[quote name='mdwh' timestamp='1323472018' post='4892373']
The Tories are a euro-skeptic party, who have always opposed joining the Euro, and disliked the EU. We can hardly make conclusions about the EU's economic outlook, based on a statement from David Cameron, which is the same view he's always had.

The Euro makes no sense - snip[/quote]Well, I'm making no comment of the pros or cons or the Euro, just saying that "Tories against Euro/EU" isn't news, and doesn't inform us about anything to do with the EU's economic outlook.

plus, I've no doubt some of our German friends are realizing that after two failed attempts at taking over Europe militarily, they might now be able to subjugate it economically).[/quote]Nothing like a bit of racism :/

Maybe income tax is similar, but you guys also have VAT (close to 15% I think?), and I noticed a lot of stuff was taxed either overtly or under the table. Gas, tobacco, and alcohol are good examples. A 6-pack of Coors was $12 last time I went and a can of dip (my friend chews), was $20. I'm surprised the alcoholics and nicotine addicts are not rioting in the streets.

$30,000 here goes a lot farther than $30,000 in Canada.

VAT (called HST) where I live is 13%. I've been to many jurisdictions in the US where the local and state sales taxes combined are not dissimilar.

And yeah, we have "sin" taxes on alcohol and tobacco, but marriage and sex are legal (you can marry who you love and prostitution is legal), and a lot of people avoid the sin taxes by brewing their own (beer and wine) and getting their smokes tax-free from the local rez.

Then again, I don't have to say with an exploitative job I can't stand because I'd lose my health insurance. At the end of the day, things come out pretty even.

a country that doesn't have HR1540 (please Obama, do the right thing), doesn't have the DMCA (drives me nuts I can't legally get around the DRM on my iTunes music)

These two requirements alone demonstrate to me that you have a very loose grasp on the politics of the rest of the English-speaking world, and just how many freedoms you enjoy as an American citizen.

The United States and Canada may be the only English-speaking countries that don't *already* have the 'indefinite detention' provision of HR1540. When MI-5 beats down your door, there's no ACLU kicking and screaming to find out which middle-eastern nation you have been renditioned to...

The UK has an automatic '3 strikes and your out' policy for copyright violations, with no route to appeal. Australia only just narrowly defeated their 'great firewall of China' legislation...

Why not just get a job with a large international corporation (heck, even a government job) where you have an opportunity to change countries? Preferably try living in a place on a temporary basis before a permanant move. (Most of the companies I've worked with have had opportunities for people to work abroad for 3-6 months). Heck, I've had problems relocating just within the USA, outside of Canada I'd probably turn it down.

My first job offer out of college was for a company in Iceland. It was because of my experience from going to a college fairly far away from where I lived most of my life that I decided to turn it down, even though at the time I had no other offers. Probably the last thing you want to do is be living in an area without a support system, especially if things go south.

I moved to New Zealand from Ireland. I wouldn't go back, I love it here. It fits most of your criteria, although you will be better paid in australia. It actually wasn't that difficult to get residence either.

Finland?
That's where Santa lives. He must know something.

[quote name='Ravyne' timestamp='1323486967' post='4892421']
Canada is not a terrible choice. taxes are high

What's that about taxes?

Top personal income tax bracket in Canada: 29% (over $128,800); comparable tax bracket in US: 28% (between $83,600 and $174,400)
So it seems a whole whopping 1% percent higher than the US, right? Now hold on a second... what about above $174,400 for the US?
33%--up to $379,150. And then, 35%. Canada at those levels? Still 29%.

But perchance you were referring to corporate tax rates?
Canada: 16.5% until January 1, 2012, then 15%. US: top bracket is 35%. Ouch!

So: fuck you for spreading disinformation.
[/quote]

According to this: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Canada, the average Canadian family with two kids pays nearly twice as much income tax. I don't care about the highest brackets, because it's not representative of the typical family. Admittedly, the gap is essentially negligable for families with no children.

Plus, sales tax is generally higher and lower income families are spending a larger percentage of their money on necessities (which I presume are tax exempt?) and small-scale creature comforts. then there's the greater presence of excise taxes, and a value added tax on some goods.

frankly, I'm not even saying Canadians pay too much in taxes, I don't believe that the American system is sustainable for all the programs we have. But the average canadian certainly does seem to pay more, all things considered.

Finland?
That's where Santa lives. He must know something.

I thought Santa was Canadian.

I don't believe that the American system is sustainable for all the programs we have.

Huh?
Taxation is not what pays for government spending, because under a fiat system the government is not revenue constrained. It can create money ex nihilo on an as-needed basis. It doesn't need to borrow that money from the public or abroad by issuing debt instruments either--that's purely a political choice. And saying that inflation is the reason this is not done is also false, because inflation depends more on aggregate demand. Macroeconomic debt between treasury and central bank is not real debt in the sense people understand it--it's an accounting fiction and it doesn't have to be "repaid". This misunderstanding of the nature of debt in macroeconomic terms is a good example of the most basic economic fallacy, the fallacy of composition.
http://bilbo.economi...t/blog/?p=11218
http://papers.ssrn.c...ract_id=1905625
It is exactly such misunderstandings by the politicos of some very fundamental aspects of how modern monetary systems actually work that have a lot to do with why the economic crisis was poorly dealt with, and even allowed to happen (the MMT people predicted what happened very well, and also the weak effects of remedial measures such as "quantitative easing"). People still seem to, by inertia, think of money in the outdated tradition of gold-based currency that Nixon nixed decades ago. This is also why we still have persistent myths such as that banks create money by the money multiplier in fractional reserve systems (false because money loaned out by banks (assets) are deposited at other banks (liabilities)--you have to look at the system in totality--and this nets to zero; banks loan out as much as possible during the day and, if needed, borrow on the overnight market to refill their reserves at the central bank, which means they are NOT reserve constrained in practice--another common myth; banks are constrained by the capital/asset ratio instead, and that's what's critical to be enforced).
http://pragcap.com/y...plier-is-a-myth
http://bilbo.economi...et/blog/?p=1623
Also relevant:
http://moslereconomi...er-commodities/
http://www.moslereco...t-Fullwiler.pdf

I actually went to talk to some of the Occupiers in San Francisco on MMT topics and almost got mobbed by Ron Paul supporters. WTF? Ron Paul is as Randian as the most extreme right wingers and I was surprised to see something so Tea-partyesque in the Occupy movement. Fail! Things will never improve as long as people refuse to properly educate themselves and instead pull out opinions out of their asses just because it lines up with their emotional commitment to irrational ideology.

On the positive side, after being quite vocal on Slashdot about MMT under articles which generate discussion on economics and monetary policy, I've noticed several other posters pick up the torch and start correcting the usual misconceptions by referencing MMT. The downside is, nerds have little influence among the circles where it would make a difference.

[quote name='Cornstalks' timestamp='1323400560' post='4892052']
a country that doesn't have HR1540 (please Obama, do the right thing), doesn't have the DMCA (drives me nuts I can't legally get around the DRM on my iTunes music)

These two requirements alone demonstrate to me that you have a very loose grasp on the politics of the rest of the English-speaking world, and just how many freedoms you enjoy as an American citizen.

The United States and Canada may be the only English-speaking countries that don't *already* have the 'indefinite detention' provision of HR1540. When MI-5 beats down your door, there's no ACLU kicking and screaming to find out which middle-eastern nation you have been renditioned to...

The UK has an automatic '3 strikes and your out' policy for copyright violations, with no route to appeal. Australia only just narrowly defeated their 'great firewall of China' legislation...
[/quote]

This isn't just english speaking countries, freedom is under heavy attack all across the western world, The war on terror/piracy/whatever has quite rapidly turned into a war on freedom, while the middle east is moving in the right direction we are moving in the wrong one, most likely we'll end up meeting eachother somewhere in the middle