Doomsday Prep For Non-Paranoid People

[tmttactical]

First national health Care being efficient is not the question. Free anything is the question. Could national Health care prove to be more financially efficient, in a dream world, yes but not in a real world. Bureaucracy bleeds off money faster than a wounded hemophiliac on a battle field.

On another note: In America Social Security was a pre-paid retirement and had my pre-paid monies been actually assigned to me, my retirement would be a H3ll of a lot bigger. In America the Social Security monies are paid by Americans prior to collecting and they are just getting their own money back. This is not a "Free Lunch" program paid by other tax payers. Now I will admit the politicians have included people that did not pay into the system and they should not get the funds. The politicians love to give away money, as long as it does not come out of their pockets, with the hope of buying more votes.

 

[Proud Prepper]

I agree with you in principle, but I've always had a nagging question (and I'm most assuredly not a socialist).

If everyone had access to healthcare (and I'm talking about theory, which is light years away from how things work in the real world), does that mean that it save money for everyone over time because--with proper health maintenence--there would be less people relying on the emergency room, and things would be caught earlier when medical conditions are easier (and cheaper) to treat?

So....a net savings of money for everyone?

In practice, I accept that there will be human ineptness, crookedness, and government incompetence attached to socialized medicine (I've heard from many sources that one dollar out of every four dollars spent by the government is waste), so I imagine that it would never work really well.....or, at least, not any better than what we already have.

Still.....if it was done right, would it be cheaper than what we have now?

Yes it would, but you cant force someone to buy healthcare. That's socialism or Totalitarianism. Simply deter people from going to the emergency room. If someone doesn't have insurance or won't pay, let charity organizations pay there bill, not the tax payers. Bring back debters prisons and force people to work until there debt is paid.

 

[GaRp58]

In Germany, we have to pay un-employment insurance, retirement insurance, bed-ridden health insurance, normal health insurance, dental insurance and a solidarity tax to "re-build" the former East German, former Russian territory. What is left over from our paycheck is what we get paid on our bank account monthly...
PS: Radio tax, TV tax ($25 a month) Dog tax ($120/year) car tax ($145/ year) trailer tax ($45/year) insurance taxes on each contract ($125/year) heating oil tax, 19 % VAT. The price of gas is over $7.50 a gallon, coffee is $ 6/lb, beef: $15-20/lb. $4-5 for a beer in town and $10 for a McDonalds menu...

 

[Brent S]

In Germany, we have to pay un-employment insurance, retirement insurance, bed-ridden health insurance, normal health insurance, dental insurance and a solidarity tax to "re-build" the former East German, former Russian territory. What is left over from our paycheck is what we get paid on our bank account monthly...
PS: Radio tax, TV tax ($25 a month) Dog tax ($120/year) car tax ($145/ year) trailer tax ($45/year) insurance taxes on each contract ($125/year) heating oil tax, 19 % VAT. The price of gas is over $7.50 a gallon, coffee is $ 6/lb, beef: $15-20/lb. $4-5 for a beer in town and $10 for a McDonalds menu...

Yeah, here in the States we get taxed on income, then again at sales, and in between there are fees for everything. I’ve read in Europe they just tax the crap out of you up front and it’s done. Here, it’s less painful up front but they keep taking it from you down the road. I have to admit though, your gas and beef prices are rough.

 

[BillMasen]

Yeah, here in the States we get taxed on income, then again at sales, and in between there are fees for everything. I’ve read in Europe they just tax the crap out of you up front and it’s done. Here, it’s less painful up front but they keep taking it from you down the road. I have to admit though, your gas and beef prices are rough.

UK has income tax at 22% and 40% for the better off
National Insurance to pay for the NHS and State pension 14%
VAT ( purchase tax) on 99% of all goods 20%
Fuel Duty on fuel which varies but makes up about 60% of the cost of fuel, NOTE you pay VAT on top of fuel duty
Road Fund tax to allow your vehicle on the road
Capital Gains Tax, Death Duty, Stamp Duty etc etc
In the UK the second you are born you owe the government £500, and you have to pay death duty and pay for death certificates.
Even welfare payments and pensions are taxed.

Isnt Socialism wonderful.

 

[DrHenley]

Tax his land, tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirts,
Tax his work, tax his dirt.
Tax his chew, tax his smoke,
Teach him taxes are no joke.
Tax his car, tax his grass,
Tax the roads he must pass.
Tax his food, tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his sodas, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.
Tax his bills, tax his gas,
Tax his notes, tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers, tax him more,
Tax him until he’s good and sore.
Tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he’s gone, we won’t relax,
We’ll still be after the inheritance tax.

"The Tax Poem"
by
Author Unknown

 

[Maverick]

I know we American rightly bitch about our taxes here but damn, Europe has really got one coming and going

In the US, in death the Federal and State estate taxes are based on the value of property over a certain amount, ya, we pay taxes on funeral services but most of that is up to the state we live in. Federal gas tax is 18.4 cents and the states through in their taxes. In Washington our gas tax is $0.49 cents https://taxfoundation.org/state-gas-tax-rates-2019/

 

[GaRp58]

AND THAT IS WHY I'M A MOVIN' TO HUNGARY. Got a letter from the mayors office that I forgot to pay my landowners taxes for the last three years...
NO interest, NO backpay charges, NO threats if the money did not come before a certain date. No STRESS. After I figured out what the amount was, (the Hungarian price tag for 3 years back taxes was 13,440, thirteen thousand four hundred and forty FORINTH). Translated into dollars (US): $ 35.00!! Damn that hurt to pay at one time...My monthly utilities never run over $50 a month. Just can't wait to go! GP

 

[Maverick]

AND THAT IS WHY I'M A MOVIN' TO HUNGARY. Got a letter from the mayors office that I forgot to pay my landowners taxes for the last three years...
NO interest, NO backpay charges, NO threats if the money did not come before a certain date. No STRESS. After I figured out what the amount was, (the Hungarian price tag for 3 years back taxes was 13,440, thirteen thousand four hundred and forty FORINTH). Translated into dollars (US): $ 35.00!! Damn that hurt to pay at one time...My monthly utilities never run over $50 a month. Just can't wait to go! GP

You are lucky lol, the state assessed 1% value, because the way I use the property, location etc... I would pay the full assessed value of 18 thousand a year

 

[Brent S]

AND THAT IS WHY I'M A MOVIN' TO HUNGARY. Got a letter from the mayors office that I forgot to pay my landowners taxes for the last three years...
NO interest, NO backpay charges, NO threats if the money did not come before a certain date. No STRESS. After I figured out what the amount was, (the Hungarian price tag for 3 years back taxes was 13,440, thirteen thousand four hundred and forty FORINTH). Translated into dollars (US): $ 35.00!! Damn that hurt to pay at one time...My monthly utilities never run over $50 a month. Just can't wait to go! GP

Wait a second, you pay $35.00 for three years of property tax? And you want to move why? Or is that where you have land and that’s the amount owed? I pay 1500. a year here. Could be worse though, I guess.

 

[tmttactical]

Is Hungary accepting American immigrants?

 

[GaRp58]

Y'all read that right. My land taxes in Hungary are less than $15 a year. Retired persons pay nothing for riding the bus or a train. They also pay nothing for their health insurance. They have worked 60 or 70 years of their life to finance the entire nation and its needs. The nation can kindly show its thanks and pay some of that back the last 15-20 years up to their death...And the laws there say: only Hungarians can buy land in larger style. A house or small company, ok. But not come in with millions and buy up entire landscapes and then do what you want with it. 1/7 of all Canada belongs to Japanese billionares. Can't happen in Hungary. EU residents (UK --still--) can come buy some land, a house and retire there. In the smaller villages, $ 10,000 will get you 2 acres of land, a house, a chicken coop, pig pen and maybe your own water well...Americans cannot buy there, but they can rent or lease homes, houses and appartments under $200 a month with utilities.
My wife now has a Hungarian Green card and has to give ME written permission to live there and verify that I can support myself financially...GP

 

[tmttactical]

Well there went another retirement location. Darn, the cost of living sounded great.

 

[Kevin L]

Y'all read that right. My land taxes in Hungary are less than $15 a year. Retired persons pay nothing for riding the bus or a train. They also pay nothing for their health insurance. They have worked 60 or 70 years of their life to finance the entire nation and its needs. The nation can kindly show its thanks and pay some of that back the last 15-20 years up to their death...And the laws there say: only Hungarians can buy land in larger style. A house or small company, ok. But not come in with millions and buy up entire landscapes and then do what you want with it. 1/7 of all Canada belongs to Japanese billionares. Can't happen in Hungary. EU residents (UK --still--) can come buy some land, a house and retire there. In the smaller villages, $ 10,000 will get you 2 acres of land, a house, a chicken coop, pig pen and maybe your own water well...Americans cannot buy there, but they can rent or lease homes, houses and appartments under $200 a month with utilities.
My wife now has a Hungarian Green card and has to give ME written permission to live there and verify that I can support myself financially...GP

But.....do you speak Hungarian?

 

[GaRp58]

Hungarian, German, Croatian, English. And I get along with French and Spanish. I've had 41 years in Europe to learn. The English language is a mixture of 5 different Latin based languages. Bouquet of flowers. Banquet, introduction, injection, Baggage, texture: all French words. Bier/beer, glas/glass, ellenbogen/elbow, nase/nose, haar/hair, fuss/foot, plastik/plastic: German and the English word after, almost identical. Cactus, mosquito, chocolate: Spanish words that we use directly. After you get the load of it, learning the rest becomes easy. Besides if I drive, in 2 hours, Austria, Switzerland and France, in 3 hours, Belgium, Luxemburg or Lichtenstein. 4 hours: Chech Republic and Holland. You cross the border and need to be able to communicate someway or another. Thank God lots of Europeans learn English in school, it makes it easier sometimes.

 

[GaRp58]

I was a Boy Scout when I was younger and their motto is "be prepared", I think being a prepper is just an extension of this philosophy.

I was too, and THAT is why I have carried a bag of things since 1972, what is now called an EDC. Don't leave home without it, never did/never will. GP

 

[jontte]

GP,it might be easy for you to learn Swedish as well..

 

[GaRp58]

Well there went another retirement location

Well, you could adopt or marry into a Hungarian family...My niece just bought a house across town from ours. The Gov't is granting incentives to young families which will and is encouraging them to move back into the country and away from the cities to spread out the population and drop the rental prices in some of the bigger towns where lots of younger people are moving to, looking for jobs and driving the prices up. She and her husband bought a house for about 11 million Forint. Their gov't incentive was 5 1/2 million Forint. The purchase price was cut in half with the gov't help. They just cannot sell it within the next 10 years...
((1 million Forint is about $3500))

 

[GaRp58]

GP,it might be easy for you to learn Swedish as well..

I needed 9 months for German, 8 months for Croatian, have been working on the Hungarian for 41 years now. I drove long distance trucks to Sweden. Went to Göteborg 10 days to learn to be an ECO driving trainer by VOLVO. Drove to and through Stockholm up to Uppsala. Got to make some contact with the quiet and friendly Swedes. Swedish would take me maybe 6-7 months, but I would also have to live there the whole time. Just from a book or chatting is not the same. I can even differentiat between the many German dialects and some people don't believe I was born in America. Americans don't speak anything but English and Bullshit is the idea here.

 

[Brent S]

I needed 9 months for German, 8 months for Croatian, have been working on the Hungarian for 41 years now. I drove long distance trucks to Sweden. Went to Göteborg 10 days to learn to be an ECO driving trainer by VOLVO. Drove to and through Stockholm up to Uppsala. Got to make some contact with the quiet and friendly Swedes. Swedish would take me maybe 6-7 months, but I would also have to live there the whole time. Just from a book or chatting is not the same. I can even differentiat between the many German dialects and some people don't believe I was born in America. Americans don't speak anything but English and Bullshit is the idea here.

I kind of feel that way about most Americans as well....