The 5 happiest Countries are all Socialist Economies, With Health Care and Education included in your taxes?
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-35010143 The five happiest countries in the world — Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands — are all clustered in the same region, and all enjoy high levels of prosperity. Wait I thought all socialist Countries, were Gray and Desperate places.. sort of Stalin meets Blade Runner ? notice the word prosperity.... pops up repeatedly in this article. I know that so many of you on here really don't understand the difference between "Free Market" rhetoric and actual prosperity for more than the top 1%... but we used to consistently rank in this poll, right up until the early 90's ... that's around the time we started hearing the term "New World Order" Deregulated corporatism is making someone happy but it isn't the average American.. see the full list.. http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/14/world-happiest-countries-lifestyle-realestate-gallup_slide_12.html We don't even Rank.. Canada and Costa Rica were the only entries from the Americas (Both fully Socialist) Ask yourself this Tea Baggers and the like.... If we are so wonderful as we move away towards a full corporate Oligarchy, why then do we cast Socialism as a Villain? After all when we're the most social is when we've had the most prosperity... post WW2 we almost got Euro Style Health Care but the AMA smashed it with the free market demigod Regan's help... but if you look at our history as a nation, when we embrace people instead of Money we do better as a culture.. can you really gage happiness by GDP? and if so.. are we not an abject failure being the personal debt accounts for nearly 100% of GDP http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/02/household_debt_vs_gdp.html 1927 and 2007 (both times personal debt reached 100% of GDP our leadership was corporate-centric) Basic economics guys... who should be happier in a society ? The people or Vampires I mean Corporations/Banks/Insurance Co.'s etc? Americans really don't want to be happy then? If that's the case then this all makes perfect sense... And if any of you Apple Pie eating patriots would genuinely like to see me leave (and I'll take my Commie wife and kids with me...) write out a check, we'll get on a plane.. (buh bye) And if any of you Apple Pie eating patriots would genuinely like to see me leave (and I'll take my Commie wife and kids with me...) write out a check, we'll get on a plane.. (buh bye) We have Higher debt and are "More" Bankrupt than any of those countries Suicide rates "Finland" is the only one in the list to make the top 10 based on the W.H.O. report.. None of the Suicide indexes are any newer than 2007..would love to see where we rank now... These countries do not have resources, in fact quite to the contrary.. however in regards to being able to power themselves with alternative energy you a;ll can thank yourselves for that... we've allowed big oil to block alternatives for 30 years.. we should be leading that technological race...but like everything else we do now... we are losing our edge... must be our low IQ.. We have Higher debt and are "More" Bankrupt than any of those countries Suicide rates "Finland" is the only one in the list to make the top 10 based on the W.H.O. report.. None of the Suicide indexes are any newer than 2007..would love to see where we rank now... These countries do not have resources, in fact quite to the contrary.. however in regards to being able to power themselves with alternative energy you a;ll can thank yourselves for that... we've allowed big oil to block alternatives for 30 years.. we should be leading that technological race...but like everything else we do now... we are losing our edge... must be our low IQ.. actually JDM I saw that and thought that it smacked of (hold back) in other words we need to keep the illusion going.. all of the countries that are happiest are also in economic dire straights... but the people aren't thrown into the mill to keep the Company going.. thats the difference.. again, check IQ's in those countries, ie..test scores etc.. Canadians do not pay 80% of their incomes in Tax, in fact the Average Brit, Canadian, Frenchman, middle class worker all pay less than their American counterpart if you include education and Health care/Elder care... we pay MORE TAXES PEOPLE!!!!
Politics - 22 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Maybe you should move to one of them and then you can be happy too
2 :
By all means....get the phuck out...please move there. thanks
3 :
If by happiest you will be stuck in whatever the government pigeon holes you at until you die than by all means you can be happy. I wont.
4 :
I really don't care. I want my country back. And while you are attempting to appear informed, it is TEA Partiers.
5 :
Economy isn't the only factor to consider. Population, size, climate, demographics, religion, environment, etc. all play rolls as well.
6 :
Ok, Then please, move to one of those countires. I noticed several people aon here who would be more than happy to help you do that.
7 :
Why is the EU melting down if their economies work? Too much spending, it isn't working. We are following down the same destructive path and expecting a different outcome. Hmmm, don't see how we can deny the inevitable and yet it happens constantly.
8 :
So the socialists claim they are 'happier' than the rest of us? Of course they would have to site something as amorphous as the concept of 'happiness' since they certainly cannot claim to be more prosperous or free. P.S Check the suicide rates in those countries.
9 :
Well they can thank US "unhappy capitalists" for the fact that they have a country at all..to be "happy" with.
10 :
Happiness is subjective, and the results of these surveys depend entirely on the scoring criteria. Suicides per capita, for example, is not one of the metrics in this study.
11 :
Americans live in an insular little bubble, believing what they are told to believe. That the US is the best country on Earth. Of course they aren't going to believe you. After all, the majority of people (especially on here) are under the false impression that everyone in the entire world wants to move to the US. Laughable isn't it? Poles like the one you posted only prove that either the developed countries of the world is right and we are wrong...or we are right and the developed countries are wrong. I wonder which it is? lol I commend you for trying to bring an issue like this to light, however you will soon find out that it is falling on deaf ears. Donna
12 :
#1 They all aren't PURE "socialist" countries. They are mixed economies. #2 Most, if not all, of those Countries are extremely small (landsize / population) & blessed with significant resources that enable them to "fund" those socialist projects. For instance, there are Countries on that list that can single handily supply their population with energy from hydro-electric plants (damns). Could the U.S. supply all their energy from a hydro-electric damn? Not a chance in hell. Some of them also have significant oil reserves that they sell for a profit (again, paying for their socialist projects). The U.S., given our population level, does not have a corresponding "oil" reserve that could pay for $300 million people in such a fashion.
13 :
Aaah yes, those happy, happy Fins... Who just happen to have suicide rate 70% higher than the US. Funny how morons go off about how happy these countries are.. when these people are knocking themselves off left and right.. Happy people don't do that. You = Fail.
14 :
Since you mentioned "basic economics" - those countries are all on the verge of bankruptcy. Those systems are unsustainable. They probably won't be as happy when all the government programs vanish. Contrary to what socialists believe, deficits and debts do matter. And they're what cause nations to collapse.
15 :
If we had someone else paying almost all of our defense costs for 65 years we would be pretty happy too. We have completely underwritten all of these socialist "utopias" ever since World War II. Without us they would all be Soviet satellite states. edit: Why should I write a check to send you to Scandinavia? Can't you do anything for yourself?
16 :
What? Are you trying to tell me that living in a Republican police state with Walmart Hospitals, a Haliburton owned military and a Muslim holocaust would not be a happy place? There would be government mandated tea party meetings to lynch gays and Mexicans! Happiness doesn't help to sell fear and hate.
17 :
Statistics can say whatever you want them to say. Without looking at the methodology there is little to say about their results as the weightings given to each factor are critical in determining the final rankings.
18 :
You think this is an awesome question too, don't you? Not only did you miss the point entirely in that it shouldn't matter what style of economy we have... "The problem is us. The problem is not the banks, greedy though they may be, overpaid though they may be. The problem is us... We've been living very high on the hog. Our living standard has been rising dramatically in the last 25 years. And we have been borrowing much of the money to make that prosperity happen." ...but you leave this question wide open as does everyone else who talks about this as to imply that we operate under pure capitalism while pure socialism is the answer. What amazes me even more is that a socialist economy asks the government...the ones who are currently bankrupting our future, to take the reins of our futures. How does this even make sense to you? Or when people cry out about how corrupt and evil corporate America is...you mean the corporate America that is run, regulated and funded by the government? How does any of this even make sense to you.
19 :
Would you really be happy paying up to 80% of your income so that a national government can take care of you and determine your value? Would you really be happy waiting up to a year of needed medical testing because there are not enough doctors to assist you, would you really be happy knowing that the government has the final say about everything concerning your life and that of your family? Would you really be happy knowing that you work 50 times harder to earn and live on the same amount as someone who does nothing? Or would you rather have health care when you actually need it, be able to earn more through your hard work, be able to obtain wealth and be able to raise your family as you see fit? By the way, Canada is NOT socialist, they are a lot more liberal leaning than the US but not socialist. They are actually, as of recent debates, learning they can no longer afford their national health care and will soon require their citizens to start obtaining private insurance in order to keep treating people. Also many of the nations you list are not purely socialist, even communist China is no longer purely socialist as they have incorporated capitalist concepts into their country, because they realize it actually works to grow their nation and economy. Another concept for your departure, try to get one of those "happy" countries to support your entry into their country and see how far you get. Frankly, I am very happy in the country I live in and as long as those who would like to take it over do not do so, I am more than happy to stay right here in a capitalist nation where I have the freedom to decide where I work, how I obtain health care, and where I work.
20 :
I thought this was a well-thought out question until you used the term "Tea Baggers" - why is it that you people can't stop yourselves from calling other people names? Reading it more closely, it seems that you are just making up your own facts and saying nothing. Anyway, where do you get the idea that Costa Rica is a "Fully Socialist Country?" "Costa Rica is a democratic republic, as stated by the 1949 Constitution, which guarantees all citizens and foreigners equality before the law, the right to own property, the right of petition and assembly, freedom of speech, and the right to habeas corpus, among others. The government is divided into independent executive, legislative, and judicial powers. " http://infocostarica.com/general/government.html And Canada? "Officialy, Canada is a confederation with parliamentary democracy. That means Canada's system is patterned partly after Great Britian's, but also has a federal system like that in the United States. The federal government holds considerable power in areas of national concern, such as health insurance, trade, the military, and development. Provincial governments have authority over education, property laws, and medical facilities." And here's a little fact about Denmark: "The Constitutional Act lays down the framework of Danish democracy. It outlines the citizens’ rights or human rights such as freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, which i.a. are intended to protect them against infringement of their rights by the State. " http://www.denmark.dk/en/menu/About-Denmark/Government-Politics I think that your poll leaves out tons of information about those "happy countries" compared to the US. Socialism is not a demon, especially if you have a relatively small population of similar socio-economic and ethnic groups, living in a similar climate and The population of Norway is under 5,000,000, with about 84% of the population being ethnic Norwegians. The population of Denmark is just under 6,000,000, with 5,000,000 of them being ethnic Danes. Further, in Denmark, 84% of the population is urban. Costa Rica, also with a population of around 5,000,000, is comprised of about 95% whites and mestizos. So why can't we draw the conclusion that happiness comes from living with people like you - and not too many of them? In fact, your article states that one of the reasons for Costa Rican's happiness is strong family bonds and social networking. New Jersey, by comparison, has a population of almost 9,000,000 - there are no fewer than 12 languages spoken in the state, and has a multiplicity of ethnic groups including whites, blacks, hispanics, portugese, creole, polish, russian and others. Expand that to encompass the entire US, with a population of 300,000,000; with many, many different races and ethnic groups, with cities, suburbs - climate variation from the swampland of Florida to the northern tip of Alaska. The US is not "Corporate Centric". The US provides opportunity for people to direct their own lives, to produce based on free market economics instead of government mandate. This does not happen in the absence of government - there are government regulations directing the banks, the insurance companies, manufacturing, service - we are a nation of laws and businesses and consumers operate within those laws. What we object to is when the laws start to dictate who gets what, and who has too much. Why should my tax money, as a resident of New Jersey, be spent on building roads in West Virginia so that Robert Byrd can get re-elected? (I use him as an example because he was admired for all the Federal money he brought to his state) Why, as a parent of college students, should the loans I negotiated be negated and then taken over by the Federal Government? The United States Government is an incredibly corrupt institution at this point in time. All you have to do is look at how the Healthcare bill was railroaded into being - no fair votes, no one read the thing, it was forced into law by bribery, threats and arm-twisting. There is no way that I would ever agree to giving MORE power to that group of thugs. I don't know about your poll, I don't know about you - but I can tell you that MY happiness stems from my ability to direct my own life, to conduct my affairs within the laws of a reasonable country or state - I can start a business if I want to, I can live in whatever state suits my desires for climate or economic opportunity. When the government tells me that I cannot get a job because I don't meet "Diversity" requirements (which has happened to me) or that I cannot keep my health insurance because my company can no longer afford it because of the Government Requirements - I become very unhappy.
21 :
Subvertor, You can cite facts all you want, like we pay more in heath care but they have better quality, or that we are so far in debt and that oligarchs rule this country. They don't care. They are blind sheep. All we can do is continue to advocate for economic change and prosperity in the USA. All we can do is continue to fight for the worker, even when the worker doesn't even fight for himself. Keep up the good fight Subvertor.
22 :
seems about right
