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Most European countries have mixed economies with varying degrees of socialism and free market capitalism. It's not that different from the US, although the big difference is health care which is free at point of use and funded almost entirely by taxpayers in all European countries. I understand Australia, Canada and NZ are similar.
I really don't see what the big-deal is with having a state run health care system, as long as it isn't abused (health tourism etc)
Never forget....socialism is for the people, not the socialists.
Example....obamacare, it's good enough for the people, but somehow the socialists are exempted from it. Medicare is good enough for the people, but somehow the socialists who formed it are exempted. SS is good enough for the people, but the socialists who formed it are exempted.
Most European countries have mixed economies with varying degrees of socialism and free market capitalism. It's not that different from the US, although the big difference is health care which is free at point of use and funded almost entirely by taxpayers in all European countries. I understand Australia, Canada and NZ are similar.
I really don't see what the big-deal is with having a state run health care system, as long as it isn't abused (health tourism etc)
Those systems are collapsing, in case you've missed it.
Rubbish, I don't hate living in the UK and neither do most people. Our problem is largely caused by a massively negative national media, which runs the country down on a daily basis and sensationalises everything beyond belief. The perfect example is the recent claim that the UK is more dangerous than South Africa! Yeh right!!!
Sure, we don't have as high a quality of life as places like France (they have better weather for starters), but we're a long way off some Gulag in Siberia.
The British people you're talking to daily are obviously just miserable whingers of which there are a lot in the UK. (Blackpool is a complete dump anyway and Jersey isn't even part of the UK)
They're not representative of the situation here at all. If people don't want to live in Britain that's fine, they can leave. Let the rest of us enjoy our cosy village pubs and friendly people in peace without their depressing moaning!
Quote:
Originally Posted by steven_h
Honestly, I deal with people in the UK daily. The parent/distributor company of my company is based in Jersey and Blackpool. I've yet to talk to a single person espousing how good it is to be an Englishman these days. Suicide is on the rise, not for the typical teens and tweens, but for the middle aged. The state collects your paycheck and then pays you after taking what they want (need to perpetuate their negligent spending). Healthcare for anything involving surgery means a waiting list. I also love how the smallest of GDP's is compared the largest in the world. Gee, I wonder how the US became the largest GDP in the world. Now we are moving to a Euro style government (while Europe is moving away from it) and look how dismal we've become.
BTW: It is only because of the US that Europeans aren't all houseboys for German families.
Aside from the weather, I would like to try living in Cornwall but we cannot afford to do it. We, as relatively prosperous Americans, cannot afford to even visit most of Europe.
Yes, they are having "economic" problems principally caused by trying to operate their countries on debt instead of taxes. Their own banksters, just like our own, are bleeding the economy dry while blaming the "social” costs instead of the endless compound interest.
Maybe the problem with European economies is too much big bank capitalism and too little socialism defined as spending on regular folks instead of the elite.
Germany is doing very well, so are Norway, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Denmark etc.
The countries in a mess are all in Southern Europe and Ireland, which were all fundamentally poor countries to start with which went on a massive spending spree when they joined the Euro.
Even the UK has lower unemployment than the US- 7.9% to 9.5% and we still have a triple AAA+ credit rating unlike the US which was downgraded!
Quote:
Originally Posted by alphamale
Those systems are collapsing, in case you've missed it.
Germany is doing very well, so are Norway, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Denmark etc.
The countries in a mess are all in Southern Europe and Ireland, which were all fundamentally poor countries to start with which went on a massive spending spree when they joined the Euro.
Even the UK has lower unemployment than the US- 7.9% to 9.5% and we still have a triple AAA+ credit rating unlike the US which was downgraded!
Ah, but we don't have the US constitution so naturally WE'RE ALL DOOMED!!!!!!!
I just want to throw out one more consideration in this socialism debate. Our country has embraced technology - robotics and computers. As more jobs are eliminated (in law, education and health care) how will we make a living? How can we count on our corporations to distribute the wealth - when we don’t work for them? We cannot have a viable government if only the top 1 to 5% hold all the wealth and nobody has money to buy even the necessities.
This isn’t here now - but it will be and we should debate these issues before they happen. This will be unprecedented and we cannot turn to what works or didn’t work in other countries.
I just want to throw out one more consideration in this socialism debate. Our country has embraced technology - robotics and computers. As more jobs are eliminated (in law, education and health care) how will we make a living? How can we count on our corporations to distribute the wealth - when we don’t work for them? We cannot have a viable government if only the top 1 to 5% hold all the wealth and nobody has money to buy even the necessities.
This isn’t here now - but it will be and we should debate these issues before they happen. This will be unprecedented and we cannot turn to what works or didn’t work in other countries.
The same thing was said about industrialization taking the jobs away from farmers, and yet this country experienced the biggest boom of our history.
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