http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,573447,00.html Denmark’s approach relies on high taxes and aggressive redistribution of wealth --anathema to many free-market Americans – which results in a broad range of social services like health care, retirement pensions, and quality public schools. Yet remarkably, the country has managed to make this model work without crushing economic growth or incentives to succeed. What do you all think of this?
Danes don’t have to worry about lack of health insurance or being put out on the street if they lose their job.
Denmark has a high percentage of upper middle class, educated, non-religious people - so certainly that system works there. It is like asking why everybody in Berkeley drives a Prius, and in Stockton everybody has a pickup truck with trucknutz on it. It would never work in US with various bible-thumping redenecks, minorities, immigrants, etc. They would just stay home and eat government cheese.
The article says they used to have a high suicide rate. Seems like there is some survivorship bias in this index.
That survey is complete BS. “the Stockholm-based World Values Survey” there has got to be some European Socialist bias here. I would agree that a socialist system would work more efficiently in a racially,culturally homogeneous country. It would never work here in the US, there are way too many free riders here. In addition, people who aren’t religious are have a greater tendency to be on anti-depressants. How come Russia, Europe, Japan (non-religious socieities) have a higher suicide rate than Muslim, African countries?
One of my favorite topics is pondering how the USA can be so GDP-advanced yet lag as a society in virtually every other way [and be totally unaware of this lag]. We have lots of examples of ways that work okay and lots of examples of ways that do not work at all in the world. The interesting thing is whenever someone brings up an example of a way that works an American says the circular thing of oh that would not work here cause we are the result of practicing the way that doesn’t work. Well ya. Anyhow, I’ll putting Denmark on my travel list, how is the stout?
My thoughts on this–Denmark is a small (by population and geography), racially and culturally homogenous nation that has tight controls on immigration and has virtually no military to protect its interests because the United States takes care of that for them. The U.S., on the other hand, is a continental nation with diversity as great as the world. The U.S. has has many as 20 million illegal immigrants and millions more legal immigrants, most who are from the lower classes of society. There’s really no comparison at all.
maadeezy Wrote: > How come Russia, Europe, Japan (non-religious > socieities) have a higher suicide rate than > Muslim, African countries? this is easy. b/c there is no eternal penalty for those in non-religious countries. people who are religious do not kill themselves for fear of punishment in the after-life.
What about tibet. Ppl go there to find eternal happiness. Kinda like what Bruce Wayne did when he was going through personal disaster.
Is that study really reliable? I can also do a study if I want to, and write about it in my blog. The study seems to be coordinated by an executive committee of six, one member is from the US. I recognized one name - it’s one of the professors I had back at my old university. Just a note for the record, Sweden at least has since 2006 been governed by a centre-right majority government. Not everybody knows this, and it’s not really all that important.
MehdiOchre Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Not everybody knows this, and it’s not really all that important. 
huh
world’s happiest people? = toss-up between proctologists and CFA exam proctors - same thing really
These world’s happiest always turn up with the Scad’s up top.
I lived in Denmark for a semester in college. I’ve never seen racism in my life like I saw there. There are a lot of Turkish and Muslim immigrants who mooch off the welfare state and people scream at them in broad daylight in the middle of town all the time. The people there are also really weird. I read an article last year about Denmark people being the happiest and they found it was actually because they are extremely pessimistic people and end up happy when things work out better than expected. Comparing Denmark to the US isn’t really meaningful, remember, it’s about the size of Rhode Island and only has 6 million people.
greatest thing about denmark is the hot women tahts it. The weather is meserable, and the people arent happy. They are so grumpy and unfriendly. Take my word for it, go into a supermarket and you wont ahve one staff membe smile at you, they jstu grunt, tehy really do. Go to a supermarket in australia or the US and tehy will be smiley and happy, even if it is fake. Yes there is considerable racism here, infact heaps. But thats what you get from a homogenous society that is not opening the gates somewhat. Obviously the foreigners come here and they dont act the same way as the danes, cause trouble etc, and danes have a big problemw ith this. Obviously im nto talking abouta ll immigrant here. Its probably not so bad in copenahgen, but outside in the smaller towns its quite bad. I know a daanish girl, looks fully danish except she has dark hair, and the people there think she is arabic. They are jsut not used to outsiders, and they are extremely afraid of them. Things run well, and work well here, there is no doubt about it. But danes dont have that open outwardly expression like us aussies, brits and americano’s. Its much harder to break down the barriers. Its easy to see this especially if you are out backpacking as I did some years back. The aussies, brits, americans etc, all have no problem hanging out and meeting very quickly and making friends. The scandinavians stick together. The barriers are only occasionally broken down byguys like me who want to get at their women!
It’s always easier to make friends if you can speak in your own language; aussies, brits, americans use /approximately/ the same language, so they tend to stick together too. I know lots of Danes who are both friendly and smile at you, I find it very easy to get along with Danes.
I love Denmark. I hate Americans talking about ‘Socialist Europe’. Not every country is France over here. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03european-t.html?_r=1&em Story in the NY times last week. The Nordic countries aren’t that different.
I agree MehdiOchre. But its funny here in DK, that swedes and norwegians tend to hang together. And all the internationals hang together, wherever in europe or else they are from. Im not just talking brits, but spanish, poles, french etc. There is a definate fear of the outside here. I am lucky that I am quite young, and the younger generation here is a lot more accustomed to this. But I find those in the 30+ and 40+ categories really struggle with life in DK. Those that come with their partners have massive troubles and often relocate to the non-dane partners home country. And many people who come to work here come for a couple years, and pack up and leave. I myself, ir eally do love it. Weather just kills me!
"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03european-t.html?_r=1&em " Wow, a left-wing liberal finds he likes living in a society that allows him to extract wealth from more productive citizens. Stop the presses!
‘More Productive?’ Please stop using ring winged talking points.