America: Land of the Free, Is it really?

[@firefighterchick]

I do agree with her on health insurance. To say the system is broken is a huge understatement. Yes, your employer generally covers a larger portion but unfortunately a lot of times the individual still pays a huge amount off their paychecks. The deductibles you may pay out 1,000s of dollars towards your care before the insurance kicks and there can be limits to coverage within a calendar year. Now most times preventative screenings like mammograms, etc are free. Right-of-way land as she put it is sort of a weird one to me. At least from my perspective. We have so many public roads, walking paths, etc that I'm not quite sure why one would ever want to walk through someone's private property. On farms, many farmers don't mind if you fish on it as long as you don't do any harm. The lack of public transportation is simply because outside of the cities are small towns and rural communities that can be hundreds or thousands of miles from each other. It's not practical. Now there are options more than ever where the Uber app and such exist to find rides to different places. The lack of Federal mandates is because of how the US system works. For most things, it's the individual states that create laws for their state, not the federal government overseeing them with some exceptions. Such as the case for any mandatory minimums for paid time off(vacations), maternity/paternity leave, etc. Small businesses can't afford typically to offer what larger businesses can for paid time off. In many states, there are mandatory maternity/ paternity leave. Most companies do offer a minimum of 2 weeks of paid time off from my experience. They also for the most part have paid bank holidays. My employer offers 4 weeks of paid time off when you start and then an additional week at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years with the company. As far as higher education costs are beyond ridiculous. I completely agree. Are universities mostly run by the government in the UK or privately owned? As far as gun crime. I don't know where she lived or what her experience has been. For the most part, the mass majority of Americans will never probably experience or witness a gun crime. If anything we hear about it. I will not say it isn't an issue that needs to be addressed regardless of what side of the issue you stand on. If you live in certain sections of cities you probably have a higher chance of being involved in one. At the same time I don't most Americans walk around in fear of it occurring at any moment. Again this is my experience and I've never lived in or gone to the cities around very often. I did not grow up with the constant fear of gun violence. She has an interesting perspective that I can't compare.

[@aresee8208]

Everyone's different. I live in downtown Baltimore, and have for more that 35 years. Fear of gun violence never enters my mind.

[@raamjames1]

I've never heard of anyone getting a fine for jaywalking in my 55 years in America. I haven't seen anyone carrying a gun besides a police officer with the exception of one or two incidents.

[@nowhereman725_]

American here. My critique of the video is that the young woman repeatedly says "in America" as if all areas of the nation are homogeneous. The US consists of 50 diverse states that have different laws and cultures. In fact, cities and counties within a given state have many differences. What happens in South Carolina may not be germane in Massachusetts. For example, it is not illegal to jaywalk in NYC. So, take what she says with a grain of salt.

[@PenelopeFrank]

She was speaking in generality

[@BrendaKruger-o5n]

This is amazing. In some ways America is not really free. This is interesting. I'm in the u.s. ❤

[@trahkrik]

This woman has more to worry about freeing herself from her own mind and artificial limitations than anything she has listed here. Life is what you make if it wherever you are.

[@thomassilverstein6699]

Please let her stay in the UK

[@thomassilverstein6699]

No guns , oh please

[@curlygal7315]

Seriously, this chick sounds so whiny….

[@donnabert]

@@curlygal7315 Her voice is so horrible that I stopped half way through.

[@lisademoss9308]

Bravo, I knew this comment would be here somewhere. ❤

[@curlygal7315]

@@donnabert lol, same! I had to stop it! 🤦‍♀️🤣

[@donnabert]

How much time you get off is a choice. No one ever mentions the Family Leave Act in these videos. and my husband gets six weeks of vacation through his employer. It depends on the company you work for, so if you choose to work for a company that doesn't offer much vacation time, that's on you.

[@oldmanjimh3165]

If she feels this way now, check with her in four years.

[@RevPeterTrabaris]

Every person is different, of course... I have cousins and friends, Americans, who have lived in the U.K for ten to twenty years, they love it more now than when they first moved there.

[@wienke29]

The crazy thing about insurance in the USA is that even with health insurance, you can still end up bankrupt.

[@Amandaarford83]

Oh yeah it’s the number one cause for bankruptcy. I’m a nurse practitioner and we always had so much trouble getting insurance to pay for anything

[@wienke29]

@Amandaarford83 I had surgery on my shoulder, rotator cuff, and the PT office is constantly fighting with insurance to get them to pay. That's even with me paying $40 a visit 3 times a week. SMH

[@Amandaarford83]

@@wienke29 yup some days I spent hours on the phone with insurance companies which is time that would have been better spent actually caring for patients.

[@donnabert]

I have cancer and had a stem-cell transplant. My insurance company sent a check for $4K and I was worried to cash it, "are they canceling my insurance?" No, they were giving me back my out of pocket deductible because I have such a serious illness. After that any time I went into the hospital I got a check for $200 a day for any "incidental" expenses. This all happened over the last two years with United Health Care which my husband gets through his job.

[@Amandaarford83]

@@donnabert that’s incredible! Unfortunately mine has been the opposite. I have a blood disorder and doe about a year and a half I was getting blood transfusions and immune suppressant infusions twice a week and I went into major debt over it that I’m still paying off. I hate how there is so much discrepancy in what each insurance will cover.

[@Hawk-ODA212]

Great reaction guys. She's a perfect example of how the definition of freedom varies from person to person. I'll just address two of her assertions. The U.S, a Constitutional Republic, was founded on the principles of limited powers for the Federal Government while emphasizing States' rights and individual rights. Unfortunately, the Federal government and its control over aspects of our lives has grown, thanks to both major parties, well beyond what the Founding Fathers intended. This is largely due to the creation of Departments that are allowed to make "rules" that are effectively "laws", when Congress should be creating those laws. Several of these Departments need to be eliminated completely or scaled back on their size and authority. The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, known as the bill of rights, does not "give" American citizens specific rights or freedoms. Instead, it "recognizes" that American Citizens inherently already have those rights and limits the Federal Government's control over those rights and prohibits the elimination of those rights. Some people say national Healthcare is a right, and by that they mean the government should provide healthcare. None of the Amendments in the Bill of Rights requires the government to provide anything in regards to those rights. If that same requirement were applied equally to all other rights, then the Federal Government would be required to arm every American Citizen. The Federal Government is not required to provide National Healthcare. Its primary responsibilities include National Defense, Immigration, National and International Commerce, Manage International Relations, Maintaining a Federal Court System, Financing the Federal Government and Coining Money. All other powers are left to the states or to individuals. And unless this young lady lived in a high crime area in the U.S., which are typically larger cities, statistically she would likely never see the illegal use of a firearm in public. There are a lot of law enforcement personnel who never have to take their firearm out of its holster while fighting crime for their entire career, and even more that never had to shoot their firearm in performance of their duties. And it's not the overwhelming majority of armed law abiding citizens who are committing the crimes with firearms.- Hawk

[@Amandaarford83]

I am always so torn on the gun issue because I grew up around guns. Have had my own for home safety. My dad still has a gun cabinet with rifles to hunt with so I don’t have issue with the average American having access to them. But as a parent of a school age child I am fearful frequently about what can happen. We had a shooting at a local school right before Columbine when I was in high school so that may make a difference in that fear. I think the problem comes when we aren’t careful about taking mental health into consideration. Many times school shooters have known mental health issues and still guns are allowed in the house. It’s a tricky issue that I have no idea how to solve.

[@Hawk-ODA212]

Great points Amanda. In many school shooting cases, all the signs were there. All the flags the shooters exhibited were in plain sight. And in some cases, these flags were reported to law enforcement but nothing was done. The stigma attached to reporting someone who exhibits mentally unstable actions plays a major role. Parents in denial who refuse to objectively interpret and accept the warning signs displayed by their child is another barrier to prevention. There are also proven ways to virtually eliminate school shootings. I know first hand because I have helped design preventive measures for a new local school. But too many states or school districts refuse to implement those measures because of costs and/or appearances. Poor excuses in my opinion.

[@Amandaarford83]

@ after the debacle at Uvalde every law enforcement agency in our area went to every single school over that summer and spent the whole summer reviewing blue prints and running different scenarios so they could be sure they would be prepared and know who is in charge. Like I said above we had a shooting at one of our schools years ago but some of those cops are still on the force and some cops we have now were students then so I think they know the stakes better than anybody. Another problem with addressing the mental health issue is that Psychiatrists and Psychologists are scared to alert law enforcement sometimes if it is not clear cut that they could hurt themselves or someone else. With privacy laws and people so likely to sue they are afraid if they speak out the family could sue or that it would break trust with the student and make it harder to treat them in the future

[@Hawk-ODA212]

​@@Amandaarford83 You're absolutely right. Psychiatrists are between a rock and a hard place in a lot of situation. Florida law mandates that Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintain an automated database of persons who are prohibited from purchasing a firearm based on court records of adjudications of mental defectiveness or commitments to mental institutions. In 2013, Florida enacted a law that includes a person voluntarily admitted to a mental institution for outpatient or inpatient treatment in the definition of “committed to a mental institution” if it meets certain criteria established by a physician and agreed to by the courts. That information is accessible by law enforcement and by the state agency that does background checks for issuing concealed carry permits. FDLE is also authorized to give information from that database to Federal Law Enforcement agencies.

[@lucy-texasgal]

I do agree with the health insurance issues here and Fire Fighter Chick is correct regarding deductibles and although they do pay a majority of the costs, average around 80%, the amount of money for a hospital stay is UNBELIEVABLE and you will still be billed for the difference which can be in the thousands! If you’re on a fixed income, like my mother was, and on Medicare (which is provided by the government, but a major joke) that’s when medical costs are ridiculous. I had to get a supplemental insurance policy that was a few hundred dollars a month that I paid because she couldn’t afford it to cover her hospital bills and prescriptions (which are also expensive)! Regarding her statement about regular 9 to 5 jobs and paid leave/holiday, I get only two weeks a year and I take it a couple days at a time. We also get paid for major holidays. Taking Friday and Monday is mostly frowned upon (4 day weekend) and if I do take off, not sure about any other Americans here, my work piles up and I have to play catch up when I return. So taking an entire week off is not an option. 🙄 I agree that the gun thing is a bit unnerving, but America and some of its major cities are HUGE by comparison, therefore the crime rate will be higher. Although I think most people would be more careful (especially if they are a criminal) of knowing this. I have to say social media and some of its effects, especially on children, is a MAJOR ISSUE! A majority of people, for example, the younger generations, have become more sensitive and knowledgeable judgement (common sense) has diminished over the years; therefore more gun violence in schools. Again we need to work together on acceptance. In other words, tolerance. The religion issue, I’m not going to really touch on too much because we’re so diverse and I think we do need to work on acceptance in some areas. College debt is also a problem. My niece graduated in 2018 and is still in debt for thousands. Like healthcare, we need to work on this. Regarding travel, again, by comparison, we’re HUGE. I’m in Texas. Enough said. So, although we have our faults, have certain conveniences other countries don’t, we do have a more diverse culture, in most places, which brings out different kinds of things that we can explore/experience without traveling far. Houston is very diverse and I can’t imagine living anywhere else at the moment. However, let’s see what 2025 brings. My view may change. Hey! We even have castles in Texas! kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3OooYOOfp6oZsUsi=ipq7Ar3dPilefdnt

[@Every_Day_islike_Sunday]

I'll take "hmmm, i don't know" for $200, Alex. IMHO, comparing all first-world countries, we are more free in some ways and less free in others. The concept of American freedom came from our desire to be free of British rule. We took that concept and injected it directly into our DNA. But the thing about the US is that we firmly believe anything is possible. It's different from "freedom" but to us, these ideas are intertwined. My Dad (RIP) was an Italian immigrant. He came here to escape Mussolini's regime. He made a successful life for himself and us, here. He may have been able to do the same if he had gone to the UK or Canada. I don't know, it depends on the political climate at the time. But he was a die-hard US patriot. I hate to see immigrants treated poorly, but i digress...❤

[@carolhopkins4638]

I love your videos ! watching this one talking about the difference in healthcare I would be interested in one on life insurance/burial. The costs for a funeral in America are outrageous but don't have any idea how it works in the UK. Is it government funded like healthcare?

[@RichWiands]

I stopped when she said its more freedom to be forced to go places by public transportation according to their schedules, at their rates, trapped with all those people you don't know, as opposed to me getting in my car when I want and going where I want. That's just stupid.

[@wienke29]

@RichWiands that's great for you, but there are a lot of people in this country that can't afford a vehicle or medically can't drive and need public transport to get them to the grocery store, doctor, etc. The fact that, no matter if you can afford a vehicle or not or if you can't drive, you can still get to where you need to go is great!

[@annfrost3323]

Don't you worry. There 's free transport in elderly homes for doctor's appointments. And if one is poor and cannot afford a car, one cannot afford to go to a food store or travel for pleasure. Greyhound and Amtrak are not cheap either.

[@donnabert]

As for guns, if the British people were armed, Germany might not have been as interested in declaring war on them. In the US, some country might be able to take over our military bases, but they would still have to deal with the fact that the people are armed. It makes it that much more difficult for them. And I'm not pro-gun or anti-gun. I'm more "use your gun in a sane way."

[@donnabert]

We do have healthcare insurance. In the UK you receive a bill in the form of the taxes you pay, which makes it a hidden cost and it so it is uncomparable. From other people in the UK they have had to go private over and over because they can't wait a year. In the USA if you are with a company the company pays for your healthcare. If you are poor the government pays for your healthcare (Obama Care). As for the rest of her list, she is really stretching. Jaywalking, LOL. No one ever gets jaywalking tickets. It's just stupid to cross the road in the middle and rude as well.

[@annfrost3323]

Social medicine is not only paid by income taxes and VAT taxes but in "petrol" tax. Cost of gasoline is outrageous in the UK.

[@raamjames1]

Yeah, I think her attitude fits better in Britain, lol.

[@CRAkins1020]

You are Free to do as We tell You!

[@myrnafields2075]

Her information on vacation time is a bit inaccurate. When you are a federal employee you accrue, by law, a certain amount of hours every 2 weeks which will build up as long as you save them. However, they won't let you acrue over a certain amount. I forget how much that is since I am retired. When you begin employment you earn 4 hours every pay period. When you reach a certain amount of time your annual time gets bumped to 6 hours per pay period. Lastly, your final move will be 8 hours. A pay period is every two weeks so you would earn two days a month. In addition you also earn 4 hours per pay period but that doesn't change. It stays at that level for the life of your employment. In addition, we are not workaholics. We would love to take more time off but management won't let us. I once took an entire month of but that was unusual. GUN VIOLENCE: I am 70 years old and I have never seen a gun up close. It's not the wild west here. Yes, there is gun violence but most of us never see that. Jay walking: almost no one pays attention or even thinks about that. Not even the police.

[@Amandaarford83]

But that is only a federal employee. She was saying the federal government doesn’t mandate other businesses to give paid leave. I’ve worked at places where if I took off and didn’t have short term disability that I paid for a year prior then I didn’t get paid.

[@wienke29]

@@Amandaarford83 bingo!

[@lisademoss9308]

More federal mandates equals less freedom. You will pay for it somewhere.

[@PenelopeFrank]

It'd be nice to see more of these sort of videos, American living in the UK, point of view. Although, I see in the comments that much of your viewers are too sensitive to hear anything that's not raving about us. Wow, just wow!

[@KenMurch-u9h]

She speaks of this as freedoms but most of these things are controversial in the US. In a democracy majority usually rules. I believe for instance that the constitution stipulates the US has separation of church and state but many Americans believe we are a Christian nation. Not so. I have issues with every thing she stated. I’m 73 years old and don’t know anyone who has been cited for J-walking. So much to unload here. Guns. I have a handgun. It’s in a locked gun safe at home. I don’t carry it around. It’s not the Wild West here. She thinks it’s OK to trespass on private property property. Where is she from. Don’t forget she was free to leave.

[@JaneSmith-w2x]

Walking across the street is not the problem

[@RevPeterTrabaris]

I agree with her main thesis. I wish I had emigrated to the U.K when I was a young adult. I believe that there is a freedom that she has not mentioned. The freedom that comes from living under a stable and supportive government, including the Monarchy. I lament a time when the U.S. government provided that sense of freedom. To my experience, that is gone. And it may just get worse. I know that a lot of Brits complain quite a bit about the functioning of your government. That comes from the British news that I watch and the many KZbinr's I listen to. My perspective as an American who has studied the British government is that there are disputes that arise and a continual push and pull, but from what I can see, the outcome is in fact one of stability. That is separate from the ways that the British people sometimes fight against each other. From the outside looking in, what I see is the dependability of the government and the Monarchy that provides the social platform secure enough, mostly, that allows the people to live their lives, and mostly peacefully and with a collegial way of interacting. That is not America, and I wish it was. Truthfully, this has been my observation for most of my adult life. I was just too timid to make the move that I wanted to. I am very sorry of that now. I could hear some of your frustration with Americans coming to live in the U.K. Do you see what is happening in the U.S. right now? Years of that sentiment growing here unopposed is in large part why we are here. Many other things too. But the outright hatred spilling throughout the U.S. stems from that kind of thinking. Please don't let your country fall apart like ours might well do. My opinion - We need for the U.K. and Europe to hold it together and show us a better way forward and out of our current morass. You don't need to. Many Americans will be angry if they read my words, I suppose. We often speak of our countries as having a special friendship. We need you now more than ever. Peace

[@lorimillett6553]

Multiple hundreds of dollars a month? I wish. For two people, try thousands. 😥

[@claudiaclark6162]

I live in the Country and I am always free to roam unless there are signs that tell me otherwise. You sure don't want to cross a pasture with a ragging bull or protected areas for wild animals It is always best to check where you should or should not go. You should not enter Native Americans Land without their permission. You might end up in jail if you cross into Canada or Mexico even by mistake. LMAO We have foot paths too use them.

[@CHARLAAYYY]

Shes one of them she/her type of people huh

[@JaneSmith-w2x]

Very sick about Trump becoming President.