More obs.

[artme]

USA: Always found here to be a great place.
Friendly and helpful people and courtesy is a way o life in most cases.
O'Hare International Airport may be big but it is a bloody disgrace.
American cities all have very substantial civic and other buildings. Annapolis for example, is a city of
just over 40 000and yet it has a city centre the like of which Hervey Bay - with it's 70 000 inhabitants
can never hope to match.
When people here find out we are from Australia they are full of admiration and questions. Many Americans have
told us that Australians are probably the world's greatest travelers.

The concerns here are much the same as in Australia: retirement income, schooling, political issues etc..
Issues of welfare and public housing are a big concern for the middle class
There are so many foreign brand cars on the road here it doesn't seem to be the same country I have visited before.
The political divide here is really apparent and seems to be hardening by the day.

Japanese, Canadian and American drivers obey the road rules but American drivers are apt to use the horn very readily.

Ts key bar is alsogivig me a dose!!!

[elanjacobs]

American drivers are apt to use the horn very readily.!

You haven't seen horn-happy drivers until you've been to SE-Asia. The accelerator and horn are about the only two driver inputs that see any use. Indicators are optional and lane markings are generally considered to be targets rather than dividers.

[BobL]

. . . . . .American cities all have very substantial civic and other buildings. Annapolis for example, is a city ofjust over 40 000and yet it has a city centre the like of which Hervey Bay - with it's 70 000 inhabitantscan never hope to match.

Not a very fair comparison Art, Annapolis is the state capital of the state of Maryland (pop 6 million, about 1 million more than QLD) and a history going back to 1650?It was also once the capital of the US. The US has this thing of locating the state capital and legislature out of the big cities but you bet the state taxes and hence infrastructure still follow de moneeey.

According to Wikipedia

In 1984, Hervey Bay was officially known as the 'City of Hervey Bay'. It was known as a city because of its large growth in business, population, tourism and industry. Although it was now being known as a city, it still remained a small seaside village to most of the local residents.