If you don’t have American stories like these yourself, you know someone who does. Maybe they just aren’t comfortable sharing them with you:

My first two bosses became millionaires by hiring illegal workers and/or family (excluding me) and paying very little. Because payroll taxes were his biggest expense, one even told us all to “Keep half of what you think you can steal.” Then he figured out how to get the Feds to pay him for work he never intended to do from the start. And they did pay him!

My next corporate boss was already wealthy with connections in healthcare and education all the way to D.C. But he felt the need to commit crimes for profit anyway and was comfortable that he could get away with it. And he was right until we employees turned him in to the DEA. Still, he never spent a night in jail and many good people lost their jobs over his abusive greed.

My brother-in-law doesn’t know a DOS prompt from Disk defrag. Yet a state career offer that doubled his wage and provided a new SUV convinced him his job title, “Computer Network Manager” couldn’t be wrong. Of course he had to hire people under him to actually perform his work. Viva la taxpayer!

Long ago, yet another relative was a long time city detective. What a trip it was watching him toke-out with his uniformed policeman buddies. Cops do have the best dope! Later, he almost made it into Congress. And yes, he did inhale.

Convalescent Center workers explained to me why there were six office personnel for every worker performing elder care. A gal friend at a large health care insurance company says it’s the same in her biz… most every manager subs their work and so-on. A Convalescent Center administrator told me her most difficult task was making doctors reduce elder meds upon admission - the patients were too doped up to be cared for properly.

A former father-in-law worked city utilities. He complained that he could drive his own truck but management insisted he have a driver. This driver was superstitious and would use only one inefficient path to get to job sites. Of course, neither ever complained that most days were spent playing slots while hiding the truck behind mall buildings. After he retired, the city offered him three times his salary to come back as a ‘consultant.’

My nurse neighbor told horror stories about misdiagnosis, misprescribing, surgical mishaps, the deadly outcomes and the excuses given to families. Hey, what they don’t know… right?

At my retired fire-chief’s prompt, I told him of my three-year struggles for a mentally ill friend with the unbelievably-enabling mental healthcare system, the greedy legal system, and various screwed up hospitals and government entities… problems that never seemed to end… even perpetuated if you will. He said that he hadn’t experienced that much trouble in all his 75 years with over 50 years as a firefighter. Well, lucky him!

I could go on but it just seems that as thinking beings in a democratic system… well, you’d think we could do better.

~endofcatharsis~

What’s so sacred about working 40 hours a week? Isn’t that the law based on workers who used to work 16 hours a day in factories (or some such insanity?) Now we all sit at computers and crank out work that would have taken my dad in the 60’s 10 times longer to do. But do I get 10 times the pay? NO!!!
I say let’s get the time off we need to recharge, cut fuel emissions and move our sedentary obese butts by going to a 4 day work week of 32 hours. As per productivity, we have too much of it anyway. How much of the CRAP that we produce is really needed? How much of that CRAP is going to be in a landfill next year? Where’s Al Gore? I got some ideas for him to promote…
Sign me sick of sitting on my ass 40 hours a week with 10 hours a week of driving and too tired to exercise after taking care of an invalid mother…

yeah I worked for a German companies US office and it sucked because besides the time difference they were always gone...Of course we never shared their holidays so we were always working....There was an awesome article called “Too weak Vacation” in Mens Journal a while back that nails it...Essentially we are “in competition to have less of a life than the next guy”...And its true...Not like the Aussies or the French who are out there right now on a six month trek..we are being used and abused no doubt about it...I work remotely now which is the way to go..Screw ‘em...BTW when we finally went to Germany we ended up having to take 10 days off for Faushing,which is nothing but an extended drunk with some parades mixed in...Its where i developed my champagne for breakfast fetish..America sucks.

Americans in the workforce are letting the Wealthy rob it blind with the help of the Republican Party.
In 2005 the avg. Fortune 1,000 CEO made 241 Times the avg. American worker. Today that CEO makes 411 Times that avg. worker.

The American workforce has sat by passively while BushCo. has squandered over $1 Trillion on Iraq and Afganistan and let US Oil companies take almost $500 Billion in excess profits.

Americans have let BushCo. give over $240 Billion in the last round of tax cuts to the Wealthiest 1% in the nation and WHINED OVER GAY MARRIAGE! Meanwhile, China sends Americans killer products and a trade deficit Americans can NEVER overcome!
Fred Thompson in 2008! WHY? BECAUSE THE US DESERVES HIM AND THE BUSHCO. 2 CREW!

While I agree VK is extremely important this article doesn’t include any mention of workers in Asia. And no I am not talking about sweatshops or factories. If you visit Hong Kong or Shanghai for example you will find intense activity on all levels. While the Europeans become more and more irrelevant in the world the Asians are rushing to take our place. I would also argue that any of the competitive companies in the EU their workers are putting in more than 35 hour work weeks. You can’t stay competitive in this environment any other way. Love it or hate it the world is changing in some ways for the better in others maybe for the worse.

That being said I do agree everyone should have paid vacation that works at least 40 hours a week. Also paid sick days. Many US companies offer their salary employees 4+ weeks of vacation especially if they are global businesses. The trouble for a knowledge worker is finding the time to do it with out jeopardizing the many projects we are responsible for.

“It’s just barbaric and tragic to expect millions of people to spend their limited time on this earth doing something they don’t even believe in.”

It is truly pathetic to be “stuck” in a job that one hates.  There is ALWAYS an alternative.  Some jobs pay better than others.  Some need more education than others.  Some require more time at work to succeed.  If someone is “tragically” stuck, then they should identify what they want to do, what they need to do it, and go do it.  It really is that simple.  Of course, it may not be easy, but the opportunity is there for all.  Anyone who claims it is not is the barbaric one.

So just what would you propose?  That nobody should have to work?  It sure would be great to live in the Garden of Eden, but that just doesn’t exist.

Nobody has said that Europe is a utopia - it’s just more humane than the US. Working hard is fine, as long as you enjoy it and know you’re getting somewhere. But for many, work is a means to an end—enjoying time with family, a comfortable vacation, taking language classes—it’s not the end in itself, especially if you’re in a position that pays poorly is low-status. It’s just barbaric and tragic to expect millions of people to spend their limited time on this earth doing something they don’t even believe in.

I nearly fell off my chair when i saw the accusatory cry “communist!”. How DO such troglodytes manage to put one foot after another without falling on their face? right,right,right I think that’shobbled hopping, it’s certainly hobbled thinking.
There is a simple reason why so many ex-pats. who once lived in Europe went running back to The World - cheaper toys and the illusion that one day they’d get to grind down others as they’d once been abused. Which worked only so long as resources were abundant and/or cheap - far from the same thing.
7% of the US population is/has been incarcerated (the vast majority for drug related ‘crimes’)plus include the other 10% involved in law enforcment - and ya reckon there’s low unemployment?
Think about all the useless/destructive jobs that abound today - like 27 brands of toothpaste - do we gotta go on like this?

Stop complaining fellow Americans remember “ARBEIT MACHT FREI”, just ask any corporate CEO if you can find one not on a golf course, vacation or making his GOP contribution and he’ll tell you 2 weeks, I don’t know how we can afford to keep giving you that. We may have to cut it to one next year to make the stock holders happy(richer). It’s amazing how much we’ve “progressed” over the last 30 years. Stagnate pay and stagnate vacation time for the average worker. The only things that seems to sky rocketing are health care costs and corporation profits, gee I wonder why.

I don’t quite understand what this argument is trying to get at. Like Todd, I myself lived in Europe for a while. I have plenty of European friends and family who both admire the stronger work ethic of Americans and who wouldn’t mind emulating that either. Why do you think the French voted for Sarkozy?

I’m not right-wing, and I don’t have problems with constructively criticizing this country and maybe seeing what we can learn from other nations. But this article seems to claim that Americans work too hard, huh?

Now, on the idiot blathering about healthcare....

“the idea that humans should get medical attention is again a communist idea.”

Please, show me when people do not have access to healthcare?  What you actually mean is the idea that humans should have their medical bills paid by someone else is communist idea.  Yes, it is.

Again, having lived in the UK, I would truly invite all of you utopians to go live with their medical system.  It sucks.  I mean really sucks.  Everyone who can afford it gets private coverage.  I personally had to have tests done for a potentially life threatening illness.  The doctor scheduled it for 2 months down the road.  I mentioned “private insurance” and it was scheduled the next day.

The universal healthcare / single payer just doesn’t work.  Its a pathetic lie being foisted on us by politicians because a) they want more power over your life and b) they are tired of hearing people whining because they have to pay their bills.

Remember when HMO’s started, and they were the Godsend for healthcare?  Finally, someone was going to pay all your bills for $20 a month.  Then people abused the crap out if it, and now HMO is a four letter word.  Do you think the tax supported system will be any better?  Fools.

Oh for crying out loud.  The Communists are back. 

First, the fallacy that American’s do not have vacation time.  I have 4 weeks a year with my (Fortune 100) employer, plus holidays and sick days Now, if you think that someone should pay you for more than 1/12 of a year for doing nothing, then so be it.

Second, I’ve lived and work in Europe.  They are extremely unproductive, have ridiculous levels of regulation and taxation and, no surprise, have stagnant economies and high unemployment.  Go figure.

Most Americans do not even use their whole allotment of vacation, and it is not because they fear they will be fired if they do.  We are, quite simply, harder working people who have the desire to better ourselves and our lives through hard work.  If that credo does not fit you or your lifestyle, then that is fine with me.  Just do not force me to pay for it.  That is all I ask.

There are the wealthy, getting richer, and the rest of us, getting poorer. War and taxes are redistributing the wealth of this country at an ever increasing pace. The power elite want war. It is very profitable for them, with no risk on their part. The rest of us. the masses, have no influence.Read Ravi Batra’s new book to see what he predicts for the years ahead.

And more foreigners are buying US companies to capitalize on American Worker Bee ignorance slash conditioning. As an American, it’s funny-sad to see corporations here proudly tell US workers ‘we offer a two-week vacation the first year’ when the same corporations overseas offer four and six weeks paid, even a 6 1/2-hour day ‘cause it’s the norm… but they do it and still make money. And it’s true, many offer higher starting salaries too.

Most Americans can’t even imagine being born with guaranteed healthcare for life, paid college tuition, an assured basic retirement, and six weeks off per working year! Instead, we let the government take what we pay and dole it out to buddies then turn around and jump when they say, ‘Now go fend for yourself and be proud doing it.’ Ugh!

Pull your head out of the red, white and blue sand America… it might be scary but you’ll live better, healthier and likely longer lives doing it. At the very least, your kids will!