Why Does Europe Take Better Care of Its People Than America?
AlterNet / By Joshua Holland
9 Countries That Do It Better: Why Does Europe Take Better Care of Its People Than America?
The world's wealthy democracies have somewhat different priorities, leading to some very different outcomes for their citizens.
June 15, 2011 | An abiding belief in American exceptionalism is more or less ubiquitous across the political spectrum. But in many ways, what makes America different from other advanced democracies are relatively modest differences in priorities. While all wealthy democracies share the same basic model --they derive the bulk of their economic activity from the private sector while offering some form of social safety net for those who fall through the cracks -- even slight differences in priorities can have a huge impact on the lives of their people.
Here are 9 countries that do a better job providing for their citizens than we do.
More here.
T-Cat - "Conservation of momentum applies to a system closed in kinetic energy, not a thermodynamically closed system."
T-Cat on Potential Energy: "Which means that you aren't converting it all at any point until you reach the ground."
Do yourself and us a favor. A quick search on the internet might help you find a place where you can land you a free boat ticket to which ever one of these wonderful places you choose. Quick now, run off and do the search maybe you can be on your way before sundown.Originally Posted by nondual
Paradoxical Quote of The Day From Ben Stein
"Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured...but not everyone must prove they are a citizen"
Now add this, " many of those who refuse, or are unable, to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those that are forced to buy insurance because they are citizens."
Think about it when you vote in November!
I'm not the one who hates America, its people, and its government, why should I go?
T-Cat - "Conservation of momentum applies to a system closed in kinetic energy, not a thermodynamically closed system."
T-Cat on Potential Energy: "Which means that you aren't converting it all at any point until you reach the ground."
Because they have stronger unions and more political parties, and the latter reduces the ability of a cabal of elites to game the system as they have over the US two party system. In addition the US has a stronger judicial tradition respecting individual property rights and less of a command economy structure (setting prices for commodities, negotiating wages, etc).
Take for example FRA. Your terms of employment would be very good, and security good, but try changing fields mid stream in life. In the US a farmer can wake up on her 50th birthday and say "eureka, I want to be a neuroscientist doing psycholpharmacology", and she can. Not so in France. Lots of governmental intrusion there preventing one from effectuating that change. So its a trade off.
Because they aren't afraid of the word "socialism" which means people first .. which means people before corporations .. which means a real and genuine sense of patriotism, not the bullshit flag waving teary-eyed Hollywood-inspired it's-all-about-me selfishness that passes for patriotism in America.
"The two parties have combined against us to nullify our power by a ‘gentleman's agreement' of non-recognition, no matter how we vote ... May God write us down as asses if ever again we are found putting our trust in either the Republican or the Democratic Parties." -- W.E.B. DuBois (1922)
But in terms of government taking care of its citizenry as a whole, France is ahead of us.
T-Cat - "Conservation of momentum applies to a system closed in kinetic energy, not a thermodynamically closed system."
T-Cat on Potential Energy: "Which means that you aren't converting it all at any point until you reach the ground."
It's not so great there. The bureaucratic trappings and de facto infrastructure or systems of socialism create impregnable feifdoms for those in power as much as it does any semblance of a workers paradise. You should have seen Brezhnevs Maseratti collection!
Brezhnev was a communist.
T-Cat - "Conservation of momentum applies to a system closed in kinetic energy, not a thermodynamically closed system."
T-Cat on Potential Energy: "Which means that you aren't converting it all at any point until you reach the ground."
I will say that their government is trying harder, I can not conclude one way or the other unless we define what exactly citzenry as a whole means statistically speaking. Two countervaling facts which inform my reason are 1. the US has a higher (either average or median standard of living than any other country, including France, something like $26K) but as we know this disparity is extreme here. Outliers are no longer outliers. we are "stretched" or "thin" to quote Bilbo baggins.
In name only. His car collection would have withered away if that were the case. OK take for example the head of an unnamed Max Plank institute where she or he (unnamed) has a contract through which he she can never be divested of leadership and has a full time driver under aegis of the state. Not a lot of scholars or admin can finagle (sp?) that deal in the USA.
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