Send chocolate kisses to USCIS to get there attention

[StillThePrettiest 3]

hmm, it's all relative; it's a damn sight better than that of most US cities

and I love London transport, most of the time... bus fares just DROPPED (for us Oyster users), and all 2007 prices have been frozen into 2008

mind you, when you're standing at a wet and windy bus stop at 9.46pm and there hasn't been a bus for 46 minutes despite them supposedly coming 'every 6 - 8 minutes' it's hard to focus on how much good you're doing the environment and not plan to make a wax effigy of Ken Livingstone and stick pins in it

[mox 298]

hmm, it's all relative; it's a damn sight better than that of most US cities

Agreed. I used to live in Scotland, and had to drive down to London every couple months. I'd just park the car outside the northern most tube stop (forget the stop now, it's been some years) and use public transportation everywhere I went. Things got a bit tricky around Greenwich if memory serves, but overall it was great. It's not something I'd ever want to try in a US city, although San Francisco or NY might come close.

[StillThePrettiest 3]

it was probably somewhere like Cockfosters (cue laughter from all Americans, like I hear almost weekly on the tube )

and Greenwich is pretty well served by the Docklands Light Rail now... and some areas have trams... it's pretty good

plus it's not all London! I had to go up to Sheffield for the day last weekend, for work, and I arrived at the station, walked about twenty steps to the nearest tram stop, took a tram across the city, and took another hundred steps or so to my ultimate destination... all for the princely sum of £1.10

Debz is right about the countryside being pretty sh!te though :?

[weedebz 0]

where I live we have 1 bus every 30mins IF it can be bothered to turn up and it often doesn't. No trains. It costs £5.50 for a return ticket to Glasgow (30mins down motorway). That bus serves 3 villages and is usually standing room only by the time it reaches us. I admit this is still better than Grand Island NE where I'm heading to but they not being taxed to the eyeballs for the "privilage" of owning a car. I drive at 6.30am mon-fri for 5-10min to the train station in a town between here and glasgow and pay £75 a month for a ticket. More hassel but still cheaper and more comfortable than bus.

as a wee extra when I was a student a bunch of us went out at halloween dressed as london tube stations....I was a yellow alien (canary wharf)

Edited November 26, 2007 by weedebz

[virgillionaire 0]

It works for pretty well there i guess, but it kind of invalidates the price comparison as it's self inflicted

how is it invalidated? it's still the price the average citizen is paying at the pump...

I guess I'm more interested in the market price to compare apples to apples who has it worse. We hear that Europe pays so much more and think maybe it's logistics or our market weight here, etc. In some parts of the world I think that we do pay less on a market comparison, maybe we get a voloume discount heheh.

[virgillionaire 0]

Can't agree here. These situations are not different. Service is service. If you pay more you get more. It's how our world works. People who have it have always paid to get more...

I have to say, I find your logic baffling... service is service? so everything just gets lumped together? can I say: education is education, and object to some kids getting special one-on-one attention for learning needs, or others, a ramp put in for a wheelchair? can I say: medicine is medicine, and you with your heart attack can wait while I get my hangnail looked at, because I got here first (or can pay more)? you HAVE to look at situations separately

so whatever you say, flying first class does NOT equal paying express Amazon delivery, and does NOT equal expedited visa processing; they're completely different

as for 'how the world works' (bolding mine, above) - personally, I think the way the world works is largely #######, and I will NEVER simply accept the status quo because 'that's how it is'

money may buy more, but should it? in this situation, no, it should not; it's not just about whether you can afford more ice cream than me... as mox said: this is about people's lives, and not material rubbish

You are quite correct here, but other people who can afford it, can get a better education than someone else. The University of Oklahoma or Kansas or Wisconsin does not cost as much as Duke, MIT or Stanford. You can have the grades to get into the latter, but they still cost more, and the quality of education is probably higher. Same goes for medicene. If you can afford to see the best heart surgeon in the country, then you see him. If not, you get treated by the most competent doctor you are comfortable with.

Also, even if all people paid for expedited processing, it is similar to paying for the same service anyway, because you would be guranteed to get 60-90 day service.

I hate to be the materialistic weasel of the bunch here, but contrary to popular belief, money is what drives the world. Those with money can get preferential treatment in almost all aspects of life. Those without, like myself, do the best with what we got. And if it is something that is important to my life, I will find a way to swing it. But we shouldnt hate on the people that can afford to do it. Is it fair? Probably not, but that is the way the world works in every country on the globe.

But I do agree, USCIS should be much better than they are today, and the neccessity of using expeditied service should be much less than it is now.

yes money buys better medical care and maybe a better education (more prestige anyway) but that doesn't make it a good thing or something to be made policy. Much of the progress society has made has been aimed at remedying that, i.e., creating public education, guaranteeing treatment in emergency rooms, public defenders.

No it's not a prefect remedy but it doesn't mean that is the way we want it.

Money is the root of all evil

Dewd, Money makes the world go round like my 20 inch rims

Beware the DARK SIDE Luke

[StillThePrettiest 3]

It works for pretty well there i guess, but it kind of invalidates the price comparison as it's self inflicted

how is it invalidated? it's still the price the average citizen is paying at the pump...

I guess I'm more interested in the market price to compare apples to apples who has it worse. We hear that Europe pays so much more and think maybe it's logistics or our market weight here, etc. In some parts of the world I think that we do pay less on a market comparison, maybe we get a voloume discount heheh.

well, if you look at it THAT way, most countries I know of (which is, admittedly, a limited number ) pay significant tax on fuel... this is for all sorts of reasons; a deterrent to people using it like it was renewable; a way to fund other projects... the US doesn't do this

a different sort of apples

[Bobalouie 0]

It works for pretty well there i guess, but it kind of invalidates the price comparison as it's self inflicted

how is it invalidated? it's still the price the average citizen is paying at the pump...

I guess I'm more interested in the market price to compare apples to apples who has it worse. We hear that Europe pays so much more and think maybe it's logistics or our market weight here, etc. In some parts of the world I think that we do pay less on a market comparison, maybe we get a voloume discount heheh.

well, if you look at it THAT way, most countries I know of (which is, admittedly, a limited number ) pay significant tax on fuel... this is for all sorts of reasons; a deterrent to people using it like it was renewable; a way to fund other projects... the US doesn't do this

a different sort of apples

Taxes levied on fuel in the US vary from state to state, but they are significant. Back in the good old days, when gasoline was $1.20 a gallon taxes on fuel were about $0.32/gal in Oklahoma (one of the lower taxes on fuel). I think they are around $0.36/gal now, which represented 25% taxing back in the day and about 12% now. Places like Californina pay, I think, about $0.48/gal. Granted, it is not as high as Europe but it still hurts a little.

[Luckyswife2b 0]

Tired of waiting for VSC to get around to your petition? Many of us plan to send a package of hershey kisses (love theme) from www.hersheygifts.com with a message that we are tired of waiting to be with our loved ones!

We are sending these the end of this week to

P Novak, adjudicators and staff

USCIS Vermont Service Center

75 Lower Welden Street

St Albans, Vermont 05479-0001

We are issuing a press release on monday to coincide with the packages arrival.

If you want to make some noise, pitch in and send a gift pack or two.

I didn't send kisses but I DID SEND MY EMAILS TO MY STATE SENATORS AND CONGRESSMAN!!!!

THANKS FOR DOING THAT AND FOR URGING ME (US) TO SEND EMAILS TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES!!!!

HOPE IT MAKES SOME MOVES NOW!!!!

[virgillionaire 0]

Tired of waiting for VSC to get around to your petition? Many of us plan to send a package of hershey kisses (love theme) from www.hersheygifts.com with a message that we are tired of waiting to be with our loved ones!

We are sending these the end of this week to

P Novak, adjudicators and staff

USCIS Vermont Service Center

75 Lower Welden Street

St Albans, Vermont 05479-0001

We are issuing a press release on monday to coincide with the packages arrival.

If you want to make some noise, pitch in and send a gift pack or two.

I didn't send kisses but I DID SEND MY EMAILS TO MY STATE SENATORS AND CONGRESSMAN!!!!

THANKS FOR DOING THAT AND FOR URGING ME (US) TO SEND EMAILS TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES!!!!

HOPE IT MAKES SOME MOVES NOW!!!!

Thanks for participating Good luck on your journey!