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Socialism (collectivism) is great until you run out of other people's money and other people's children to tax.
It's no coincidence that all socialist countries are experiencing a drop in birthrates. This does not bode well for the growing population of pensioners and recipients.
And non-socialist countries are exporting their surplus population to - wait for it - "socialist paradises."
In another generation, socialist paradises will either be kaput, or will have abolished socialism.
Also, if you look at the 2nd table (per capita) and sort for the year 2013, you find that Switzerland spends more on social programs per capita than Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Australia, Iceland and several other countries typically considered to be liberal nations.
So, once again, yes, Switzerland is a liberal nation.
From an essay about the issue of this thread: Scandinavia Isn
Quote:
This evidence is quite as compelling as the success story that is Switzerland. Unlike its neighbors, Switzerland is one of the most capitalist countries in existence. Its citizens only pay 8.6 percent of their personal incomes in taxes annually, and its economic climate is particularly well-suited to entrepreneurship.
(further comments re Swiss politics at link).
The Swiss also have a strong tradition of gun ownership--even arguably to a greater extent than the US. This does not comport with my definition of 'liberal,' which I try to align w/ how the term is used in common parlance in US political discourse.
The Danish Prime Minister, after seeing Denmark misrepresented by a US candidate, said the following in late 2015:
None of the five Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, & Iceland) are socialist. Sweden had a flirtation via a plan called 'employee funds' in 1984. The plan would have amounted to a true socialist reform. But after a center-right government took over in 1991, the plan was abolished. Sweden made other free-market reforms during the 90s. Taxes were cut, and privatization measures were enacted. Sweden was once arguably the furthest to the left of the five, and now has school vouchers--to the right of even the US.
There is actually no unitary 'Nordic Model,' as often implied by US liberal pundits. The countries all have varying polices, and as with Sweden, have varied over time. This should not have been a surprise to these pundits in a country that elected Ronald Reagan in 1980, and Barack Obama in 2008.
The notion that the Scandinavians have figured out some magic formula under which 'socialism works' is yet another American liberal myth.
A link would be helpful. I would like to read the entire exchange. Not questioning you, just interested.
Updated: I just finished reading the thread, at least as it stood as of post #33, and I actually agree with much of what you have said, at least regarding terminology.
The fact is, "Socialist" may be the most misused word on this forum, or possibly even in current politics overall. Conservatives use it to describe any policy they consider too liberal, liberals claim to like it or to identify as Socialists even when they have no idea what it means.
The myth isn't that the countries referenced in the OP are good places to live, it's that they are actually Socialist. They aren't, not in a strict textbook sense of the word.
Last edited by Catgirl64; 04-06-2018 at 02:31 AM..
Those countries all have universal healthcare, mandatory paid time off, and paid maternity leave laws though. Yet if anyone tries to suggest something similar for the US, conservatives label it as "socialist".
The myth isn't that the countries referenced in the OP are good places to live, it's that they are actually Socialist. They aren't, not in a strict textbook sense of the word.
From an essay about the issue of this thread: Scandinavia Isn
(further comments re Swiss politics at link).
The Swiss also have a strong tradition of gun ownership--even arguably to a greater extent than the US. This does not comport with my definition of 'liberal,' which I try to align w/ how the term is used in common parlance in US political discourse.
They're doing the smart thing, they don't follow socialism, or capitalism, instead they follow the idea of doing what works without worrying about which ism it fits into.
And they, too, also tend to live in states that are borderline socialist, notably Minnesota.
Not so. There are a lot of Scandinavians who live throughout the upper Great Plains and the Mountain West states, which are mostly some of the most conservative in the nation.
The Scandinavians who live in these states are not necessarily liberal, either.
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jumping on like somebody blew the dog whistle
