1. Regarding racial discrimination: Many times, it’s just a misunderstanding!
We, the poor people, have suffered enough discrimination at home, so when we arrived in the United States, I opened my eyes to observe this question. Frankly speaking, in the past three years, as far as I am concerned, no matter I have had many interactions with the Immigration Bureau, government agencies, the Transportation Department, DMV, and welfare agency staff, I have not encountered any discrimination problems. Remember, no matter how good your English is, please remember to give the other person a smile before communicating. Many Chinese people, after arriving in the United States, are unable to truly understand American laws and culture due to their own language and abilities. At the same time, I am more sensitive and encounter unpleasant problems, so I attribute it to discrimination.
To give the simplest example, Americans are very sensitive to the smell of cigarettes. Many Chinese people come to the United States and like to smoke in groups of twos and threes in front of shopping malls or restaurants. In California, this violates at least two laws: Smoking within ten feet of a shopping mall or restaurant is illegal. Because the smell of smoke will drift into the room or affect people passing by. The second is that while smoking in groups, they block the sidewalk (called BLOCK in English). You may also get a ticket for this.
To win the respect of the other party, you first need to fully understand the other party and have certain qualities yourself. Otherwise, how can we win the respect of the other party?
2. Regarding votes: Let the powerful and powerful people nod and bow!
Frankly speaking, I have not seen a vote in the past three years. What they look like, who the candidates are, and who was elected are not what I care about. However, it is indeed very short-sighted for you to ignore the significance of votes.
The existence of votes is very important to me. No matter who is elected in the end, as long as there are votes, the powerful will be obedient and bow their heads. Only votes can make the powerful lower their noble heads. Only with votes can the voices of the masses all over the world be taken seriously. Therefore, you can not vote or ignore it, but you cannot deny the great significance of voting.
3. Regarding laws: There are huge regional differences!
The situation in the United States is very different from that in China. The laws of each state in the United States are different. These differences include laws, traffic rules, welfare benefits, etc. When planning to visit a state, it is best to first understand the local laws.
For example, you are not allowed to turn right on a red light in New York but you are allowed to do so in California. You are allowed to smoke in parks in New York but not in California.
For another example, a classmate once posted that the gas price in California is very high. From this, it is naive to conclude that the gas price in the United States is not cheap either. Because you don’t know that in Nevada, which is right next door to California, gas prices are much cheaper than in California.
4. Regarding tax filing: You don’t have to pay even a penny, the government will give money to the poor!
My prepaid tax amount in 2011 was only a few hundred yuan and less than a thousand dollars. That’s all. I found an accountant recommended by a friend. She buried her head in calculations for a while, and the final result shocked me!
After calculation, we belong to a low-income family and are eligible for subsidies. Various subsidies, plus The child subsidy is more than 1,000 dollars per child, and the low-income labor subsidy is more than 3,000 dollars per family. As a family of three, not only do we not have to pay taxes, but we can also get a tax rebate of about $4,500 from the government.
What a magical thing. If you prepay less than $1,000 in taxes, you can get it back, and you can get an extra $4,500, putting so much more into your pocket. Frankly speaking, I have never enjoyed this kind of treatment before.
5. In terms of medical insurance, I enjoy that my current company buys me medical insurance in full.
A visit to the doctor is $20 per visit, and examinations, scans, and medicines are all free of charge. It feels good. I had a comprehensive physical examination in New York and a physical examination in Los Angeles. It didn’t cost a penny in New York because I was unemployed and on Medicaid at the time. It only cost 20 in Los Angeles, and I used the medical insurance purchased by the company.
Neither my wife nor I have any serious illnesses, and we have never experienced emergency care. However, I have consulted a lot of information and found that for the poor, medical treatment, especially emergency care, is not terrible.
First of all, in emergency medicine in the United States, the patient must be cured unconditionally. After the patient is discharged from the hospital, the bill will be sent to his home and the money will be collected. Therefore, it is impossible for you to have no money to go to the hospital and have to wait to die, or to make a big fanfare to donate love and wait for donations to save lives.
When you are cured and have to pay the bills, if you have no money to pay, there are still many ways. You can apply for emergency medical assistance as a poor person. The approval rate of this application is very high, and many patients The application has arrived.
Even if you don’t apply, just tell the hospital that I don’t have money to pay the bill. The hospital will coax you in every possible way. Let me give you a discount. Can you pay half? Can you pay 30%? Can you do 10%? If it’s really not possible, pay in installments? Give you as much as you have? In the end, it depends on how poor you are. If you can't afford it, there's really nothing we can do about it, so just sign it, and the hospital will have to go back and ask for government subsidies.
There is now a common understanding across the United States that health care reform is basically a matter of the government and not the people. Many uninsured poor people are cured in the emergency room and then leave without even bothering to apply for emergency medical assistance. If it doesn't work, they file for bankruptcy. The hospital has nothing to do, and in the end the government has to foot the bill. Therefore, Obama wants to implement universal health insurance as soon as possible, force all uninsured people to join insurance companies, and throw the burden of the government on insurance companies. Hope this can be a solution.
As for the children, there is no need to worry. Our family income meets the criteria for our children to join MEDI-CAL, which is what the Chinese call a white card. This is a free medical benefit specifically for children. The child now enjoys this Medicaid benefit until she is 21 years old. Before the age of 21, the government will bear the cost of a child’s vaccines, doctor’s examinations, medicines, hospitalization, dentistry, and vision.
6. About lawyers: Don’t believe too much!
In the United States, don’t believe too much in lawyers. Especially, don’t believe too much in lawyers’ instigation to sue this or that. !Because you just start the lawsuit and then it’s time to spend endless amounts of money on them.
7. Regarding traffic driving: I will fine you without negotiation!
Except for traffic jams in some areas, driving in the United States is indeed a very pleasant thing. I drove all the way from Boston to Los Angeles, and I followed the scenic spots around the road. I drove about 8,000 kilometers. Surprisingly, I didn't pay a penny in tolls.
And the road conditions are unbelievable. It is no exaggeration to say that even if you drive a Lamborghini, you will have no problem driving from Boston to Los Angeles. Whether it is construction management, road design, or driving style, our country is more than a little behind.
Let’s talk about American traffic management. The driver's license test in several states has this question: The speed limit is 65 and the traffic speed at that time is 80. Which one do you think is safer? The answer surprised us: the correct answer is to follow the traffic at 80.
There is another question: the speed of traffic in the far left lane is 80, and if you drive in the far left lane at a speed limit of 65, you will disturb other drivers and be ticketed. On the contrary, the traffic speed is 65, and if you dart left and right in the traffic and drive at 80, there will soon be a patrolman hanging behind you.
Also, remember that if an ambulance or firetruck is flashing its lights behind you, you must pull over to the side. If an ambulance or firetruck is traveling in the opposite direction, you must also pull over to the right. Otherwise, you will also be fined.
Another example is a friend’s family of three who came to the United States to drive by themselves. He lit a cigarette in the car while waiting at a red light, and his son and wife were also in the car. The police pulled him over and gave him a $650 ticket.
Because California law stipulates that adults are not allowed to smoke in the car if there is an 18-year-old child in the car.