Hei Anders, Well, I think you summed it up rather well until the 'so motivated by your jobs that you actually enjoy this work-filled life?' I do not enjoy the work-filled aspect of my life and can only speak for the 100 or so people I know fairly well in this world, that for the most part, neither do they. I plan to start my own people-friendly company (employees and customers will delight, and Earth will rejoice!) The systems and processes we set up in the economic, political, legal, and social environment in our country are constantly in flux. That is to say, things are changing,always. Some of us like our jobs; some of us have VASTLY differing compensation packages, including wide ranges in salary, bonuses, benefits such as various health insurances and retirement plans, personal/paid leave and holidays, to name a very few items. The thing is, it all depends...it depends on where we work, who we work for, what we do for a living, and how ambitious we are and what we value. What do we hold to be important as individuals indeed often clashes with what seems to be important to us as a society, in my view. Because we have a myriad of opinions and ideas stemming from a multitude of subcultures within one nation, it is difficult to legislate anything that appeals to or applies to the broad number and scope of special interests in our country regarding ANYTHING, in this case, employment, the state or the Federal level. Often, companies are minimally regulated and monitored and driven by the bottom-line of their financial statements rather than the conscience of socially liberal individuals or groups or even the best quality of life interests of their own employees; but, that is not always the case. Val BTW - I have family in Finland - they aren't always so happy about the long lines and waiting time for health care and sometimes inferior diagnosis and treament options; socialist medicine at its best perhaps? So, things are not always as they appear, I imagine! I'm not saying it's always like that; and I do think we (the U.S.) could learn a thing or two from Europe as a whole regarding the value of personal time and quality of life issues when it comes to balancing those things with work. But, we are still young... ;o)
User Detail :
Name : Valerie Kitts, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 40, City : Sabillasville, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : contractor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, We get 5 weeks off per year, plus public holidays in England. Holidays/vacations are the best memories I have so far, so I wouldn't want to be like the Americans and work long hours with only 1 or 2 weeks off a year. I know that some Americans think it is silly for us to pay for public healthcare (National Health Service), but it's nice to know that if we can get a doctor's appointment, a surgery etc. without the hassle of HMO plans or insurance, whether you are rich or poor. Besides it's not all about the money - more time with family and more trips to exciting new places are more important, I think.
User Detail :
Name : Carol, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Berkshire, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Social class : Middle class, 
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