A few questions for the Brits!

by smellsgood 19 Replies latest jw friends

smellsgood

So, have I heard right?

Do you guys get free health, dental care? Including like, Orthodontia, braces which cost roughly $5,000 w/o insurance in the Americas, usually half with?

Are your tuition fees below 2,000 pounds? I saw a bit on the BBC World where Students were PROTESTING fees "jacked" up to around 1,200 pounds??? Was I hearing that number wrong? Was it only for certain schools? It would be so unheard of cheap to me!!

Are your petrol costs the equivalent of 6$, around 3 pounds, or are they 6 pounds, around $12??

Do you like the way us Yankees talk?

Which is your favourite American fast food chain 'import'? Do you have Wendy's? Burger King? TGIF (I know Tokyo has them!) Applebees, Olive Garden?

What's your favourite American t.v. show, if any?

What's your favourite British accent? :)

How do you feel about David Beckham being a part of American football, soccer now??? What about his wife, do you like her?
free2think

Ok i can answer a few of those, lol.
Victoria Beckham gets on my nerves, she is so anonying. David Beckham is hot tho, not really fussed where he plays soccer.
Fave show is Ugly Betty them Desperate Houswives.
I've seen Wendys, yes we have Burger King and i think TGIF but im not entirely certain about that. No applebees or olive garden yet.
Ok yes we get 'free' health care on the NHS but the waiting lists are endless, so if people can they tend to go private. Dental care isnt free, unless you are a child or on social security or a new mother.
I like the way the yanks talk but i cant apeak for anyone else.
My fave british accent is.........mine.
Editted to add: Congrats on becoming a master member
Fe2O3Girl

I like quizzes!
Do you guys get free health, dental care? Including like, Orthodontia, braces which cost roughly $5,000 w/o insurance in the Americas, usually half with?
In theory, yes. NHS dental care ought to be available to everyone, which would mean that dental care is available free to children and pregnant women, but in practice, it can be very difficult to find an NHS dentist. Lots of people either aren't registered with a dentist, or have to go private. My family are all registered with an NHS dentist though. When I was pregnant and until Fe2O3Baby was one, I got free check-ups.
Are your tuition fees below 2,000 pounds? I saw a bit on the BBC World where Students were PROTESTING fees "jacked" up to around 1,200 pounds??? Was I hearing that number wrong? Was it only for certain schools? It would be so unheard of cheap to me!!
I am not sure - my employer paid my course fees when I was at University.
Are your petrol costs the equivalent of 6$, around 3 pounds, or are they 6 pounds, around $12??
Depending where you fill up, petrol or diesel is 95p to £1.00/L. A US gallon is 3.79L, so with the current weak dollar, that is around $7.50/gallon.
Do you like the way us Yankees talk?
Do you all talk the same? We don't. Aren't Yankees only in the north? The southern accent is very sweet.
Which is your favourite American fast food chain 'import'? Do you have Wendy's? Burger King? TGIF (I know Tokyo has them!) Applebees, Olive Garden?
I haven't seen Wendy's, Applebees or Olive Garden, but they may be in other areas. I live in northwest England. My favorite is Subway.....sorry.
What's your favourite American t.v. show, if any?
House.
What's your favourite British accent? :)
Geordie, which strictly speaking is Newcastle, but anything from Middlesbrough to Berwick-upon-Tweed will do for me. Cumbrian is similar.
How do you feel about David Beckham being a part of American football, soccer now??? What about his wife, do you like her?
I have no opinion on Beckham going to America. I think both he and Mrs Beckham are extremely good at what they do, which is self-promotion to the end of getting our money into their pockets.
Thanks for the questions!
Crumpet

Do you guys get free health, dental care? Including like, Orthodontia, braces which cost roughly $5,000 w/o insurance in the Americas, usually half with?
Its not free - you pay half for dental care if you can get on a welfare state practice surgery. I cannot - therefore I just had check up and xrays which took 30 minutes and it cost me $200. Health insurance - well we pay National Insurance that gets deducted automatically from our wages which takes about 15% of your wages each month whether you want it to or not and whether you go to the doctors or not. However I do feel grateful for this system, despite the fact as free2think says many people cannot get surgery for urgent conditions and have to wait years for a life saving operation and well they dont make it. If you dont earn a lot of money you are screwed. Private health insurance costs too much for people like me - its a system that definitely benefits the rich.
Are your tuition fees below 2,000 pounds? I saw a bit on the BBC World where Students were PROTESTING fees "jacked" up to around 1,200 pounds??? Was I hearing that number wrong? Was it only for certain schools? It would be so unheard of cheap to me!!
It depends on how much your parents earn. If your parents are below $50K a year I think you can get a grant - a scholarship. I have never been able to afford to go to school since I left the free education service which finishes at age 16 as I have been living alone since then. I am currently studying whilst working full time - so my week is a 60 hour week or more combining work and education. I pay per term depending on the course. If I wanted to study law I'd be looking at about $4K per 6 month term. I am studying Criminology and Psychology and this is $1450 per term - not per year. However because I have never had any educational assistance from the government and because I earn very little I get a grant which contributes towards half the fees.
Are your petrol costs the equivalent of 6$, around 3 pounds, or are they 6 pounds, around $12??
I;ve never been able to afford to drive so I wouldnt know.
Do you like the way us Yankees talk?
Mostly, if you have a decent vocabularly.
Which is your favourite American fast food chain 'import'? Do you have Wendy's? Burger King? TGIF (I know Tokyo has them!) Applebees, Olive Garden?
Yuck, thank god I dont have to eat at any of those. I try not to eat at chains except for pizza anyway because I prefer a chefs individuality in the food. I like to be able to look into the kitchen - talk to my chef and learn from him. You cant do that at chains and the food is just ready made.
What's your favourite American t.v. show, if any?
Here is where America comes into its own. SOme of your drama and comedy the last few years has deserved every accolade its received. HBO are a sterling example of producing new characters, stories and superlative dialogue. You should be proud. I love CSI, Carnivale and Deadwood when they were on, Rescue Me, Six Feet Under, Boomtown, The L Word.
What's your favourite British accent? :)
Mine.
How do you feel about David Beckham being a part of American football, soccer now??? What about his wife, do you like her?
I say good riddance. They bore the pants off me. Its pitiful to watch Victoria's desperation and embarrassing. I'll never understand people who are desperate to be that famous.
dobbie

Hiya
I am entitled fo free NHS dental care and medical prescriptions for the next year as i am pregnant. Normally medical prescription as about £6-7 i think. I am under an NHS dentise though they are getting harder to find, but still have to pay quite a bit. Luckily i usually don't need anything other than a quick check up.
Some parts of the NHS are great, my son was 13wks early and was in hospital for 10wks at a cost to them of £1,000 a day. When he was a year old he was rushed to ITU in Bristol childrens hospital for several days, i can't fault the care and time spent on him, or me for that matter. However when it comes to certain operations or treatment there can be very long waiting times and care of older ones is not always great, i've seen that for myself.
Don't know about fees, i know someone who recently went to uni and as well as a loan she had to go to college and have three part time jobs to help pay the fees.
All i know about petrol is that it costs £25 to fill up my tiny Ford KA and over £40 to fill up hubbys diesel Ford Focus.
I dont like fast food chains prefer pea fritter and chips from the chipshop but am veggie so like fresh home cooked meals or a really nice restaurant (not often though unfortunately)
Can't stick the Beckhams make me feel ill and glad they've gone off, don't see what the fuss is about tbh.
I love the yankee accent.
I like british accents with no accent best if that makes sense, i haven't got much of one myself. I don't mean really posh like Prince Charles or the Queen but nice soft voice like Colin Firth(swoon) or the old stars like James Mason (double swoon) I love Ugly betty love american tv i like old ones like murder she wrote and columbo etc as well
Abaddon

Do you guys get free health,
Yes. If you are working you pay "National Health Insurance", so it isn't actually 'free', just a National Heath Service. In Holland (where I now live) it's the same; if you're working a fee of about $115 covers you for all essential health care and far more. What distiniguishes the Dutch and British sysems from the US is that those on no or limited incomes can walk into an ordinary hospital and get the same service they would as if they ad been working. Those on normal incomes with big medical costs will almost always get the treatment they need.
As it is a public service, cutting edge treatments or very expensive drug therapy is sometimes not available in the UK unless it meets certain cost-benefit requirements. This nomally only hits the elderly and those who will probably die anyway as it is considered better to improve the quality of life of those with many years left than those with few years left (if a choice has to be made due to limited funds), but then again, you can go private.
dental care? Including like, Orthodontia, braces which cost roughly $5,000 w/o insurance in the Americas, usually half with?
Not sure about Orthodontics; I think maybe if you are on a limited income you get this free/subsidised. Basic dental work is subsidised, check-ups are free (I think).
Are your tuition fees below 2,000 pounds? I saw a bit on the BBC World where Students were PROTESTING fees "jacked" up to around 1,200 pounds??? Was I hearing that number wrong? Was it only for certain schools? It would be so unheard of cheap to me!!
Yes.
Are your petrol costs the equivalent of 6$, around 3 pounds, or are they 6 pounds, around $12??
In the UK petrol is 98p per litre, so $1.96 a litre, $8.63 per US gallon.
Do you like the way us Yankees talk?
I think what you are trying to say is 'Do you like the way that Yankees talk?', meaning North-East dialect as distinct from Southern, Mid-Western, West-Coast or other varients. Well, it can be, I think the word is 'cute', but it can also be a bit hard on the ears and let's not talk about grammar, eh? 'Us' English are fussy about that
Which is your favourite American fast food chain 'import'? Do you have Wendy's? Burger King? TGIF (I know Tokyo has them!) Applebees, Olive Garden?
'Favourite', 'American' and 'Fast-Food' are three words I would not put in the same sentence. Wendy's are good but unknown over here; there was one in London once. Burger King and McD's are endemic - at least you can pretend that Burger King is real food. Hard Rock Cafe is the nearest thing to good I can think of as an American food chain you can get here.
What's your favourite American t.v. show, if any?
At this moment, House.
What's your favourite British accent? :)
That of Mrs Eileen Puddersley of 57 Middlemarch Lane, Droitwitch.
How do you feel about David Beckham being a part of American football, soccer now??? What about his wife, do you like her?
Could not give a flying fig about Beckham or his scrawny bint.
Pip pip!
fifi40

First three questions answered by other posters........
Yankee accents..........I dont mind them but there are more sexy accents in the world........French for example.
Fast food chains (American)........dont have a favourite and dont really eat much fast food........though I love chinese, thai and indian food.
American favourite TV shows.............I love, love, love West Wing, Boston Legal, Sopranos and 24.
Favourite british accent........not really got one.......but I think male Scottish voices can be very sexy.......think Sean Connery.
Good luck to Posh and Becks is what I say............they have been in Spain for so long pre going to America we dont really miss them.......David is cute though and I love watching him captain the English football team in the world cup which is the only time I watch football. Posh is a very clever lady me thinks.........who has made a lot of money from understanding effective marketing.
Sad emo

Do you guys get free health, dental care? Including like, Orthodontia, braces which cost roughly $5,000 w/o insurance in the Americas, usually half with?
Health care is free. Basic dental care is subsidised if you're fortunate enough to be able to find an NHS dentist - it's cheaper to fly to Poland for a day trip and have your dental work done there.
Are your tuition fees below 2,000 pounds?
My university tuition fees work out at about £1360 per year for a full-time student (so looking at about £6000 for an honours degree). My part-time fees are paid as I'm working and on low income. I think universities are allowed to charge whatever they want now though - mine are cheap because I'm studying with a Scottish university.
Do you like the way us Yankees talk?
Yep.
Which is your favourite American fast food chain 'import'? Do you have Wendy's? Burger King? TGIF (I know Tokyo has them!) Applebees, Olive Garden?
Burger King is nice because the burgers have real meat in them! I really do like TGIF but it's expensive (but you do get your moneys-worth) and the nearest one is about 20 miles away (I don't drive!) I like to go there for a treat :-) Fast food it ain't!

What's your favourite American t.v. show, if any?
Ok I'm giving up on trying to get the quote boxes now If I had a tv, it would be The Simpsons.

What's your favourite British accent? :)
East Highland Scottish

How do you feel about David Beckham being a part of American football, soccer now??? What about his wife, do you like her?
Couldn't care less about 'em!
smellsgood

Thanks for your replies everyone. I read them all and it was very interesting.

I can't believe how high your petrol prices are. In my State, we're paying around $3 a gallon right now, and every American thinks that is extraordinary.

The thing I find strange is, and I can't really account for it, is why would your prices be so much higher when you are so much nearer to countries like Saudi Arabia and Russia?? I mean, does the U.S. produce enough of its own oil to keep prices relatively "cheap?" I would think that being a vastly larger country, with likely much longer drives, and much less public transportation popularity on the whole, we would have a much higher demand, and therefore be paying more!

Thank you for explaining the NHS and the dentistry. Y'all know you are the butt of many a bad teeth joke, so it is interesting to learn of the inaccessability, even if it is cheap or free or whatever.

I only saw a bit of Michael Moores "Sicko" on the Oprah show, and it had a clip from Britain where they had the "cashier" who gave YOU money for things like transportation expenses...but its interesting the drawbacks you get with the rather "socialised" medicine.

I don't know if any of you are checking this thread still, but on the whole do you think that you would ideally prefer the Nationalised medical services, or would you rather have a more Private system of medicine?

15% is ALOT, Crumpet! I think that's higher than the Social Security percentage that most Americans pay, which typically seems to be the largest cut out of the paycheck.

I don't think the private costs of insurance would nearly climb to that exorbidant of a rate! I don't really know the percentage my Dad pays for example, for four people to be covered, but 15% it ain't!

That kinda sucks, because even if you have a very vigilant oversight Bureau, I can imagine that there are quite a large number of abuses, such as Doctors charging too much for an operation, performing an unneccessary one, or some such thing.

I know I once saw a thing about Medicare where they were billed $2,000 for BAND AIDS! It was just paid.

I can't believe more of you don't like the fast food. I think you might have more of a variety...Because you are so close to so many countries and we're a huge Island basically. For example, in my city of around 1 million including the city and county, I know of ONE Indian Restaurant, THREE Vietnamese (yummy), that are not chain restaurants. We have many many Wendy's, McDonalds, Arby's, Burger King, Jack in the Box, KFC, etc. They are definitely more accessible.

I am also surprised about the College tuition. That really is very affordable compared to many U.S. colleges. I think the best I could do right now would be going to a Community College at around 6-7,000 dollars a year.

I love having David Beckham play football here btw.

The accents of course are varied around the country, I have a very "unaccented" American accent. I can say I really don't like the MidWest,Chicago, Michigan type accents.

I am drawn more to I suppose an Oxford/Southhampton/Ian MacKellan type accent. I don't like the Manchester/Liverpool, Northern England accents as well.

Doesn't Germany have free college tuition?

Alright, I was going to make a short post but, yeah.
Fe2O3Girl

Why is fuel so expensive? Simple answer - tax. Nearly 70% of the pump price is tax.
Health care. The 15% National Insurance tax goes towards lots of benefits, not just health care. For instance, state pensions are funded by NI payments. I do have private medical insurance through my employer, but I haven't used it for years. I know that the NHS has problems, but I think that it is generally a good system. I think it is an exaggeration that people die waiting for life-saving treatment. They may have to wait years in pain for some operations, but for emergency treatment the NHS can't be beat. For an example, see the treatment that our friend Ian (DANSK) has received. I think that the USA is an excellent example of why a wealthy civilised country should have socialised medicine. And I have lovely teeth, thanks.

A few questions for the Brits!

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