I find it funny how there are so many people protesting the war in Iraq, complaining that it’s just about oil, but then when the price of gasoline rises, they start screaming murder. I’ve seen them here on CNN International complaining that $2/gallon is ridiculous and the government should do something about this. Well duh, they have.
Do you know how much gasoline costs in Germany? I don’t pay $2/gallon, I pay €2/liter. It costs me over €50 to fill up the tank in my Honda Civic!
Then there is health care. People complain about the number of uninsured then they complain about the high costs of health care. Well, when I was working (I’m a student now), I was paying 14% of my salary to the public health care system here in Germany. 14%! I paid 50% of my salary in taxes of one sort or another. But guess what, now I’m not technically working, and my health insurance is still there. If you are unemployed in Germany, you are covered. Everyone with residence in Germany is covered.
Many in the US praise the system in Germany and other European countries as ideal. As an American, would you be willing to pay possibly 14% of your salary to make sure that everyone is insured? Would you pay 50% of your income for socialized health care, practically free college education (at public universities), social security, unemployment, and betterment of public transportation? And if not, why not?
