>>508303554 (OP)western Europe seemed like a great place to latch onto 20 years ago. you were far wealthier and more advanced than us, so much more that we put you on the same level as the USA.
now, 20 years later, the rift between us and western Europe is much smaller. meanwhile the US still seems inconceivably wealthy.
so either western Europe stagnated horribly the past two decades to the point of slipping into second-world territory or the USA enjoyed record growth to the point it eclipsed the EU.
either way, I'd gladly give up the healthcare and basic amenities if it meant I could make 5 times more money and live in a mansion for the same work (spoiler alert, in Romania the taxes spent on healthcare go straight into politicians' pockets. state hospitals are hellholes and anyone who can afford it pays for private healthcare on top of that)