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Prosperity is based on prodigious production of surplus usable goods and services, equitably traded and enjoyed. Low cost transportation aids in the process. Climate and geography are important factors, since mountainous areas have higher costs, and climate issues (snow, ice, landslides, etc). All that can be modified by government penalties (taxes) and subsidies (bribes).
Europe has an advantage in electric traction rail, thus doesn't waste as much fuel for land transportation as do the united States.
Compare Denmark to the Tidewater in Virginia, and you'll see comparative prosperity and industry.
But the bell of doom is tolling for "happy" Denmark: 1.71 births per woman (2016)
U.S. birthrate : 1.80 births per woman (2016) (all time low! Need 2.0 for replacement)
The birth rate in Kentucky in 2016 was 65.4 per 1,000 women ages 15-44.
The birth rate in W. Virginia in 2016 was 58 per 1,000 women ages 15-44.
Socialism collapses when it runs out of other people's children to tax.
Before socialism, security in old age was dependent upon one's family (children) or private charity. So families were large, and Europe exported its surplus population to colonies around the globe. After socialism, people stopped having large families, partly due to the higher cost and the fact that both parents had to work to pay all the socialist overhead expenses. Socialism is genocidal in the long run and will destroy any nation it infests.
Ironically, socialist Europe is importing surplus population from non-socialist countries with incompatible cultures. That won't end well.
Or it might work fantastically well. Maybe they will allow more Americans with college degrees to immigrate. Granted that means fewer educated Americans stay here but it's not like that matters to places like WV or KY.
Why of course, comparing a state to a country, lol.
Culture is the biggest difference. Drop those people from KY in Denmark, they will do all they can to milk the system. Drop those Denmark people in KY, they will continue their same work ethic, and participate in the fruits of such ethic.
KY is an example of a moral hazard, generational, taught as more than a way of life, but part of the culture like those gypsies.
Another thing with KY and low COL places is they attract people who are true victims and need assistance/are low income, or are just part of the group that milks the system. Many parts of KY or very low in COL, a person can get by on disability pretty well there, unlike a higher COL place. It would benefit such people on assistance to move to low COL areas, out of higher COL areas. So places like KY end up attracting hordes of them, just as LA attracts hordes of people wanting to be in acting.
Why of course, comparing a state to a country, lol.
Culture is the biggest difference. Drop those people from KY in Denmark, they will do all they can to milk the system. Drop those Denmark people in KY, they will continue their same work ethic, and participate in the fruits of such ethic.
KY is an example of a moral hazard, generational, taught as more than a way of life, but part of the culture like those gypsies.
Another thing with KY and low COL places is they attract people who are true victims and need assistance/are low income, or are just part of the group that milks the system. Many parts of KY or very low in COL, a person can get by on disability pretty well there, unlike a higher COL place. It would benefit such people on assistance to move to low COL areas, out of higher COL areas. So places like KY end up attracting hordes of them, just as LA attracts hordes of people wanting to be in acting.
Not exactly, but you are close.
WV is generational- they stay because it’s all they’ve ever known, and the world outside is too much too bare.
The ones that do go onto higher education including trades leave- those are the wage earners.
And then you have retirees moving in to take advantage of the low cost of housing and taxes.
Pretty much money suckers and aging boomers are left.
I ran a comparison between Louisville and Copenhagen and Copenhagen is 42% more expensive and after factoring incomes, people in Louisville have a considerably higher economic standard of living despite Denmark having had decades as a net exporter of oil and gas. For sure the lower obesity levels in Denmark are resulting in longer lifespans so that is something all of America should work on.
Minnesota (which has a high Nordic population) has a much higher standard of living and longer lifespan than Denmark.
I ran a comparison between Louisville and Copenhagen and Copenhagen is 42% more expensive and after factoring incomes, people in Louisville have a considerably higher economic standard of living despite Denmark having had decades as a net exporter of oil and gas. For sure the lower obesity levels in Denmark are resulting in longer lifespans so that is something all of America should work on.
Minnesota (which has a high Nordic population) has a much higher standard of living and longer lifespan than Denmark.
Take away all the free handouts Kentucky gets. They depend on that money, in fact, when a Disability lawyer was caught pushing through claims, the GOP congressman stopped the Disability recipients from getting their payments stopped because he said Kentucky depended on that money.
As for the standard of living, there is absolutely no comparison between Kentucky and Denmark. I have a friend that relocated there, was supposed to be for two years and she ended up staying. She said everything there is better, the health care, the culture, the educated populate, everything. They even get 25 days of paid vacation every year and they hold out a vacation allowance for a travel holiday.
West Virginia receives welfare at a grossly disproportionate rate (Socialism) and their GDP per capita is nowhere near Denmark.
Remember any state vs. Country GDP suffers the same inaccuracy as state vs. state.
In resource production heavy states, like WV, the GSP only includes the cost of resource extraction, so let's say timber, it costs $1000 say for 1 acre of softwoods from sapling to harvest.
That's what is included in the GSP when the forestry company is headquartered out of state.
However the actual resource value of that timber may be $10,000 per acre, but the $9,000 isn't credited to that state that extracted it, its retained in the state that the company HQ is located. Smart large companies will incorporate in Delaware, like Google, Facebook, Amazon regardless of where you may think the company headquarters is because of tax benefits of incorporating in Delaware.
This is why many resource production states appear to be lagging, since that actual companies that own those resources are not from the state the resource comes from. Thus the GSP per capita is also lagging, however without those resources the state that HQs the company owning those resources would not have such high profits, they made in my example $9000 on a $1000 investment.
With a state v. Country comparison the country will evaluate all company profits when determining its GDP, this would be like crediting all value created back to the state that generated the value..
Take away all the free handouts Kentucky gets. They depend on that money, in fact, when a Disability lawyer was caught pushing through claims, the GOP congressman stopped the Disability recipients from getting their payments stopped because he said Kentucky depended on that money.
As for the standard of living, there is absolutely no comparison between Kentucky and Denmark. I have a friend that relocated there, was supposed to be for two years and she ended up staying. She said everything there is better, the health care, the culture, the educated populate, everything. They even get 25 days of paid vacation every year and they hold out a vacation allowance for a travel holiday.
I'd rather live in a nice house in a nice area of Lexington or Louisville over Denmark any day.
Or just owning a huge amount of acreage and having a nice house on it, in the sticks.
Everything isn't better there, that's hilarious. I mean unless you like having the Government pretty much run your life.
I took a look at the stats and saw that two relatively wealthy states, Maryland and Illinois have murder rates of 9.0 and 7.8 per 100,000 residents respectively. I am also shocked that Pennsylvania was so high at 5.8 per 100,000 residents.
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