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Imagine that, starting at very low rates, more than half of your paycheck goes to the government. And that for everything you buy you pay 25% VAT. Want to buy a car? 180% tax. Yes, 180%.
Ironically most of the successful Danish people I know live in the US because Denmark not only overtaxes them but also subtly discourages achievement.
Denmark also only has around 47% of its GDP dependent on consumer spending as opposed to the US at 67%. So in order to benefit the country everyone will need to spend a lot less. But that won’t be a problem when you’re paying taxes.
The middle class in Denmark pay FAR HIGHER taxes and have FAR LESS disposable income than the middle class in the US.
So that means that whether you want to or not, or need services or not, once you’re out of the bottom 20% of the population you will be paying more than half of your paycheck to the government in taxes. And then you will still need to pay for food and housing which is generally very expensive as well.
Ironically, during the pandemic, the government wants its wealthier people to spend more to prop up their economy.
Lastly, Denmark is an extremely homogeneous society with a population less than NYC’s. 85% of the population is a member of the state church. So you are also dealing with a society that largely thinks and wants the same. NYC couldn’t be more different here.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice country with nice people. I love Copenhagen. But you can’t really use it as an example of paradise unless you’re white and speak Danish.
I have friends and distant family in Scandinavia, so know the situation. First of all, corporate taxes are lower in any Scandinavian country than in the US - ie, all three Scandi countries are intensely capitalist export economies which strongly stimulate and facilitate doing business, as a result of which everyone is employed. That generates national wealth which is the primary foundation for a good lifestyle including good public programs. Second, Scandinavia has almost no poverty, and a large middle class (if that is what you mean by "homogeneous" and "they all want the same things" - yes, they all want an average comfort rather than having insane ghetto fantasies of having expensive cars, coke, bling and ho's). The large Scandi middle class all pays high taxes (ie, there are almost no citizens who do not pay some form of tax), but they pay these taxes to support their own excellent common benefits, not somebody else who doesn't work. Taxation for social services in Scandinavia vs. in the US is equal to the difference between paying your own condo dues (to pay for building maintenance, security, private park, gym, swimming pool etc) vs. paying for housing of a welfare queen and her five kids, plus the complex administration that maintains welfare housing.
Scandinavian-level social services cannot exist in the US due to enormous size of the welfare population in the US. If 100% of the population is funding their own social security net (as in Scandinavia), that net can obviously be much better than if 50% of the population is funding it for the 100% of the population (as in the US). Incidentally, if you are an average self-employed physician in California, half of your paycheck also goes on taxes, so the US is not that much behind Scandinavia in taxation of those people who do work - the issue is that those people in the US would have to spend their entire paycheck on taxes if you wanted Scandinavian-level benefits for everyone, since so many people in the US do not work, and I mean chronically do not work, generationally do not work (not only now due to the epidemic, which will eventually pass). The only solution for the US is to incentivize business expansion (to open up jobs) and contraception (to decrease the number of redundant people) - both of which things have been widely happening in Scandinavia for a long time.
I have friends and distant family in Scandinavia, so know the situation. First of all, corporate taxes are lower in any Scandinavian country than in the US - ie, all three Scandi countries are intensely capitalist export economies which strongly stimulate and facilitate doing business, as a result of which everyone is employed. That generates national wealth which is the primary foundation for a good lifestyle including good public programs. Second, Scandinavia has almost no poverty, and a large middle class (if that is what you mean by "homogeneous" and "they all want the same things" - yes, they all want an average comfort rather than having insane ghetto fantasies of having expensive cars, coke, bling and ho's). The large Scandi middle class all pays high taxes (ie, there are almost no citizens who do not pay some form of tax), but they pay these taxes to support their own excellent common benefits, not somebody else who doesn't work. Taxation for social services in Scandinavia vs. in the US is equal to the difference between paying your own condo dues (to pay for building maintenance, security, private park, gym, swimming pool etc) vs. paying for housing of a welfare queen and her five kids, plus the complex administration that maintains this housing.
I have friends and distant family in Scandinavia, so know the situation. First of all, corporate taxes are lower in any Scandinavian country than in the US - ie, all three Scandi countries are intensely capitalist export economies which strongly stimulate and facilitate doing business, as a result of which everyone is employed. That generates national wealth which is the primary foundation for a good lifestyle including good public programs. Second, Scandinavia has almost no poverty, and a large middle class (if that is what you mean by "homogeneous" and "they all want the same things" - yes, they all want an average comfort rather than having insane ghetto fantasies of having expensive cars, coke, bling and ho's). The large Scandi middle class all pays high taxes (ie, there are almost no citizens who do not pay some form of tax), but they pay these taxes to support their own excellent common benefits, not somebody else who doesn't work. Taxation for social services in Scandinavia vs. in the US is equal to the difference between paying your own condo dues (to pay for building maintenance, security, private park, gym, swimming pool etc) vs. paying for housing of a welfare queen and her five kids, plus the complex administration that maintains welfare housing.
Scandinavian-level social services cannot exist in the US due to enormous size of the welfare population in the US. If 100% of the population is funding their own social security net (as in Scandinavia), that net can obviously be much better than if 50% of the population is funding it for the 100% of the population (as in the US). Incidentally, if you are an average self-employed physician in California, half of your paycheck also goes on taxes, so the US is not that much behind Scandinavia in taxation of those people who do work - the issue is that those people in the US would have to spend their entire paycheck on taxes if you wanted Scandinavian-level benefits for everyone, since so many people in the US do not work, and I mean chronically do not work, generationally do not work (not only now due to the epidemic, which will eventually pass). The only solution for the US is to incentivize business expansion (to open up jobs) and contraception (to decrease the number of redundant people) - both of which things have been widely happening in Scandinavia for a long time.
Excellent response.
What I mean by homogeneity is implied by your “insane ghetto fantasy” comment. 98% of Danes are white, with something like 87% having a Danish parent. These aren’t people growing up with generational poverty and racism, but they also have shared values like school, work, and rule of law.
So - while theoretically to the Bernie Bros you can smoke dope all day and get paid for it in Denmark, very few actually choose to do so.
Yeah, I don't know why people continuously cite homogenous, low population countries as an example of things like that working. The US lacks the social cohesion necessary for such policies to even be implemented.
A Danish friend who still lives there said that Denmark is great if you’re newly wed (childcare, parental leave) or nearly dead (retirement and health benefits). In between, not so much.
Andrew Yang Backs a Civilian Commissioner for the NYPD, Keeping the SHSAT
Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, the latest candidate to enter the crowded race for mayor, said he backs appointing a civilian commissioner for the NYPD, and supports keeping the high-stakes entrance exam for specialized high schools but wants to broaden the criteria for admissions.
"The NYPD could use a civilian commissioner," the Democrat said in a Thursday night interview with Inside City Hall anchor Errol Louis. "I think having a commissioner independent from the culture of the police department would give that commissioner a better read on how to help the police department both do its job effectively and also help reform the department to avoid some of the abuses we've seen."
Among his other proposals:
City control of public transit
Closing down Rikers Island — although he says the current timeline will need to be adjusted due to crises the city is facing
Using smartphone technology to verify who has been vaccinated for COVID-19
Andrew Yang Backs a Civilian Commissioner for the NYPD, Keeping the SHSAT
Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, the latest candidate to enter the crowded race for mayor, said he backs appointing a civilian commissioner for the NYPD, and supports keeping the high-stakes entrance exam for specialized high schools but wants to broaden the criteria for admissions.
"The NYPD could use a civilian commissioner," the Democrat said in a Thursday night interview with Inside City Hall anchor Errol Louis. "I think having a commissioner independent from the culture of the police department would give that commissioner a better read on how to help the police department both do its job effectively and also help reform the department to avoid some of the abuses we've seen."
Among his other proposals:
City control of public transit
Closing down Rikers Island — although he says the current timeline will need to be adjusted due to crises the city is facing
Using smartphone technology to verify who has been vaccinated for COVID-19
If he’s giving the city control over public transit how will that impact things like the LIRR, and the tunnels that are used by the trains?
Andrew Yang Backs a Civilian Commissioner for the NYPD, Keeping the SHSAT
Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, the latest candidate to enter the crowded race for mayor, said he backs appointing a civilian commissioner for the NYPD, and supports keeping the high-stakes entrance exam for specialized high schools but wants to broaden the criteria for admissions.
"The NYPD could use a civilian commissioner," the Democrat said in a Thursday night interview with Inside City Hall anchor Errol Louis. "I think having a commissioner independent from the culture of the police department would give that commissioner a better read on how to help the police department both do its job effectively and also help reform the department to avoid some of the abuses we've seen."
Among his other proposals:
City control of public transit
Closing down Rikers Island — although he says the current timeline will need to be adjusted due to crises the city is facing
Using smartphone technology to verify who has been vaccinated for COVID-19
We have to be bold and willing to accept a new way of doing things. It starts at the top...
Does anyone know why Yang chose NYC mayor versus Governor? I would think he could do more regarding his policies if he were to try at the state level. I wonder if the governor primary is 2 years away or something. Maybe he did it because he knew he might lose momentum if he waited.
I'm curious to know why city control of public transit and what he expects. The last one is a good idea. It annoys me, but it's a good idea (smartphone one).
Being the Governor of NYS is a rough job, the state is very diverse and the majority of New Yorkers know nothing past Westchester County
Yeah, mainly BROKE in the parts further north, especially without economic activity from Downstate.
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