Why We Should All Move to Germany
Source: The Indypendent
Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?:How the European Model Can Help You Get a Life, Thomas Geoghegan New Press, 2010
In the wake of the recession, the plight of the U.S. worker has gone from bad to worse.
But not to worry — labor lawyer and author Thomas Geoghegan has the answer. He confirms what we have all suspected in our darkest moments: life is better in Europe, and in Germany, in particular.
While Americans were overworked before the recession, the current financial crisis has hit Americans with the double-whammy of increased hours (for those who still have jobs) and a spike in living costs. At 1,804 hours a year, Americans clock in 400 hours more than our German counterparts—that’s the equivalent of 10 extra 40-hour work weeks each year. Our GDP is higher than Germany’s, but only from astronomical spending on private healthcare, childcare and tuition — all of which Germany provides for free, or nearly free, to its citizens.