Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

Morgan Foster said:A single guy living on $2,000 a month—and even then, he’s coming up short at first 🙏

I don't know... I was giving him advice yesterday, but honestly, what do people like this even expect? In my opinion, the internet is largely to blame for this downward spiral in society. Seriously—for the last decade or so, everyone’s dealing with some kind of crisis, acting like they're too good for hard work or actual education, yet they're too lazy to even look up basic information for a tiny little step forward in life...
Anyway, I'm going to take a quick stroll over to visit the crew in Germany. I'll be back in a few days 🙏

From what I hear from people who actually moved, most folks are probably bringing in closer to $1,300-$1,500 rather than $2,000 at first—not exactly high-paying gigs. If rent is running him $600-$800, he might be left with $500-$700, which honestly isn't much more than what he could make right here in a place like Chicago or somewhere on the coast...

Sure, people are fools, and they tend to drift toward wherever life feels a little less heavy—even if things aren't actually any better there.
I know plenty of folks who packed up for Ireland, Germany, or Norway, and none of them have even looked back. Honestly, why would they? It doesn't even cross their minds to come home.

Matthew Young35 said:Sure, people are fools, and they tend to drift toward wherever life feels a little less heavy—even if things aren't actually any better there.
I know plenty of folks who packed up for Ireland, Germany, or Norway, and none of them have even looked back. Honestly, why would they? It doesn't even cross their minds to come home.

I actually know a few folks who did come back, specifically from Ireland, mostly because they were single and dealing with those insane rent prices—they were working service jobs and weren't afraid to grind...

Morgan Foster said:A single guy living on $2,000 a month—and even then, he’s coming up short at first 🙏

I don't know... I was giving him advice yesterday, but honestly, what do people like this even expect? In my opinion, the internet is largely to blame for this downward spiral in society. Seriously—for the last decade or so, everyone’s dealing with some kind of crisis, acting like they're too good for hard work or actual education, yet they're too lazy to even look up basic information for a tiny little step forward in life...
Anyway, I'm going to take a quick stroll over to visit the crew in Germany. I'll be back in a few days 🙏

That's money from a regular salary combined with side hustles, not some entry-level paycheck...

Morgan Foster said:Sure, you could do that, but it really comes down to personal math at this point. You just have to look at what you're earning versus what you can save. I know people who spent five years chasing those modest German pensions, just hoping that the current American standards would stay the same forever...

I also know folks who moved to Germany in their 50s just to build up a retirement fund. It’s hard to make broad statements, but it’s good to know there's an option out there if you feel stuck here. A lot of it really depends on your career path...

James Anderson5 said:Honestly, about 90% of these degrees from fake business schools—especially those private ones like some overpriced local community colleges—aren't worth a dime. What did they actually earn by getting that piece of paper? And since when did we start calling ourselves a civilized nation...

It feels like doctors and nurses are some of the first ones getting shortchanged instead of service workers or waitstaff... A resident physician earns about the same as a city bus driver, which just isn't right given how things should work in America. You have some executive at a massive conglomerate in Chicago making way more than a neurosurgeon, even though most of them barely lift a finger and have a fraction of the education or responsibility. It seems like this whole system was built to create these gaps just to buy votes, which is why we end up with a political landscape that protects the status quo...

Some people are probably going to act like greedy bosses are the only reason wages are low here in America... they just can't seem to let go of that old communist mindset... 😁

Hold on a second.

So, according to this, anyone refusing to work for peanuts is a communist—while the "employers" who can't find cheap labor and beg the government for subsidies are all big-shot capitalists.🙏 🙏

Matthew Young35 said:Sure, people are fools, and they tend to drift toward wherever life feels a little less heavy—even if things aren't actually any better there.
I know plenty of folks who packed up for Ireland, Germany, or Norway, and none of them have even looked back. Honestly, why would they? It doesn't even cross their minds to come home.

Once you sever ties with your homeland, you eventually commit to moving away for good; there’s a slim chance you’ll return after six months, regardless of how rough things get out there.
When my old man moved abroad, he mentioned it took him two full months just to adjust to the German work ethic and lifestyle—and that was with him already knowing the language and having a job referral from his firm. Just imagine it for people who don't speak the language or aren't used to a different way of doing things...
I’m talking about the average American citizen here, not someone with the advanced degrees these Western countries are hunting for...

Anthony Jackson2, I have to say, that five-pointed star on your avatar actually looks pretty sharp! 😁

At the end of the day, market forces follow their own rules—there’s no such thing as "fair" or "unfair" when it comes to the bottom line.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Hold on a second.

So, according to this, anyone refusing to work for peanuts is a communist—while the "employers" who can't find cheap labor and beg the government for subsidies are all big-shot capitalists.🙏 🙏

In a year or two, wages in America will climb. Employers haven't quite grasped the consequences of stalling pay raises yet. As I understand it, by July 2020, travel restrictions for American passport holders within the EU are being lifted...

Justin James10 said:Anthony Jackson2, I have to say, that five-pointed star on your avatar actually looks pretty sharp! 😁

At the end of the day, market forces follow their own rules—there’s no such thing as "fair" or "unfair" when it comes to the bottom line.

Spot on—you either have a market or you don't. If you can't attract customers, you fail. That's just capitalism at work.

Begging the government for a handout? That's communism. We good?

Anthony Jackson2 said:Spot on—you either have a market or you don't. If you can't attract customers, you fail. That's just capitalism at work.

Begging the government for a handout? That's communism. We good?

I'll second that.

In general, the government in America tends to stick its nose into far too many things.

James Anderson5 said:I actually know a few folks who did come back, specifically from Ireland, mostly because they were single and dealing with those insane rent prices—they were working service jobs and weren't afraid to grind...

I mean, first off, people are kind of clueless and usually head straight for Dublin, which is insanely expensive to live in. It’s the exact same deal as when people move to Munich in Germany. My sister went to a smaller city instead and she’s doing pretty well for herself, though she does have a college degree and knows the language, so that helps. I had this buddy go to Ireland too, but he started out in some tiny town working at a local brewery, then eventually moved out to some little rural village—maybe just a couple thousand people—to work on a big farm. Now he’s a foreman there and honestly lives really well, plus his rent is basically nothing.😁

bluebison10 said:That's money from a regular salary combined with side hustles, not some entry-level paycheck...

I guess it really just depends on what you actually do for a living. I’m planning to head up north around April to join some buddies who are making bank. But, uh, I’m an experienced tradesman, just like them, and we also pretty much speak fluent German.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Hold on a second.

So, according to this, anyone refusing to work for peanuts is a communist—while the "employers" who can't find cheap labor and beg the government for subsidies are all big-shot capitalists.🙏 🙏

Don't you think there's a heavy dose of that old-school collectivist mindset still running things here in America? I mean, look at how people land jobs in government agencies or major corporations—it’s often all about political connections rather than merit. Plus, such a huge chunk of the economy is state-run, and that influence only grows when the government starts micromanaging massive conglomerates like Walmart or Amazon...

The whole market and tax system is upside down; just look at how public sector salaries often outpace the private sector. Does that seem normal to you?

That entire logic leads to claims that private sector workers are underpaid simply because bosses won't give them more. But the market should handle those shifts. The government's job should be to provide the best possible environment for businesses to operate stably, so they can actually turn a profit. From there, healthy competition should naturally drive up wages as companies vie for talent if they have the means...

Sandra Johnson58 said:I mean, first off, people are kind of clueless and usually head straight for Dublin, which is insanely expensive to live in. It’s the exact same deal as when people move to Munich in Germany. My sister went to a smaller city instead and she’s doing pretty well for herself, though she does have a college degree and knows the language, so that helps. I had this buddy go to Ireland too, but he started out in some tiny town working at a local brewery, then eventually moved out to some little rural village—maybe just a couple thousand people—to work on a big farm. Now he’s a foreman there and honestly lives really well, plus his rent is basically nothing.😁

I totally agree. So many people just don't plan things out properly, which probably explains why they end up leaving feeling completely burnt out... It doesn't help that they don't have anyone looking out for them to help ease the load or point them in the right direction...

I think a smaller town is definitely the way to go. Rent is so much cheaper there, and most other costs—aside from maybe car insurance—are either lower or about the same as they are here...

Anthony Jackson2 said:Spot on—you either have a market or you don't. If you can't attract customers, you fail. That's just capitalism at work.

Begging the government for a handout? That's communism. We good?

Yep, that's exactly where we stand...

America is basically this transitional mess stuck in limbo between two different systems, and honestly, you saw this happen in a bunch of other post-communist countries too. Most of those places actually managed to claw their way out of that gap and made some pretty huge strides. People used to make fun of most of those former Eastern Bloc countries because they were such hardcore communist dictatorships—it was like impossible to escape, and since they were totally cut off from the West, everyone lived in way deeper poverty. But the old system here wasn't even a hardcore communist oasis or anything; we had that weird worker self-management thing going on with the party’s blessing, plus there was maybe a bit more freedom when it came to traveling or just leaving. I guess the history of that strange economic setup might be weighing us down, and not just us, but other nearby countries too. The only thing really growing in America is tourism, and its share of the GDP is one of the highest on the planet—well, at least among countries that aren't considered third world. I mean, a country that relies almost entirely on tourism or agriculture as its economic backbone can't really expect a massive future.

bluebison10 said:That's money from a regular salary combined with side hustles, not some entry-level paycheck...

For someone starting out over there, that amount isn't bad. It really all comes down to the individual—how they react when an opportunity for advancement actually shows up. I know people who stayed stuck in old, low-paying roles simply because they were too afraid to move... and then they end up struggling just to get by again.

James Anderson5 said:I also know folks who moved to Germany in their 50s just to build up a retirement fund. It’s hard to make broad statements, but it’s good to know there's an option out there if you feel stuck here. A lot of it really depends on your career path...

In that case, it's a total win-win situation for them.

James Anderson5 said:Don't you think there's a heavy dose of that old-school collectivist mindset still running things here in America? I mean, look at how people land jobs in government agencies or major corporations—it’s often all about political connections rather than merit. Plus, such a huge chunk of the economy is state-run, and that influence only grows when the government starts micromanaging massive conglomerates like Walmart or Amazon...

The whole market and tax system is upside down; just look at how public sector salaries often outpace the private sector. Does that seem normal to you?

That entire logic leads to claims that private sector workers are underpaid simply because bosses won't give them more. But the market should handle those shifts. The government's job should be to provide the best possible environment for businesses to operate stably, so they can actually turn a profit. From there, healthy competition should naturally drive up wages as companies vie for talent if they have the means...

I wouldn't call it communist—more of a socialist mindset. And yeah, I agree the government sticks its nose into everything too much (answering Justin James10 directly), but while the state needs to let the market breathe, it ultimately serves the citizens, not just big capital. Total liberalization would be madness—even much stronger economies couldn't handle it, let alone ours.

Living standards in America are climbing, costs go up every year, and wages just aren't keeping pace. People keep pushing for tax reforms and lowering payroll taxes—and while I agree we need them, I'm skeptical they'll actually put money in workers' pockets here. It'll probably just end up lining someone else's pockets instead. Closing the market to cheap foreign labor is honestly the simplest way for the state to protect workers and force these "entrepreneurs" to pay what the market actually demands. If they can't afford it, someone else will take their spot. This is especially true for the hospitality industry; we break records for tourism revenue every single year, yet I get the feeling seasonal wages are actually dropping. It's absurd, which is why I'm firmly against bringing in cheap labor for that sector.

For years, employers exploited people, and now that the tide is turning, suddenly everyone wants the government to step in. They shouldn't. Let them figure it out themselves. James Anderson5 was laughing, but let's be real—it was the employers who drove people out of the country; the government just helped along.

Sandra Johnson58 said:America is basically this transitional mess stuck in limbo between two different systems, and honestly, you saw this happen in a bunch of other post-communist countries too. Most of those places actually managed to claw their way out of that gap and made some pretty huge strides. People used to make fun of most of those former Eastern Bloc countries because they were such hardcore communist dictatorships—it was like impossible to escape, and since they were totally cut off from the West, everyone lived in way deeper poverty. But the old system here wasn't even a hardcore communist oasis or anything; we had that weird worker self-management thing going on with the party’s blessing, plus there was maybe a bit more freedom when it came to traveling or just leaving. I guess the history of that strange economic setup might be weighing us down, and not just us, but other nearby countries too. The only thing really growing in America is tourism, and its share of the GDP is one of the highest on the planet—well, at least among countries that aren't considered third world. I mean, a country that relies almost entirely on tourism or agriculture as its economic backbone can't really expect a massive future.

The Germans partially adopted that worker self-management model thanks to their local SPD—though, of course, they optimized it for their free-market economy. It isn't inherently bad... it's just a question of scale and financial viability. It’s easy to make money or run numbers, but that isn't everything in economics—you actually have to incentivize the economy somehow.

I know I'm generalizing, but how exactly do we incentivize tourism here? It's "beneficial" if a tourist shows up, drops some cash, and then leaves immediately. You sell them the sun and the beach, and because of that top-tier service, they might never come back. Without a different—and much more rational—mindset, there won't be any progress for us...