# it's nice to be rich **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2006, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625 "2006-05-21T12:08:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/41 "2006-05-22T13:20:01Z")
OP, why did you wait till now to spring this on us when you’ve been a member for about a year? I would have jumped in with a thread about 30 seconds after winning the money. ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/42 "2006-05-22T14:21:08Z")
[QUOTE=Evil Captor] The thing that makes me curious is, how different does it feel to be rich in the US as well as Europe. Most middle class and lower class folks in the US live from paycheck to paycheck. If you lose your job and can’t find another one soon enough, you could lose your home. You could even become homeless. You also tend to lose your health insurance, and could only get medical help for problems severe enough to get you admitted to an emergency room. [/QUOTE] here in Scandinavia and we have a welfarestate that takes care of you to a limit. If you loose you job you will get money from the “employer-agency” for 1-2 year, and if you don’t have earned enough money to get paid from the employer-agency you will get money from something called the social office (welfare) (but it’s not much) Hospitals are 100% free and you only pay a smal part in consultation with a doctor so you don’t nead any health insurancy Last time a was in consultation with a doctor i payed about $15 because of our welfare system few people get homeless. but we have off course higher taxes here in Scaninavia than USA and the prices of alcohol, tobacco and cars are very high (is specialtaxes on alcohol, tobacco and cars) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/43 "2006-05-22T14:31:14Z")
I could probably live off $50,000 after taxes in much of Scandinavia - no health care costs and if I run out of money, I won’t end up on the street. How’s college - does the state pay for that as well? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/44 "2006-05-22T14:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=Misnomer] I don’ gettit … how would you having money make the Army have better gear? [/QUOTE] I won’t swear to it, but I think I overheard \*\*BN \*\* talking about a mink M-16. Could be mistaken, though. However, I also am skeptical of the OP. For one thing, if \*\*I \*\* had more than a mil, you all would hear no more of the man called handsomeharry. hh ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/45 "2006-05-22T15:03:57Z")
My bullshit meter has pegged. ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/46 "2006-05-22T15:10:18Z")
[QUOTE=Dangerosa] I could probably live off $50,000 after taxes in much of Scandinavia - no health care costs and if I run out of money, I won’t end up on the street. How’s college - does the state pay for that as well? [/QUOTE] yes you only pay a fee each semester (about $60-70) there are some private colleges too, but few ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/47 "2006-05-22T15:32:42Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] My bullshit meter has pegged. [/QUOTE] Mine exploded. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/48 "2006-05-22T15:46:05Z")
Best wishes to the OP. Money can’t buy happiness, but it can sure buy you some time during which one’s search can be more effecacious. IMHO wealth is wasted on the rich. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/49 "2006-05-22T15:51:46Z")
Bullshit meter is pinging here too, but [Finland](http://www.gamblinglicenses.com/LicencesDatabaseDetail.cfm?Licenses_ID=88&Region=Europe) doesn’t tax winnings. Damn. -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/50 "2006-05-22T15:54:21Z")
[QUOTE=ultrafilter] And pre-wrapped bacon, dammit. [/QUOTE] But not a real green dress, that’s cruel. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/51 "2006-05-22T16:04:56Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] Mine exploded. [/QUOTE] Mine exploded, then the pieces reassembled themselves so it could explode again. Speaking as an _actual_ Scandinavian (Swede, to be precise), I would never talk about “here in Scandinavia”, I’d say “here in Sweden”. Scandinavia isn’t a widely used concept inside Scandinavia, it’s just a quaint categorization with little meaning. Besides, conditions aren’t the same throughout Scandinavia (for example, hospitals are not completely free in Sweden; they might be in other countries), so it would make no sense to use it the way **Minotaurus** does. I’d like to say that **Minotaurus** ’s grasp of English also points to an origin outside Scandinavia, but that is unfortunately wishful thinking. The rest of his posting record does lend credence to the bullshit hypothesis, though. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/52 "2006-05-22T16:11:13Z")
Countries inside Scandanavia also have a very high literacy rate. Unlike the OP . 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/53 "2006-05-22T16:18:27Z")
I’d like to interrupt the proceedings for a moment to compliment **Priceguy** on his dexterity in the English language. How talented you are to be able to express yourself well in more than one language! You may now return to your regularly scheduled BS meter explosions. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/54 "2006-05-22T16:18:52Z")
[QUOTE=ultrafilter] If I won millions of dollars, I wouldn’t have to eat Kraft dinners. But I would eat Kraft dinners–I’d just eat more of 'em. [/QUOTE] Not real Kraft dinners, that’s cruel! Go generic. ---
**Author:** ![Minotaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Minotaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minotaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/55 "2006-05-22T16:21:14Z")
[QUOTE=Ellen Cherry] I’d like to interrupt the proceedings for a moment to compliment **Priceguy** on his dexterity in the English language. How talented you are to be able to express yourself well in more than one language! You may now return to your regularly scheduled BS meter explosions. [/QUOTE] tell me how is it that some attack someones language skills ? the lack of valid arguments? ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/56 "2006-05-22T16:23:35Z")
[QUOTE=Ellen Cherry] I’d like to interrupt the proceedings for a moment to compliment **Priceguy** on his dexterity in the English language. How talented you are to be able to express yourself well in more than one language! [/QUOTE] Why do I feel like the needle on my sarcasm detector should start jiggling? ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/57 "2006-05-22T16:25:15Z")
[QUOTE=Minotaurus] tell me how is it that some attack someones language skills ? the lack of valid arguments? [/QUOTE] This is a debate now? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/58 "2006-05-22T16:27:20Z")
I was being serious! I’m sorry if anyone’s offended. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/59 "2006-05-22T16:30:01Z")
[QUOTE=Ellen Cherry] I was being serious! I’m sorry if anyone’s offended. ☹ [/QUOTE] Absolutely not. It just sounded like the kind of thing you’d say when someone had just either insulted somebody for being monolingual or been hit in the head by Gaudere’s Law, so I scoured my post for instances of either and found none. Thanks for the compliment. I do appreciate it muchedly. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625/60 "2006-05-22T16:31:21Z")
Oh, and the “you” in “the kind of thing you’d say” is the general “you”. I don’t know how **Ellen Cherry** usually responds to people who insult others for being monolingual. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-nice-to-be-rich/357625.md?page=4)