OK socialists, here you go: my income

[nemafakei]

So long as he doesn't use the argument 'if you don't like it, move somewhere else' in his posts.

[SurlyPIG]

My wife and I buy groceries in the US because nearly everything is cheaper down there, AFTER the conversion!  A single snickers bar in a Canadian grocery store in BC costs from .99 - 1.29!!

WOw!  In the states, you get snickers 3 for .99 in Safeway on sale, or .50 at walmart regular price.

Bah, Vancouver prices don't count.  They practically charge you to breathe over there!  Calgary prices for a regular-size snickers = .89-.99 with only 7% tax.  No PST whatsoever.  Of course, the whole scheme is relative to itself.  For example, minimum wages: AB=$5.90 BC=$8.00.

[Caid Ivik]

Come to Slovakia, here you get snickers for 10 crowns, what's about 30 US cents  ;D

[TMA_1]

isnt slovakia a pretty poor country though caid? I mean obviously if you are well off it would be kinda nice probably, but how about for the average person there?

[Andrew]

That is probably why the price of a chocolate bar is not as expensive as in America...

[Caid Ivik]

isnt slovakia a pretty poor country though caid? I mean obviously if you are well off it would be kinda nice probably, but how about for the average person there?

In scale of Bratislava, we can say I am in a better middle class. My city is well developed, east of the country is poorer. Mostly you can see things cheaper, but also wages are lower. Slovak average is about 12 thousand crowns per month (1 euro=40 crowns) for Bratislava about 25. It's hard to measure standards by other way, as you have many possibilities, but limited resources.

However, food and drinks are relatively cheap here, and that's primary thing people need  ;D

[Davidu]

Just wait for the euro to come and then the prices will jump sky high! Ater a while they'll remember to raise the salaries (eventually).

The polish are quite sorry they aplied for the EU. In ROmania people want to join, but they don't know what will happen.

If NATO was a strategic necesity, the EU is not. It will bleed us dry. We almost managed to pull our economy toghether after 15 years of free-fall, and in 2007 the euro will come and shake everything again.

[Caid Ivik]

Well, we survived, so why shouldn't you?  ;D  Some things will become dearer, but some also cheaper. But I think as well that we joined EU too soon, our economy wasn't yet enough independent from abroad and private.

[EWS]

Well I for one hope that Britain never ever joins the Euro.  For one thing, it would be one of the last things that we Brits can call "British."

[Davidu]

Ha, ha... :D

Well, if it's that bad! Talking about survival...  :O

Yeah, we'll survive... It seems we're the most inventive people on Earth. We work more to find ways not to do the actual work. So, we'll eventually find our way 'round the euro.

One thing our politicians are great about is to sail just in between the laws they make.  ;D

[GUNWOUNDS]

Caid do you have many luxuries there?

[Davidu]

Gun, don't be a bastard...  ???

We're not in Syberia here. We've got your MALLs here as well.

We've got McDonalds, KFC, and other sh*t.

[GUNWOUNDS]

Gun, don't be a bastard...

[nemafakei]

"We've got McDonalds, KFC, and other sh*t."

I think gunwounds question still stands on that one.

[Davidu]

Ok, sorry...

India is larger, but not more devloped than Slovakia.

India is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Central and Eastern Europe are moving better every year.

Poland is pure occident if it wasn't for those soviet flats.

We're moving better ourselves.

But I'm afraid that euro will ruin most of it. It's possible. We wont be able to make wine ( meaning the peasants), no more home brewed spirits, and strict control on farm animals (that of all things is good).

[GUNWOUNDS]

"We've got McDonalds, KFC, and other sh*t."

I think gunwounds question still stands on that one.

yes McDonalds and KFC are not luxuries.

I want to know if Slovakia has "GAP jeans"

[Davidu]

Of course we do. "round here there are lots of people with MONEY. And I mean MONEY!! It's amazing what cars you can see in Bucharest. I swear I saw a Rolls Royce. And Ferraris. For those people, and not onlt - if you can pay for it, there are luxury goods.

There are these supermarkets such as Carrefour (french one) that are extremely attractive. They have quality goods for good prices.

I mean it's not a wasteland over here. Yes, there are homeless, and poor, and strikes, but that's capitalism, isn't it? There are these things in West, aren't they?

[GUNWOUNDS]

Of course we do. "round here there are lots of people with MONEY. And I mean MONEY!! It's amazing what cars you can see in Bucharest. I swear I saw a Rolls Royce. And Ferraris. For those people, and not onlt - if you can pay for it, there are luxury goods.

There are these supermarkets such as Carrefour (french one) that are extremely attractive. They have quality goods for good prices.

I mean it's not a wasteland over here. Yes, there are homeless, and poor, and strikes, but that's capitalism, isn't it? There are these things in West, aren't they?

Yes but over here our lower-class people can still enjoy the luxuries because they are cheap.... it sounds like in your country the luxuries are only for the rich.  Can average people still enjoy the luxuries in your country?  Or are they very expensive?

[Davidu]

The prices are resonable. I could afford to buy original games, but... as the piracy is flourishing here ( the guv does nothing) why should I? I can get HL2 for 500.000 lei ( 30.000 lei = 1 dollar).

If I'm lucky I can get it from afriend for only the price of the blanks ( 2 dollars 10 blank CDs).

I mean, the prices are good, but if we have an alternative... 8)

One of my friends is linked to a network with 60.50 TB of free shared information. If you can't find something there it probably doesen't exits.

Sorry if I go away from your question... but I need to say lots of things.

[Davidu]

The poor, well... they struggle to make out a living. But they survive.

The luxuries become out of reach. Especially for the old.

We still have a healthy middle class. Unfortunately, that gap between poor and middle+wealthy+rich is getting bigger.

[Davidu]

I realised I went a little around your question.

So:

About food: if you can't affor to buy it from the supermarkets (prices are good), you can go to the neighberhood store(cheaper), or to the local market and buy it from the peasants that come to sell their products there.

About cars: from Porche Cayenne Turbo, VW Touareg, Hummer 2, and COOl cars, to the very old and cheap: as low as 550 euro for an unused car that looked brand new, though it was 15 years old.

About houses/flats: HUGE prices. ABSURD prces here in Bucharest. Too much to worth.

About electronics: well, most people can afford a new TV, radio, medium performance PC, mobile phones ( ALL the people I know have at least one).

So, judge for yourself...

[Andrew]

Nope, the West is all happiness with their designer jeans and mega malls. No poor people here. ::)

Gunwounds your saying the lower class can afford designer jeans (more than one of course) and many luxuries in North America?

Maybe you should go visit some poor/low income families. I know I don't have a whole lot to show for. Other than my computer and acessories... and that is about it. (Worth around $1000). Or the luxurious car I don't own. But then I am a poor student.

Unless you were comparing N.A. poor to poor people in other countries. But I wouldn't go so far as to say poor people in N.A. can afford luxuries. Also defining what a luxury is would be a problem.

[Dunenewt]

I want to know if Slovakia has "GAP jeans"  or  those multi-screen Cinemaplexes, or Super Wal-marts or anything similar to JC Penny or Sears. 

Of course it will. The Slovak capital, Bratislava is quite modern from what I've been told.

[GUNWOUNDS]

Nope, the West is all happiness with their designer jeans and mega malls. No poor people here. ::)

Gunwounds your saying the lower class can afford designer jeans (more than one of course) and many luxuries in North America?

Maybe you should go visit some poor/low income families. I know I don't have a whole lot to show for. Other than my computer and acessories... and that is about it. (Worth around $1000). Or the luxurious car I don't own. But then I am a poor student.

Unless you were comparing N.A. poor to poor people in other countries. But I wouldn't go so far as to say poor people in N.A. can afford luxuries. Also defining what a luxury is would be a problem.

No need to be a smartass.....

I know both sides of the coin... myself and my parents are upper middle class... my grandparents up north are wealthy .. and my aunts/cousins down south are relatively (blue collar) poorer.

I am not referring to homeless people or people in projects when i refer to poor people... and i am not referring to lambourginis when i refer to luxuries.

I am stating that blue collar working class people who are basically poor in relation to the middle class/rich

[Caid Ivik]

Caid do you have many luxuries there?  Like Cinemas/Theaters, Super Shopping Malls, Designer clothing stores, etc, etc , things like that?

I understand that food and drinks are probably easy to obtain.. but what about higher luxuries?

Theaters have here a great tradition, so I don't consider this as a luxury. Cinemas where here even during socialism, in most cities only one, but in Bratislava many. Now there are even few complexes here, as well as what you call hypermarkets. It's hard to buy a Maserati here, sure, but fine clothes easily, if you have enough money for it of course  ;)  Recent years were built large shopping parks like Aupark or Pollus, which contain all these things in one huge building.

But still, you find this in Bratislava, which is on a junction between four states, also very close to Wien. Something could be found in other larger cities, but always, Bratislava is another scale.