> skrev i melding
...
> On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 17:34:39 -0500, potatoman
> > wrote:
>
>>Interesting. That's before they even get tips? No wonder standard
>>tipping is much less...these guys already make a pretty good salary.
>>Before tips, in the US, the average full-time (40hrs/week) server makes
>>somewhere around 340USD/month. Considering a medium sized 1 bedroom
>>apartment in my area costs about 600USD/month, that's not even close to
>>being considered liveable (hence, the high tipping standard).
>
> Math challenged?
>
> 160 hours into $340 is $2.13 an hour!
>
> I think you meant 340USD/week, huh? Not that that's exactly a
> screaming wage, but at least it's the federally mandated minimum wage.

I think I've heard that hourly wage before... It could be that the poster
indeed was right
>

> As for higher wages in Scandinavia: the taxes in Denmark come in at
> around 55%, and if they're being taken out of the wages (which I'm
> sure they are), suddenly that big salary doesn't look that much
> better.
>
> On the other hand, there's Denmark's cradle-to-grave health care.
>
Top bracket tax.is 59% in Denmark. Total taxation is 49% of GNP compared to
US 30%, but on the other hand things like health care, retirement homes and
higher education are largely free - and most US citizens would have to pay
big insurance premiums, I've understood. The differences may not be that
large after all.
Anders