So Americans Don't Live In A Country Where The Streets Are Paved With Gold...

[sandyRoe]

"President Obama is calling on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10. And the President has taken the first step by signing an Executive Order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors.

Raising the federal minimum wage will give millions of Americans a raise, and it's long overdue -- because no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty."
$7.25 is less than the minimum wage here in the UK. Even $10 an hour isn't much above it. Who'd have thought that the land of opportunity is also the land of poverty in employment?

[emmie]

it's a great place to visit, i found the Americans by and large friendly and charming, always read to advise, help. Heaven help you though if you show up in a place as we did and looked like fish out of water, a biker type bar, low lights you could hardly see yourself, and as much smoke in the place as the smog of London, one drink and we left, the baseball hatted inhabits playing pool looked at us like we were the cops, so after little deliberation we beat a hasty retreat.

[pastafreak]

Emmie....looks can be decieving. Chances are,the locals would welcome you.
I hung out (in my younger days) in some pretty dodgy bars (one was a local Mafia hangout)...met my future Brit husband in one. :O
I remember we took his younger brother to one...scared the pants off him.

[sandyRoe]

Mickey Blue Eyes comes to mind :-)

[RATTER15]

"So Americans Don't Live In A Country Where The Streets Are Paved With Gold..."

I think the "gold" comes from the colour of the 9mm gun shells left strewn about after the school kids have randomly shot down a few more innocent victims.

[youngmafbog]

Try living there, believe me it takes a different slant. It was like it 20 years ago when I was there (New York). I had to travel to work in Brooklyn every day, my company had Guards on the tube stations to protect staff. Going to work on a Sunday they were not there and the local tube station was shut meaning a lovely walk through the neighborhoods kicking shell casings out the way. And you should try queuing up to get your Social security number (you cant take a dump without one), then you get an insight into 'proper' America.

You can't polish a turd, you can only put glitter on it; which is what the Americans have done.

[Sipowicz]

So, Liquid gold = diarrhoea?

[AB Editor]

"Who'd have thought that the land of opportunity is also the land of poverty in employment?"

No one said whom the opportunity was for :)

[emmie]

pasta, in my time in London, i have met some very dodgy people, some crims you wouldn't want to meet twice, one was Frankie Fraser who scared the hell out of me, not so much what he said but his presence, very menacing, these guys were straight out of the good old boys central casting, you may have been right, but as my American friend seemed rather perturbed, we had a beer and left.

[sandyRoe]

Mikey4444, it is a nice wee village in a really lovely area but unfortunately there's hardly any work around there and that's why so many leave.

[mikey4444]

Thanks sandy.