Things You dun Like abt America, YET?

[TheCockyLockies 2]

Being an American my entire life I think the best thing I like about it is that you are free to leave anytime you wish. Sorry, dont mean to be a poop but you chose to come here, as others said, look at the bright side of things, not the negatives.

only 10 days and already with a list of complaints... c'mon now .....GEEZ

[lgg 2]

Just a minor vent if you will: I also saw the very hilarious thread about bread too (kudos to the OP, very funny non-threatening post, I enjoyed it!)

But I have never had a hard time finding good bread in the US. I find it crazy that that would be in issue. There are tons of bakeries and such, artisan, whole foods, Roots foods and such. You can find good bread. And this is from a girl who while eating healthy INSISTS upon White WOnder bread once in awhile for my PB&J sammiches in the morning...

There. That's my vent.

[Aubrey 10]

It's really easy to make homemade bread without a breadmaker - a bowl and your hands are all you need - plus all the kneading is a great way to get rid of all your frustrations!

Solve the bread problem and your frustration with the bread problem at one go! Genius.

Yeah, it's "easy"... it's also time consuming to make anything decent. Waiting around for it to rise, then kneading, rise again, knead again... blech. No thank you.

[Anonymous 0]

America is my home country and I have lived here all of my 40 years. Still, there are many things I can not stand about life in America. I can identify will most of the complaints the OP had. I rarely ever have to go in a bank anymore as I have direct deposit and use ATMs. I can even agree with many of the points made in the infamous post #18. We have serious issues with our current health care system, which is why the government is trying to change it. While both parties agree it's broken, they can't agree on how to fix it. I just got my company-sponsored health insurance proposals for this coming year and we now have the option to purchase a zero deductible plan, for the low, low annual premium total (deducted bi-weekly) of $14,660...and you still have a $35 copay each time you go to a doctor. That's $14,660 WITHOUT even a single doctor visit.

I'd have to say my #1 complaint about America is the complacency everyone seems to have with the way things are. We have many complainers but no one ever wants to put forth the effort to initiate real change. This country has been consumed by corporate greed and that movement has been fueled by corporations complete lack of regard for their customers' well being. They can justify practically any method of taking advantage of the consumer in the name of making a profit. Most consumers are either too ignorant or too complacent to do anything about thousands of ways businesses rip the consumer off. And, those that are aware are either on the side that is profiting or are too closed-minded to listen to reason - or both.

The hardest lesson I've had to teach my wife is that she should always be suspicious of deception. "No baby, that car you saw advertised on the TV isn't really $15,000 - you have to read the fine print that says 'shown as $35,000'" Every good deal has a "catch" and fine print attached. But what gets me, is that many people know they are getting ripped off and continue to just accept it as the way it is. Why?

Earlier, someone mentioned the founding of this country by our forefathers and referenced the phrase "by the people, for the people," I often wonder what our forefathers would think about the current state of America and if it is any where close to what they envisioned when they created our government.

I'll close in saying that everyone can learn from each other. No country is going to be perfect for everyone. Each of us has our preferences and those preference differ from one individual and/or nationality to the next. Instead of hating each other and being closed-minded to their suggestions, I wish we could take the good ideas/experiences from the other countries and incorporate them into ours. The grass may always be greener on the other side but, with a little water and proper sunlight, we can make our shade of green a little better.

[Amit-N-Melody 11]

I love it!! I have so enjoyed reading this post.... And I can't wait until my hubby gets here and tells me all the things he hates about America Because believe me when I was in India I had a whole list of "hates" that I spitted off to him at 2 o'clock one morning But that doesnt mean I hate India... I was only feeling more homesick than anything... And now that I am not there I find the very things I was complaining about I am now missing

As far as the bread... Make it yourself... nothing beats some good Friendship Bread...wow!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I think we could have a whole sub-forum devoted to complaints about bad bread, tea, cheese, Heinz ketchup, sausages and bacon

[Kathryn41 3,205]

America is my home country and I have lived here all of my 40 years. Still, there are many things I can not stand about life in America. I can identify will most of the complaints the OP had. I rarely ever have to go in a bank anymore as I have direct deposit and use ATMs. I can even agree with many of the points made in the infamous post #18. We have serious issues with our current health care system, which is why the government is trying to change it. While both parties agree it's broken, they can't agree on how to fix it. I just got my company-sponsored health insurance proposals for this coming year and we now have the option to purchase a zero deductible plan, for the low, low annual premium total (deducted bi-weekly) of $14,660...and you still have a $35 copay each time you go to a doctor. That's $14,660 WITHOUT even a single doctor visit.

I'd have to say my #1 complaint about America is the complacency everyone seems to have with the way things are. We have many complainers but no one ever wants to put forth the effort to initiate real change. This country has been consumed by corporate greed and that movement has been fueled by corporations complete lack of regard for their customers' well being. They can justify practically any method of taking advantage of the consumer in the name of making a profit. Most consumers are either too ignorant or too complacent to do anything about thousands of ways businesses rip the consumer off. And, those that are aware are either on the side that is profiting or are too closed-minded to listen to reason - or both.

The hardest lesson I've had to teach my wife is that she should always be suspicious of deception. "No baby, that car you saw advertised on the TV isn't really $15,000 - you have to read the fine print that says 'shown as $35,000'" Every good deal has a "catch" and fine print attached. But what gets me, is that many people know they are getting ripped off and continue to just accept it as the way it is. Why?

Earlier, someone mentioned the founding of this country by our forefathers and referenced the phrase "by the people, for the people," I often wonder what our forefathers would think about the current state of America and if it is any where close to what they envisioned when they created our government.

I'll close in saying that everyone can learn from each other. No country is going to be perfect for everyone. Each of us has our preferences and those preference differ from one individual and/or nationality to the next. Instead of hating each other and being closed-minded to their suggestions, I wish we could take the good ideas/experiences from the other countries and incorporate them into ours. The grass may always be greener on the other side but, with a little water and proper sunlight, we can make our shade of green a little better.

I really like this post! Thank you.

[aidankari 0]

1. Health Insurance costs. Luckily I get mine fully paid by my job but my wife pays around $500 per month. Used to pay around $100 per month for both of us in Ireland.

2. Can't get fresh bread and the fish is either really expensive or not fresh

3. All the ad breaks during sports games. In Ireland a 80 minute game takes 80 minutes plus 15 or so minutes for half time. No ad breaks during the game allowed.

USA is a great country though!

[Krikit 1,165]

GOD BLESS AMERICA

And maybe even the rest of the world.

The hardest lesson I've had to teach my wife is that she should always be suspicious of deception. "No baby, that car you saw advertised on the TV isn't really $15,000 - you have to read the fine print that says 'shown as $35,000'" Every good deal has a "catch" and fine print attached. But what gets me, is that many people know they are getting ripped off and continue to just accept it as the way it is. Why?

Ohmygoodness. That is one lesson I learned with confusion, then shock, then disgust. The insidious way in which businesses operate here is astonishing. I can't even begin to list the number of ways in which they try to deceive people. I remember flipping out on the number of "invoices" we were receiving for things which we'd never purchased, extension of "warrantees", or businesses which gave the impression they were your local utility company or car manufacturer. My husband patiently explained how some businesses operate, and that I could just ignore them. But not before I was tricked a couple of times. I see it as preying on the uneducated and the unsophisticated. That is an outrage. Yesterday I received a notice which was designed to look like junk mail. Fortunately, I opened it to read a notification from a credit card saying they were increasing the interest rate to 24.9% on Feb 18th..... but if you didn't read it carefully.... they were making it retroactive to September 2009!!!!! THAT is nothing more than thievery and corruption. Going out of business would be too good for that company. They need to do some time for criminal behaviour.

Okay.... I'm getting really ticked here. I'm going to stop now.

I think we could have a whole sub-forum devoted to complaints about bad bread, tea, cheese, Heinz ketchup, sausages and bacon

That describes half the Canada Forum!

Edited January 22, 2010 by Krikit

[jundp 191]

3. All the ad breaks during sports games. In Ireland a 80 minute game takes 80 minutes plus 15 or so minutes for half time. No ad breaks during the game allowed.

USA is a great country though!

My husband says the same thing. Typical conversation during a football game.

me: "Wait, honey there's only 10 more minutes left in the 4th quarter"

him: "Um, in American football/TV language that means there's a bout 45 minutes left."

It's so true! Think of the Super Bowl! I actually ASSIGN the commercials for my students to analyze

[Krikit 1,165]

My husband says the same thing. Typical conversation during a football game.

me: "Wait, honey there's only 10 more minutes left in the 4th quarter"

him: "Um, in American football/TV language that means there's a bout 45 minutes left."

That sounds like our house!

[Ladylethal 12]

About the sport's game, so true. In Brazil a soccer game will go without interruption till half time, and even then most channels will use the break to comment on the game so far.

[Nikita2Charles 32]

For the OP on the insurance matter

Depending on your insurance company, If you have been driving in india or any foreign country, Make sure you make a copy of the driver's license from your country, since mostl likely you will have to start again from scratch at DMV so there's no need to give them your old one, it will be very usefull when it's time to get car insurance.

We were able to get my wife as an experience driver because she had her driver's license from India, otherwise we would get charge NEW DRIVER rate.

So it's always good to check with your insurance companies, some of them will not even mentioned it to you, when i went to my insurance agent, he told us about it and ask us to bring back the driver's license, he'll make a copy and talk to the Underwriter.

[TBoneTX 45,893]

then kneading, rise again, knead again...

Sounds like a lot of kneadful (or kneady) bread-lovers have immigrated, si man. Edited January 22, 2010 by TBoneTX

[Gemmie 142]

My husband says the same thing. Typical conversation during a football game.

me: "Wait, honey there's only 10 more minutes left in the 4th quarter"

him: "Um, in American football/TV language that means there's a bout 45 minutes left."

It's so true! Think of the Super Bowl! I actually ASSIGN the commercials for my students to analyze

We've had that conversation too.

I think we could have a whole sub-forum devoted to complaints about bad bread, tea, cheese, Heinz ketchup, sausages and bacon

Guilty. Seriously though, I thought the ketchup thing was just me. It tastes watery and bland. Is it actually different? Please say yes so I can tell him I'm right.

Yesterday he told me that lots of supermarkets water down their milk (as I said the milk is also watery). He wouldn't believe me when I said that someone on here found corn syrup in milk though.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Gemmie