American reacts to 'America Is Not Europe'

Thank you for watching me, a humble American, react to America Is Not Europe

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[grahvis]

To me, looking at it from the UK, is that the US is not organised for the benefit of its citizens, but more for those making their money from those citizens.

[mennovroom]

We have a mantra in the Netherlands about kids and their development. “The world doesn’t need 7 billion Einsteins, being a bus driver is also valuable for society.

[murrrr]

This video got me thinking about U.S. tipping culture. In Finland our VAT (Sales tax) for restaurant food is 14%. Our staff gets hourly wage, despite no one checks in. In U.S. if you are usually expected to tip at least 15%. That's already more than our taxes. On top of that you pay the actual sales tax, which could range from 0 up to 16%. So if you tip decent 20% and pay 16% sales tax, you end up paying 36% extra, while in "heavily taxed" Nordic country you only pay 14% in taxes. Feels like we're getting a better deal, as our staff is also treated better.

[xFAB]

France and Italy senate are not honorifc. Italy senate has the exact same power of the parlament. That person does not know what he's talking about.

[Tulkash]

9:15: Italy has a senate that is NOT honorific. It holds the exact same power of the Chamber of deputies and legislation has to pass while being exactly the same between the 2 to actually become Italian law. That was an outright lie

[Yotanido]

"European countries are many nations, not federations"

Now, I think what he MEANT to say was "not *a* federation", because a decent number of European countries ARE federations :D
Some even have it in their name: *Federal* Republic of Germany, for example.

[stefanomartello]

As an italian, that politician has no idea what he's talking about, Italy is a parlamentary republic with perfect bicameralism like USA and Switzerland for examples.
He made only 2 examples and one of them is completely wrong 😂
He talks like europeans are stupid folks who don't know about politics bruh...
Also if other Countries found a system that works for them who is he to say that their system is worse and the one used in Italy and USA is better than the others?
All system has different pros and cons.

[Maria-lpix]

I live in Copenhagen, the biggest city in Denmark and my daughter goes alone to the school since she was 7 and it was around 1 km distance. She and all the kids. She goes by bicycle or scooter or walking. And i was never stress about it .A normal thing here.

[ksenss]

Of course the justice system is independent from politics in Europe... Dude has no idea or - more probable still - is talking rubbish on purpose

[Andrea-mgpy]

Europe is massive and consists of many countries all speaking different languages and with very varied cultures.
We have both shared and separate histories. Tbh l think we like it like that.

[leifandersen]

This is right because we in Denmark have free hospitals, free education from the bottom to the top .
Social security the whole way ! There is always someone who catch when you gets sick, lose your job etc.Kindergarten are not free but you pay a part of it .Driving on roads you have to pay for. We pay 45% in taxes but you get really much for your money, The state takes care of all from birth to death !

[maxxie]

I have to point out, in that Scalia clip, he was painting with really broad strokes, so broad that a lot of how European democracies actually work got lost. Separation of powers may be implemented differently in different countries, but it is just as hot a topic in Europe as it is in the US. So what he says should be taken with a massive grain of salt.

[nunocbnunocb]

I am Portuguese, my country is not a rich one like America but... I spent 1 month interned in a Lisbon's hospital. D you know how much I paid? Z-e-r-o! Bed, medicine, a platoon of doctors 24 hours a day looking for me, food, bed sheets changed everyday, 5 meals/day and son on . For free, paid by the national taxes. 

We do not missiles. We do not have aircraft carriers, A-bombs, cruisers, thousands of tanks ou an ultra-huge budget for "defence". We do not attack others "just beacuse", but if I was American, I would die sick in the middle of the street. Yes, fortunately I am not American.

[esbenarndt]

Its a matter of ideology! And it’s a matter of trust ! I’m a Dane however, worked in the US for a year. Europe more want the social way over the “ everyone has to have there rights to what ever they want” ideology as what I saw in the US. If we want healthcare and education for all we have to go for a social society where we pay the tax needed to get equality. And I do believe in that

[leoxblanchi]

No, in Italy the Senato is NOT honorific. It has the same duties of the Camera dei Deputati, it is a "perfect bi-cameralism". Perhaps not efficient, because every law has to be approved in the exactly same formulation by both the Parliament branches. And the Senato is elected with different rules from the Camera.

[Ruerno]

The comments by judge Scalia about the ''only honorific role'' of the senates in european countries are deeply troubling. What did he really understood about European politic systems when he went there ? Seems to me he was just blinded by the certainty the american system was the best in the world, without any discussion, without ever questionning himself. I'm French, and I can guarantee the french Senate is not only a piece of decoration. Just take a look at the present dispute about the law changing the age of retirement, and look at what the senate did ! The rule is: 1/ the text of the law is discussed, possibly amended and voted in the Assemblée Nationale (corresponding to the House of Representants in U.S.), then goes 2/ to the Senat (the Senate, no real need of a translation, here), where it is also discussed, possibly amended and voted. If the two versions of the text of the law are not exactly the same, a word for a word, then 3/ a Commission Paritaire (bilateral comity) composed by same number of deputés (the representats, in U.S.) and senateurs (senators) start to discuss the text of the law to try finding a consensus and a common version. If this goal is reached, the new text determined by the Commission Paritaire goes back to the Assemblée Nationale and to the Sénat to be voted again. As this new version is the result of an agreement by members of the two assemblies, it is most of the time passed. But it can happen this is not the case. Then, the text gets a third vote in the Assemblée Nationale solely, and is passed. Or rejected... So, saying, as Judge Scalia, Senates in Europe are just ''honorific'' is a total misunderstanding of how it works. The députés (the U.S. representants) are elected directly for a five years term. The sénateurs are elected by all the elected persons of the constituency (maires, delegates of city councils, members of the district assembly, members of the Conseil Départemental - roughly the counties councils in U.S. - for a nine years term, a third of the Sénat being renewed each three years. And when Judge Scalia says there is no separation between executive power, electoral power and judiciary power, you can just wonder what kind of european country he is speaking about... Oh, well, yes, for sure, we have some disputes from time to time about what can be seen as a attempt by one of the other two branches to interfere, but, as far as I have head recently, U.S. has got the same problem. Just speaking of today news, it seems the executive power of the Trump administration, helped by the electoral power of the Republican majority, had a deep impact on the U.S. judiciary branch, from the local judges, the federal judges, up to the Supreme Court... A bit strange to see a former member of the Supreme Court having these sort of view... totally forgetting the american system is not a american originality : the Founders took their inspiration when writing the Constitution in texts, concepts, ideals, born... in Europe ! History had been strange enough that these were implemented in the young American Constitution before they could be in the old european countries. But, still, these are european concepts. Sometimes, today, put in question (Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Italy in some ways now), but these are still the very adament, undisputable, inconditional principles guiding the constitutions of the european countries, fixed once for all in the Charte de l'Union Européenne (European Union Chart). And when there is some excessive turn taken by one country of the Union, there are retaliations by the rest of the Union. Ask Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, who tried to take a step aside in some ways, if they appreciate being condemned in European Parliament to financial consequences and firmly admonished to rapidly correct their misteps... Yes, the strict separation of the three branches of power are just as solid here that they are in U.S.. And, yes, Senates here are not only for decoration... Sorry, Judge Scalia to make you take three turns over in your grave, but you were damned stupid sometimes, and deeply unable to understand what was going on...

[plawrence]

You get what you pay for. I had thyroid cancer. A broken arm and a broken leg (not all at the ssme time)Treatment didn't cost me anything. You don't want a bill if you have a serious problem. It's not the paying taxes that bother me, it's how they are spent.

[couchpotatoe]

TIL America not only thinks we're communists, but that we also don't divide execution, legislatition and jurisdiction. And all these years nobody knew until an American Senator pointed it out. Truly, the pinnacle of wisdom and civilization.

[DeletedDelusion]

Sorry, but justice Scalia doesn't give an accurate representation of the political systems in the European countries.

[vonpfrentsch]

I call it: "Europe is not America", thank God!.