[A. Pole]

One theory is that it reflects the fact that Americans on average have fewer vacation days than the English, contributing to an unhealthy level of stress on this side of the Atlantic. The average American gets 12 days of vacation a year; the average British person gets 23.

[AppyPappy]

I have 6 weeks of vacation accrued plus 4 comp days. Luckily I can carry it across years.

[katana]

Would you rather live to be 80 in a climate where it doesn't rain 9 out of 10 days, with decent teeth, a 4 bedroom house on a half acre, 200 channels on your satellite or cable TV, a car that is too big to fit in a broom closet, a society where you can still defend yourself against intruders without ending up in prison, and a medical system where you don't have to queue up to receive life saving care.

Or, live to 85 with an umbrella permanently attached to your wrist, teeth that could frighten a wolverine, 6 TV channels (two of which are left wing propaganda mills for which you're obligated to pay a steep user fee), a car that might well fit in your average size pantry, in a culture of "don't do anything to hurt the nice young thug", and a medical rationing system right out of George Orwell.

I always enjoy visiting Britain and consider myself an anglophile, but there's more to life than longevity.