Denmark and Sweden are some of the happiest countries in the world, but they also have the highest tax rates (financial, top 10)

[dragonborn]

Originally Posted by Grim Reader

I asked first.

However...the freedom to get an education limited by only by their own drive and ability. The freedom to marry whom they chose. The freedom to have children without having to sacrifice a career. Freedom to take a year off for personal reasons and not sacrifice a career. Freedom to start a business without giving up their own and their familys health care. Freedom to chose their own health care. The freedom to walk their street at night without fear.
The freedom of knowing if they don't make work the first priority of their lives, they can still have a fulfilling life as a cashier or cab driver. Freedom from the fear of not having health care, or being ruined through no fault of their own by medical bills.
The frredom that comes from having vacations long enough to do something with them.

+1

Of course, don't expect many to agree with you in this forum, although the freedoms you listed are far more important to me than the freedom to picket a soldier's funeral or carry a gun around.

[Mr. Joshua]

Originally Posted by dragonborn

Everyone pays tax. Not just income tax, but sales tax, VAT, property tax, council tax.

Sorry Josh.

And I'm sure that, just like here in the US, a good chunk of the population actually receives money from the government which more than reimburses them for the money they pay in those other taxes.

[wade52]

Originally Posted by Frank DeForrest

You mean you dont mind making me pay for your stuff and claiming thats the price that must be paid in order to live on your plantation?

No, I mean what I wrote, not your uninformed misinterpretation.

And, as I mentioned earlier, your low-tax paradise awaits you.

Go for it! (http://sweatergirlsknit.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/pinktrailer.jpg - broken link)

[Mr. Joshua]

[quote]

Originally Posted by Grim Reader

I asked first.

However...the freedom to get an education limited by only by their own drive and ability.

And if one does not exhibit enough of that ability? In Denmark, you lose the freedom to go to college (sorry, "university").

The freedom to marry whom they chose.

Balanced against the populace's freedom to decide that two dudes sucking face on an altar is not a marriage.

The freedom to have children without having to sacrifice a career. Freedom to take a year off for personal reasons and not sacrifice a career.

Balanced against the employer's freedom to not lose money and possibly lose their business. How would you feel if you owned a small business and employees were taking a year off and you had to keep them on?

Freedom to start a business without giving up their own and their familys health care. Freedom to chose their own health care. The freedom to walk their street at night without fear.

The vast majority of Americans walk the streets without fear.

The freedom of knowing if they don't make work the first priority of their lives, they can still have a fulfilling life as a cashier or cab driver.

So, we don't have cab drivers and cashiers making a living here?

Freedom from the fear of not having health care, or being ruined through no fault of their own by medical bills.

The vast majority of American citizens are covered.

The frredom that comes from having vacations long enough to do something with them.

Balanced against the employer's freedom from having to lose an employee for extended periods so they can sit on a beach and consequently has to scramble to make up for the deficit.

[Grim Reader]

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

And if one does not exhibit enough of that ability? In Denmark, you lose the freedom to go to college (sorry, "university").

People who don't have the ability to get that education don't get it regardless. There is really nothing to be done about that, no matter how much mum and dad spends on it. No matter how many people who had the ability and ambition they squeeze out.

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

Balanced against the populace's freedom to decide that two dudes sucking face on an altar is not a marriage.

There is really no such thing as the population in generals freedom to decide who consenting adults get to kiss. None. Zilch. Nada. In fact, that is normally referred to as the opposite to freedom. Namely, other people getting to impose their standards on you, regardless of whether it affects them at all.

This freedom thing -you really have no idea what the word means, do you?

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

Balanced against the employer's freedom to not lose money and possibly lose their business. How would you feel if you owned a small business and employees were taking a year off and you had to keep them on?

Perfectly fine, its not like I haven't run a business under those conditions before, and admired how well it works. It makes for an excellent opportunity for graduates to get their first job, and obviously, there is no competitive disadvantage since all businesses have the same legislative framework.

Seriously, it keeps a lot of talent in the work pool and obviously works better than the idea that you have to compete with the third world in workers conditions. The only way to compete with the third world is to be third world!

Also, long-term it keeps the working, tax-paying people breeding, rather than leaving that to the nonworking.

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

The vast majority of Americans walk the streets without fear.

Not true. Not true at all. The vast majority of Americans don't actually have anything happen to them when walking the streets at night, but the fear is omnipresent. Driven by media and politicans.

Maybe its not untill you live in a different society, where childern are routinely left outside shops in prams and no-one would even consider that a woman should not walk home alone at night to realize how omnipresent the fear of crime has become in America. Trust me, it is a massive difference in freedom. (look the word up)

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

So, we don't have cab drivers and cashiers making a living here?

It is a choice between throwing more of your life into work or not having a decent living. A choice other nations often have the fredom not to face.

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

The vast majority of American citizens are covered.

Many are not. Unlike nations who then by defintion enjoy more freedom.

And more importantly -to be covered, Americans are forced into certain choices and actions when it comes to employment and career...how to spend their lives -that Scandinavians do not have to face, because the possiblity of not being covered do not exist. Having your choices restricted on pain of permanent damage,disability or ruin is being less free.

Can you imagine the level of freedom not having those restrictions bring?

Being free to start a business when you feel that you got the skills for it, without having to drop your and your familys health care, or not even considering COBRA if you contemplate a change of career? To have a baby when your family feels it is right, without worrying about the cost or coverage?

I think you've been so compressed by your lack of freedom that you can't even imagine what it is like not to be constrained like that.

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

Balanced against the employer's freedom from having to lose an employee for extended periods so they can sit on a beach and consequently has to scramble to make up for the deficit.

You really do need to look up what "freedom" means! The employer does not have a "freedom" to demand 20 years of constant attendance from his employee. The book definition of that kind of situation is "slavery". The employer does not suffer any competitive disadvantage, because every other employer is working under the same set of rules.
The individual who can do this is by defintion more free than the individual who can't.

I really, honestly feel that you don't have a good grip on the concept of freedom here. You are arguing that inchoate entities such as "the populace" and "employers" should have the "freedom" to overide the wishes of individuals...thats...not freedom as the word is undrestood by anyone.

It is the opposite!

[shpanda]

Maybe they pay higher taxes because there are a lot less people there? Maybe that's also why their average, uh, "happiness score" is higher. There are a lot less people to tally who all basically live the same way.

America is not Denmark or Sweden. It never has been and never will be.

[AnUnidentifiedMale]

And conservatives on this forum regularly call Europeans "losers". Guess they ought to look in the mirror.

[wade52]

Originally Posted by Mr. Joshua

No one hates firefighters, teachers, postal workers, and librarians. Lying to get your point across makes you an assh-le.

Temper, temper...

We've both seen the news stories over the past year. Calling names won't change that reality. Enjoy your life in boston. It's the only one you get. Spending it in anger is a waste.

[ajs0503]

Its kind of hard to compare a country of 5.5 million people with a country that has 310 million people.

[monkeywrenching]

Originally Posted by kwflconch

Denmark... Number one for being the happiest

Just like Sweden, Denmark is a Nordic welfare state with most of its services free to the citizens. Expect to pay 72% of your money to the government on the highest income tax bracket. According to Wikipedia Denmark has the worlds highest taxes! When buying a car in Denmark one has to pay 25% VAT to the import price of the vehicle and then a 180% registration tax on top. That means when a car sells for $20 000, you have to pay an additional $45 000 as taxes for the government (total of $65 000). That’s why people in Denmark ride bikes or use one of the best public transport systems in the world. Denmark also has 2 autonomous provinces – the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The latter is over 50 times larger than Denmark but has about 100 times less people.

Sweden... Ranked 7th for happiest

This “welfare state” model is an excellent example of effective national taxes. Among other things the state provides universal tax-funded childcare, parental leave, health care, education (including university), retirement pensions and sick leave. Including value added tax (VAT – kind of like sales tax), it is possible to pay up to 80% of your income as taxes. Contrary to popular belief, Swedes are quite OK with their high taxes. After all it gives them tons of free and high quality services – what’s not to be happy about!

The United States... ranked 17th.

Top 10 happiest countries in the world | Financial Jesus

haviing high national taxes and a huge welfare system also means that people rely on the goverment for more, when they should be relying on themselves.

the USA is supposed to be about freedom and liberty, it is not about having the goverment be a nanny from cradle to grave.