Posts by goldengull3

Zachary Thompson8 said:That wouldn't be an issue for her😉 because it isn't libel. She has all the documentation and receipts, and her husband was right there when they handed over the cash.

There is no final court ruling yet—and since only a judge can determine if a crime actually occurred—what you’re saying technically qualifies as defamation.

If someone actually solicited a bribe from you, then you need to take that straight to the police, the Department of Justice, and the FBI.

Otherwise, by airing these grievances publicly, you're putting yourself in a position where you could face heavy fines, jail time, and potentially tens of thousands of dollars in damages.

I honestly don't understand why every discussion regarding physician salaries inevitably devolves into a debate about bribery. Both the one offering the bribe and the one accepting it bear responsibility. Those matters fall under the jurisdiction of the FBI, not something to be hashed out on a Forum. Besides, you run the risk of being sued for defamation if you start throwing names around. You should also keep in mind that you aren't actually anonymous here—if presented with a court order, the Forum would be forced to hand over your IP address, and your service provider would then turn over your actual identity.

If anyone—be it a doctor, an official, or any other individual—ever asks you for cash, report them to the FBI immediately. A significant portion of corruption in America persists simply because people accept it as a normal part of life.

But let's get back to the actual topic; this isn't about ethics violations.

As far as I am concerned, physician salaries should be aligned with those of judges. These are two professions that carry unique legal statuses and specific responsibilities, so they ought to be equalized. For instance, a junior resident should earn what a magistrate earns, a specialist with some seniority should match a county judge, and a top-tier surgeon should be at the level of a Supreme Court Justice. And that’s without even factoring in on-call shifts or overtime—those should be treated as entirely separate from standard working hours.

What truly needs to be demonopolized is the health insurance system. If I'm dissatisfied with the care I receive, I should be able to threaten my insurer with switching to a competitor, which in turn allows the insurer to pressure the hospital by threatening to withhold funding. That is how things should work. Imagine when an insurance provider tells a hospital: "We are losing policyholders because of your service, so from now on, we're sending them elsewhere." And then there's no government money left for salaries...

Instead, we have a monopoly on insurance and a monopoly on service. Furthermore, we need a precise definition of what is covered under public healthcare, and then people can opt for high-end private insurance if they wish. Of course, we must ensure that those who cannot afford it or have disabilities receive adequate coverage, while everyone else can decide whether they'd rather have a nice car or premium health insurance.

Raven.87 said:"Cancel it!
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Not Tax-free"
Now I'm at a loss as to what my next move should be. I still feel entitled to that refund—we're talking about thirty bucks here, after all—and I don't see why I should be stuck footing the bill for Italian taxes when I'm an American citizen.
Is there any actual recourse to get that money back?

Well, it sounds to me like you just admitted to a customs violation...

By the way, did you actually declare the goods at the border and pay the customs duties and sales tax here in the States? 🙂

Mark Lee65 said:Carl Cox, goldengull3 makes a valid point.
He falls into a higher income bracket, so naturally, he’s looking at what those high earners make abroad. The real question, however, is whether someone like him can actually land one of those lucrative positions overseas.
It isn't exactly rare to see our engineers working construction sites or acting as machinists or electricians abroad, despite holding university degrees.

Look, unless there is a guaranteed path to a high-level position, I have zero incentive to leave.

If that's not on the table, I’m staying put. Moving abroad just to earn some mediocre salary doesn't make sense given my current income—unless we're talking about a hypothetical career in academia. In that case, I'd be doing what I love, and while the base salary might be modest, there's room for supplemental income.

On the other hand, if I were unemployed with no local prospects, or if the US economy hit a massive recession, then I’d leverage my technical training. I’d look for computer repair work or reach out to a friend working on offshore oil rigs to see if they could pull some strings with their boss.

The reality is quite simple—speaking from my own perspective but applying it generally—nobody is going to convince me that an average Joe in Germany lives the same lifestyle as an average Joe here in America. You only have to look at the cars they drive and where they spend their summers to see the difference.

Furthermore, I believe a few years of international experience benefits everyone, whether it's mastering a language or broadening one's professional horizons. I knew several professors who spent significant portions of their careers abroad, and it clearly had a positive impact on both their teaching and their published work.

coastalbison6 said:Ehhh, we’re finally getting closer to the truth.
She’ll have to work herself to the bone just to clear $2,000 net.
It turns out this is simply the standard. Even at $4,000 for the both of us, I’d say we're looking at more than enough to cover our needs.
I am firmly convinced that more than 80% of people in Austria fail to even reach that figure.

Look, I’m not going to sit here and play the cynic regarding how Democratic Party lackeys run companies in America—they love to complain about everything. If someone puts in extra hours, they should be compensated for it, which is more than most American workers can ever hope for. Her relationship with her employer is perfectly fine, her salary is quite respectable, and honestly, she and her partner were able to spend three weeks vacationing in Australia last year. Just try me: find me one American worker on an assembly line or behind a grocery counter who actually gets to stroll through Australia during their time off. Go ahead, see if you can find just one.

International organizations exist in an entirely different stratosphere; you simply cannot compare them to ordinary mortals.
The salaries at the European Union are undeniably substantial, but let’s be realistic about the math. You aren't going to see those kinds of numbers unless you've climbed your way into a high-level executive role or secured a position that comes with various cost-of-living adjustments for expats. It's not exactly easy money for the rank and file.

Why wouldn't I? When I'm out there hunting for a new role, I’m looking at places where the salaries are double the national average. It seems rather shortsighted to waste my breath searching in regions where the pay scales sit well below the mean.

The UN operates on an American-style system, which essentially means you’re just paying more taxes only to find out there isn't even a pension waiting for you at the end.

Once you've settled your taxes, you're eligible for a basic UN pension after five years.

In certain agencies where contracts are on a shorter leash, you're actually required to pay into a life insurance policy. It’s a bit of a racket, really. Still, you generally end up better off than my father was; they calculated his Social Security benefits at a rate that was nothing short of insulting. $0.90 After forty years on the clock, having spent my career navigating the halls of some relatively reputable corporations...

And I’m sure you’ll fare better than my aunt, who was practically forced into early disability retirement by the system. $300. 😢

coastalbison6 said:I am not quite sure if you are referring to gross or net income.

A net salary of $2,200 for a factory worker in Austria sounds like pure science fiction, especially considering how dizzyingly high taxes and social security contributions are back home in the States.
However, they do guarantee 14 monthly paychecks by law.

And this idea that you need $8,000 for a decent lifestyle is nothing more than a fairy tale.

I am talking about net amounts including various stipends. In essence, while this worker's base pay might have been slightly lower, they receive additional compensation for shift work, extra pay for weekends, and overtime. Just try to find a factory worker or a retail clerk here in America who actually gets paid for every single hour of overtime or weekend shifts... Walk into any local shop and ask.

You make a fair point—if she worked strictly 40 hours a week, the take-home would be less. But she is still in a vastly superior position compared to a Democratic Party employee working in America.

As for that $8,000 figure, I wonder what amount you believe constitutes a "decent" life?

I looked up the salaries for officials in international organizations online, and they aligned perfectly with what was stated. If an American Democratic Party employee working for the United Nations used to pull in over $2,200 a month (in the past, before most of those organizations relocated), then $4,800 for highly qualified personnel is hardly an exaggeration.

Walter Garcia6 said:And just how does one go about "getting" a Diners Club Plus card anyway?

You simply head over to www.dinersclub.com to browse the options, give them a call, and follow the standard procedure...

Walter Garcia6 said:I've been seeing ads lately offering loans—up to $5,000 over a five-year term—processed directly through credit cards like Diners Club or American Express. Has anyone actually gone through this process?

If you pick up a Diners Club Plus, you can pull a cash loan from it. The interest rates are predatory, to be sure, but if you find yourself backed into a corner, it’s probably your most logical move.

Maria Stewart57 said:Here is a rather mindless hypothetical....
I assume goldengull3 will jump in here.

Let’s say I somehow get my hands on the cell phone numbers of several public figures.
Then, I decide to leak them all online.
Would I face any actual legal repercussions?

As I see it, you're only looking at trouble if those specific numbers have been officially classified—for instance, if you find a list where the header explicitly marks the information as top secret.

One really ought to distinguish between data that is legally classified and data that is simply unlisted in the directory.

Back in the day, roughly fifteen years ago, right as the democratic shifts were taking hold in the USA, a member of Congress lost his personal address book. Journalists scooped it up and published it dutifully, providing direct lines to the head of state, party leaders, and even the CIA... Granted, we didn't have mobile phones back then.

Even so, the fallout would mostly be practical: those individuals would be forced to change their numbers. Carriers charge for that service, and then they’d have to notify everyone who actually needs those new digits. Ultimately, the real financial burden would just fall on the taxpayers, and I suspect that isn't quite your intention, is it?

Gary Cox72 said:Anyway, how is it that in such a developed West—where you already know certain successful people and see how much is invested in science—you can't find a high-paying position that provides a high quality of life?

I hope you don't take this last sentence as a provocation; that isn't my intention. I am merely curious, as this could serve as another argument within this thread. It is interesting to read about how difficult or easy it is to move abroad these days, and such an "effort" shouldn't be dismissed when considering whether moving is actually worth it.

I agree that it’s no longer worth going blindly—unless you are completely unemployed with nothing to lose, or perhaps a specialized welder who can pull in $4,000 abroad doing work that pays $1.50 here (welding ship sections, which is easily one of the worst jobs imaginable).

That is why I am focusing on my education and waiting for the right opening—for instance, first breaking into a foreign corporation here, proving my worth, and then waiting for them to call me. A colleague of mine did exactly that; she currently earns $120,000. She joined a foreign firm in $1.75, worked her way up to $5.00 over four years, and eventually—they called her to work overseas. It would have been much harder if she had just moved to the USA immediately and said, "Here I am."

But, as I mentioned, my motivation is the prospect of living a normal life pursuing science—something that is a bit more difficult to achieve in America.

Gary Cox72 said:The specific examples you mentioned are massive outliers compared to both the European Union and the US averages.
One could argue that moving abroad offers more opportunities simply due to market scale. There are certain professional milestones that remain out of reach here, yet are entirely attainable over there.

But that $120,000 figure, for instance, represents a top-tier software developer; it sits far above the American average. How many individuals actually hit those numbers compared to the median, and do you honestly believe the majority of our young people heading abroad will secure those salaries immediately—or ever?

Look, my friend—averages hold zero interest for me. I am concerned with finding a place where high-level work meets high-level compensation. Even here, I pull in roughly $2,500 a month when I factor in my various consulting fees and such.

Do you truly believe a leading German journal in a well-funded field would pay me $300 for two articles, or that one of the top three journals in the country would pay me $333 for an original scientific paper? Or that, as a doctoral candidate, I’d be offered a position at a premier institution for a salary that is merely 10% higher than the national average?

People abroad live in superior apartments, larger homes, drive better cars, and exist within much more organized societies. They don't have to shell out their own money for journals and books because their universities provide them. Taking a summer or winter vacation is standard practice—something that remains a luxury reserved for a tiny minority here in America. Their GDP is four to five times—that is, 400-500% higher than ours—so, naturally, their quality of life is superior. I was recently speaking with a law professor from Scotland; you can tell just by looking at him that his suit costs more than half of my entire faculty's budget combined.🙂

And, of course, I wouldn't be foolish. I am positioning myself—I've started writing for foreign journals, I'm mastering a second language, and so on. My point stands: averages have never interested me, and they never will.

There is also a vital distinction: abroad, a researcher doesn't face a crisis when requesting $2,000 or $3,000 to travel to two neighboring countries to conduct comparative research for a dissertation. Here, even if I were at a major institute or a university, I would likely have to take personal leave and finance the whole endeavor myself.

Not to mention my colleagues at Rudyard. I am certain that even at the Max Planck Institute and similar establishments, they aren't forced to buy their own experimental materials out of pocket and then smuggle them across borders... 😁

Gary Cox72 said:It would be more useful to know what this Austrian's approximate monthly net income is, alongside the typical cost of living in Austria.
Try providing some rental prices in, say, Austin or the surrounding area, and the average salary within their civil service, so we can actually compare the two.

To be precise, they each earn upwards of $2,000 plus bonuses and a 13th month's pay. She also works an additional job, which adds a few hundred more to the pile.

I am in complete agreement regarding the house—but keep in mind they both invested several tens of thousands of dollars into it.

I am certain I don't need to hand over $0.67 every month toward a mortgage just to have different perspectives on working in America or abroad.

You are likely correct regarding scientific research, but do you have any concrete figures? What is the approximate income for these scientists, and what are the rental costs in the cities where these institutes are located? [/B]

On this note, I once had a conversation with an individual whose education almost mirrored my own—this was prior to my Master's, so as a doctoral student now, I have likely surpassed him. He worked as a civil servant in The Hague and earned roughly $4,500 (I was also a civil servant at the time, earning $1.25). My partner held a standard degree and was earning only $3,000. In my estimation, $7,500 a month is enough for two people to live modestly in Western Europe. I would venture to say it's even better than living on two above-average American salaries.

I also know an acquaintance who recently moved to the States; her gross income is north of $120,000, which translates to about $70,000 net annually. One can certainly make a living in the US on that. Back in the American civil service, with her qualifications, she would currently be making $1.00. 🙂

To give you a concrete example: I have friends living in southern Austria. He’s a Democratic Party member working in civil service, and she’s a factory worker. They completely renovated an old house he inherited, they drive two mid-range cars, they spend three weeks a year on the coast, and every couple of years they take a trip somewhere like Australia.

Yet, I can't think of many working-class families in America who live quite like that.

Second example: consider a chief medical officer, a PhD surgeon specializing in open-heart surgery—in America, there are perhaps $3.25 such people (assuming they aren't also teaching at a university or pulling extra overtime). How many of those exist in a place like, say, Chicago?

Third example: I was recently offered a position at a prestigious American legal institute—the pay is $1.50 (though if a permanent role opened up after my doctorate, it would be $1.75).

Try to find me a leading legal institute in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the USA, or elsewhere where a researcher earns less than a local tram driver in the same city. That is precisely why I am so eager to leave—even though I earn a decent living here in America—because I could actually focus on what interests me: scientific research. Instead of grinding away 8 or 9 hours a day in industry just to make ends meet, only to pursue science in my spare time. I sometimes wonder if the reason I wouldn't be accepted by a foreign university might actually be having too many publications—essentially, that I might ruin the department's "low productivity" average.

papa štrumf said:Costs? Please. 🙄Are people over there actually forced to hand over more than half their paycheck for six years just to afford a new Volkswagen diesel? Or do they spend thirty years struggling to pay off a tiny 400-square-foot studio apartment?

And don't even get me started on the unemployment rates and the pathetic state of social safety nets in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden... 🙂

As for the Norwegians, they’re practically starving.

Just look at our rugged, mountainous terrain compared to somewhere like Switzerland...

Furthermore, I hear you can't even secure a single cent for scientific research out there in the West.

I am certain that our local Department of Science would approve several hundred million just to send a probe to Pluto if we asked; if Westerners can pull it off, why shouldn't we?

I am tired of looking at the rankings of the top 500 universities in the world—not a single American institution makes the cut. The few remaining legal institutes where I could actually find work exist solely to provide $1.25 government salaries to the staff, and that's it. No projects, no innovation, no investment, not even any published books... It is incomprehensible to me that I would be expected to buy a mountain of expensive textbooks for research at some Western university, simply because our colleges here can't bother to stock them.

chrooted said:The wealthier you are, the more credit you can access. That’s just how things work in America. No bank is going to hand you a loan unless they’re certain you have the means to pay it back. It's simple math.

I can't help but feel that Americans tend to be far more strategic with their borrowing than the average citizen here. They seem to prioritize investing in assets that actually hold value.

Benjamin Ramos95 said:Sure, Germany might be facing some massive economic hurdles, but look at people from our neck of the woods—whether they're Americans or folks from Turkey—who moved there as guest workers. They managed to scrape together substantial pensions and build themselves decent little houses back home.

I have some acquaintances living in Austria; he’s an SS official working in the civil service, and she works on a factory floor. They own two nice cars, they've fully renovated a house he inherited—which involved pouring tens of thousands of dollars into an old structure—they take annual vacations plus several long weekends by the Atlantic, and they even just got back from a three-week trip to Australia.

Back here at home, we'd all be scraping by $1.75 and I honestly doubt we could manage even half of that lifestyle.

goldengull3 said:😂
Tell them to hang in there; we're getting aid sent their way shortly.

I suggest we start by dispatching the American executives... 😁