American Dream

There are numerous aspects in which the UK surpasses the US. Most notably, the UK offers universal healthcare and a much safer society thanks to stricter gun control laws, with school shootings being virtually unheard of in the UK (the last recorded incident occurred approximately thirty years ago, leading to the implementation of current gun restrictions). The quality of supermarket food in the UK is far superior and more affordable than in the US, where much of the food on offer is deemed inedible and contributes to the nation's obesity and poor health. In the UK, nobody dies or goes bankrupt due to an inability to afford healthcare.

No other country in the world charges as much for higher education as the US. In the 2020-21 academic year, the average cost of university tuition in the US was $51,335 per year, with some private universities charging even more, particularly for professional courses. On top of these astronomical expenses, students must cover living costs, which can amount to at least $20,000 per year. Despite these high costs, the average American student lags behind their peers in mathematics by a year, as evidenced by research indicating that students in Singapore are 3-5 years ahead of their American counterparts.

The UK enjoys a consistent four-season climate without hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones. In contrast, southern Florida experiences regular hurricane seasons, and southern US states are characterized by hot and humid conditions. My niece, who relocated from India to Houston, Texas, in 2012, had to seek emergency accommodation twice due to floods and power failures during a recent cold spell. Additionally, the construction quality of houses in the US, often featuring wooden exteriors, is notably less safe. Generally, US housing construction falls short due to a lack of government building regulations. Plumbing and electrical systems in US homes are often subpar, and some appliances appear to have been designed in the 1950s. The UK, on the other hand, offers a fresh and varied climate, with the beautiful British countryside easily accessible to most residents. While the US may have vast wilderness areas, reaching them can often require a six-hour drive.

The US exhibits archaic bureaucracy, payment systems, and TV and internet services, many of which are of poor quality and more expensive. To this day, I am unable to submit my US income tax return online and must resort to mailing it. When I sold my house in Florida in 2019, I had to physically travel there to transfer funds from a US bank to an overseas one. Additionally, contactless payments are still not widely adopted in the US, despite their ubiquity in the UK, even among small businesses.

Levels of poverty and deprivation in the US are considerably higher and on a massive scale. Overall, the cost of living is much greater in the US, especially when factoring in healthcare expenses. Approximately sixty years ago in the 1960s, a doctor's visit in the US cost less than $4.00 per consultation, with medications being significantly cheaper. Health insurance was virtually unnecessary. However, corporate America lobbied successive Republican and Democratic administrations to transition to Medicaid and Medicare (Federal Healthcare Insurance) systems, primarily to boost their profits. It appears that insurance companies and their lobbyists may have established a so-called "payroll" for politicians to safeguard their interests. A significant portion of middle-class Americans' income is devoured by insurance companies. While discussing this matter with my daughter, she remained tight-lipped about the extent of insurance costs for various forms of protection, including health, life, accidents, home, children's education, car, employment, income protection, and public liability.

Another vexing issue in American life is the public transport system. In the UK, we benefit from extensive bus, tube train, and intercity train services, although they may be inferior to those in Japan or China. In contrast, the American railway system is rudimentary, lacking an extensive network, suitable rolling stock, and high-speed trains. This neglect has driven affluent Americans to abandon train services and opt for extensive car travel, contributing to environmental degradation. Surprisingly, the US government condones this practice. Consumer protection in the US is abysmal, exemplified by the reprehensible practice of corporate airlines forcibly removing legitimate passengers from overbooked flights to maximize profits once the flight is fully booked.