be Bureaucracy?
Finally and most horrifically gun violence. Last week a 6 year old shot his teacher. 31,000 school age children have experienced gun violence since Columbine. Washington Post this week.
The only thing cheap in America is gasoline and lives.
Everything you wrote is true. But there are no jobs for us here. None. So even if NYC is hell on earth, which I am perfectly prepared for it to be, the very fact of being able to get a job makes it the only "choice" we have. In truth, we don't have a choice. We don't want to go. We have to go.
That's the difference.
NYC will NOT be hell on Earth, it’s a fantastic. place. The only problem is that, from what I hear, it has not yet fully bounced back after the pandemic.
It's pretty much back to "normal" (whatever normal means). Though midtown office real estate is suffering, with most former office dwellers working remotely.
My NYC friends are telling me that the crime has edged up noticeably.
That is true, in some areas...but I've personally never felt threatened. As in any city, it pays to remain aware, keep valuables close (or at home), etc.
Neither has poor Italy! I just read today that NYC is planning to put a CASINO--a freaking casino!--on the top floor of Sak's Fifth Avenue. Now that weed is legal, too, it would seem that Manhattan is planning to live up to its reputation as Gotham ;-)
Nothing wrong with a properly regulated, legitimate casino. London has casinos.
"Properly regulated" being the two key words here ;-)
God I know this is true.
NYC is the furthest you can get from isolated American life, so at least there’s that.
I promise you, NYC isn't hell on earth. Anywhere you (the editorial "you") live will be as you make it. There are pros & cons to it (and everywhere else on the planet). Some love it; some hate it. It will be what "you" make of it. See you soon! 😊
Nailed it. Thank you. Just two additions:
1) healthcare costs: when I retired from teaching in 2015 my district was paying $1,500 a month for my family insurance premiums. But don't worry...state Republicans stepped in an required me to pay a larger portion of my insurance sucking $7,000 out of my salary that could have been spent in our local economy.
2) Last April (2022) I returned to the US for several months and was appalled at the prices in the grocery stores! Filling just the baby seat section of the cart cost me $80, with no meat in there. I can eat for two weeks on that amount of money in Italy. And there's been no significant price increases on my Conad since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
If you're in or close to a major city, that might very well be the case. But who knows? Maybe it's just my part of Umbria. All I can do is report on what's happening here.
It’s happening here, too. That’s why I’m grateful to be farming. There is no money in it, but you can always afford to eat.
When I return from Italy and its reasonably priced wine, it just KILLS me to pay the NYC prices for a cocktail/wine/prosecco. What we pay in NYC for one glass, would pay for an entire bottle (more likely, two) in Italy. The mark-up here is criminal.
How about coffee? A so-so cappuccino on UES set me back $4 back in 2019. And it was served in a paper cup.
I don't know - I don't drink coffee (hate it), but Starbucks is called "Fourbucks" for a reason, I guess!
I dread the prospect of US coffee. DREAD IT.
Ha! Well, you'll likely have your own machine, and can buy the best you choose.
From your mouth to goddess's ears.