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Define 'decline.' We've allowed about 40 million illegal immigrants (more than 8 times the population of Denmark) which have reduced our overall metrics. Our GNP is 70 times higher than the country you are espousing meaning more jobs, more success, more diversity. Congrats to Denmark for taking their oil revenue and distributing to their people allowing them to not work much and live on 40% of the average wealth of the USA wealth per capita. Please move to this supposed paradise and bring about 10 million illegals and see how their system deals with it. I'm not buying it.
We are also accepting 100k+ refugees, which I am sure, someway somehow they'll be able to get the free govt goodies that we are so quick & willing to dole out.
1. Denmark’s unemployed workers get 90 percent of their old salary for 2 years.
I dunno if that's a good thing. I can see that promoting unemployment more than anything else
2. Denmark spends far less on healthcare than the US.
What is the quality of that care? Also, the US is the world's medical laboratory, so many of these OCED nations live off of the R&D expenses Americans shoulder.
3. Denmark is the happiest country on Earth.
Subjective. I once saw Nigeria as the happiest place on a list.
4. Danes enjoy the world’s shortest workweek.
That is a nice perk, as is the vacation time. I don't know if that has anything to do with socialism though. Are those benefits mandated?
5. Denmark pays students $900 a month to attend college.
What many proponents of the European model of Higher education leave out is the world's best universities are almost all American. To really achieve what Bernie Sanders envisions you'd have to basically take up funding universities directly ala public schools. I'm not sure if that's the best model
6. Denmark has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the developed world.
That's good, but how can you point out that's due to "Socialism"?
7. Denmark has one of the world’s lowest poverty rates. The US has one of the highest.
Unfortunetly, even if we did adopt their system, I don't see this changing anytime soon. Our sin of slavery as well massive illegal immigration causes many structural and historical inequities that will take far deeper reforms to fix.
8. Denmark is ranked the #1 best country for business (The US is ranked #18).
True socialist parties in Europe generally abhor big buisness. A more accurate description of Denmark's attitude is "Welfare state".
9. New parents in Denmark get 52 weeks of paid family leave. New American parents get nothing.
I agree with this one, not sure how to pay for it though.
Demark, Norway, Sweden, NL, Germany etc aren't really "Socialist" in that the means of production are fully in the hands of private enterprise. What they do have is very robust safety net brought about by higher taxation. They are more properly classified as "Welfare States".
These national-level comparisons take into account taxes, and include social benefits (e.g., "welfare" and state-subsidized health care) as income. Purchasing power is adjusted to take differences in the cost of living in different countries into account.
Since Sweden is held up as a sort of promised land by American socialists, let's compare it first. We find that, if it were to join the US as a state, Sweden would be poorer than all but 12 states, with a median income of $27,167.
We are also accepting 100k+ refugees, which I am sure, someway somehow they'll be able to get the free govt goodies that we are so quick & willing to dole out.
I guess we should instead give them zip and tell them to be thankful we let them in. Makes a ton of sense
1. Denmark’s unemployed workers get 90 percent of their old salary for 2 years.
I dunno if that's a good thing. I can see that promoting unemployment more than anything else
2. Denmark spends far less on healthcare than the US.
What is the quality of that care? Also, the US is the world's medical laboratory, so many of these OCED nations live off of the R&D expenses Americans shoulder.
3. Denmark is the happiest country on Earth.
Subjective. I once saw Nigeria as the happiest place on a list.
4. Danes enjoy the world’s shortest workweek.
That is a nice perk, as is the vacation time. I don't know if that has anything to do with socialism though. Are those benefits mandated?
5. Denmark pays students $900 a month to attend college.
What many proponents of the European model of Higher education leave out is the world's best universities are almost all American. To really achieve what Bernie Sanders envisions you'd have to basically take up funding universities directly ala public schools. I'm not sure if that's the best model
6. Denmark has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the developed world.
That's good, but how can you point out that's due to "Socialism"?
7. Denmark has one of the world’s lowest poverty rates. The US has one of the highest.
Unfortunetly, even if we did adopt their system, I don't see this changing anytime soon. Our sin of slavery as well massive illegal immigration causes many structural and historical inequities that will take far deeper reforms to fix.
8. Denmark is ranked the #1 best country for business (The US is ranked #18).
True socialist parties in Europe generally abhor big buisness. A more accurate description of Denmark's attitude is "Welfare state".
9. New parents in Denmark get 52 weeks of paid family leave. New American parents get nothing.
I agree with this one, not sure how to pay for it though.
Demark, Norway, Sweden, NL, Germany etc aren't really "Socialist" in that the means of production are fully in the hands of private enterprise. What they do have is very robust safety net brought about by higher taxation. They are more properly classified as "Welfare States".
1. Well giving almost nothing is not a good idea either, and Denmark does not have a huge unemployment problem.
2. Denmark health care is very good, even compared to other EU countries. Compared to for instance Sweden, the waiting times are much shorter, the staff treat you better, and it is cheaper.
3. The only ranking that get Nigeria on top, is rankings which include enviromental footprint. In terms of reported happiness, Denmark is at the top. Of poor countries, only south america does allright.
4. Actually, that one is not true. Denmark has the 4th lowest work week, and is beaten by Germany, Netherlands and Norway. Also, in terms of official work week, France is the lowest.
5. That is quite common in the EU, and it is money for living expenses so the students don't become dependent on their parents income. However, Denmark has an issue with high unemployment among university graduates.
6. True, it is a myth that Denmark is so left wing.
7. True, their low poverty rate is a result of their homogenous population. In Sweden the poverty rate is increasing rapidly, due to their high immigration.
8. True
9. Its not that expensive. There are 4 million births in the US each year, and lets say they are entitled to $10K a year (some people do not work, and it is capped at high incomes). Then introduction of half year maternity leave, would cost $20 billion dollars. Compared to the size of the US budget, that is almost nothing.
9. Its not that expensive. There are 4 million births in the US each year, and lets say they are entitled to $10K a year (some people do not work, and it is capped at high incomes). Then introduction of half year maternity leave, would cost $20 billion dollars. Compared to the size of the US budget, that is almost nothing.
And 50% of those births are covered under medicaid so 1/2 of those giving birth are poor and/or illegal.
Do you also propose giving illegals 1/2 year maternity leave pay ?
17 year old girls who never worked ?
2. Denmark health care is very good, even compared to other EU countries. Compared to for instance Sweden, the waiting times are much shorter, the staff treat you better, and it is cheaper.
Scroll back in the thread and look at the 5 year survival rates in the US versus Denmark for all the serious diseases. Breast cancer. Colon cancer. Those kinds of things. Denmark is awful. Who cares about wait times if you have cancer and you're dead a year later?
Want to buy a car? I will use the VW Golf as an example. Here in the USA the Golf sells for around $20,000. In Denmark plan on paying $41,000. On top of that they have a VAT tax of 25% and you will pay a 63% of the value of the car just to have the right to license it in Denmark. Car taxes and the ability to drive on Denmark roads bring the total tax for a car up to 180% of the sales price.
Lets say that you decide prices are too high so you will import your car into the country. You have a maximum of 90 days to license the car. You will pay the 63% tax on your car based on the selling price in Denmark of a similar car. Take the Golf that you paid $20,000 for, Denmark will tax the car based on the $41,000 selling price in Denmark. You get a bill of $25,830 to register your $20,000 car. Lucky you.
If you want to live there ride a bike. Most people do that now.
Lets talk income tax. The average in Denmark is 51%. The average teacher in Denmark makes $60,000. To compare the average Teacher in the USA makes $54,000. I realize that many of you know teachers that make a lot less. Realize that in LAUSD the average is more like $80,000 with many teachers making over $100,000 a year.
You like to eat? In Denmark you will pay more for your food than you will here in the USA.
With the VAT we don't even need to talk about consumer goods, they all cost more in Denmark. People here in my area complain about paying 8% sales tax. I could not imagine it tripling.
Another thing. We are talking about a nation of 5,500,000 people. This is not a big country. What works well there may not work well everywhere else.
Scroll back in the thread and look at the 5 year survival rates in the US versus Denmark for all the serious diseases. Breast cancer. Colon cancer. Those kinds of things. Denmark is awful. Who cares about wait times if you have cancer and you're dead a year later?
Thats in 2008, a lot has changed since then. Most european countries have cut health care spending.
Secondly, this only a tiny part of health care. If you have to wait 2 years for a hip replacement, then that is pretty terrible too.
You may have all seemed to totally miss Social Security (FICA) Taxes in your "models" for comparison?
That works out to a Tax on every dime and dollar of Earned Income even the Poorest Folks here pay.
8%+8% for conventional employment, and a little over 15% for self-employed. No exemptions, no deductions.
This is in addition to any income or other taxes.
That is HUGE and it hits the Poorest Folks the hardest.
"Unearned" or Investment Income is completely exempt from FICA, and for folks somewhere around $100K, it drops off to Zero.
Meanwhile, the US people face the Highest Medical Prices in the World -- due to our own Congress:
1. Paying US Medical Schools to limit enrollment (to run up prices),
2. Limiting Imports of Pharmaceuticals (to run up prices)
3. Expanding Patents (to run up prices)
4. Limiting Coverage Options (to run up prices)
No wonder that Medical Bills have been a leading cause of US Personal Bankruptcy.
Denmark has NONE of that nonsense nor expense.
Meanwhile that Poor Folks Tax (FICA) is used to fund the Federal Government Debt -- which is used to benefit Corporations with Low Taxes and No Tariffs, so that those Poor Folks' jobs can easily be exported. While we waste Mo Money Mo Money on Idiotic Things like Aircraft Carriers (19 now, all just sitting targets, even as we build more)
Comparing US and Denmark is probably not so valid -- We have over-whelming Corrupt and Stupid on our side.
Big Difference comes down to -- the US is Corporate-Corrupt and Denmark is not so much.
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