Move To Denmark Damn It!!!!

I was recently engaged in an interesting debate on Facebook regarding the benefits of living in Denmark versus the United States. Full disclosure, I have never lived in Denmark. However, I see a lot of ideas from the Bernie Sanders camp like to cite Denmark. This alone makes Denmark a Socialist/Communist country.

Here is the controversy. In Denmark, and other European countries, public policies have shifted to take care of every citizen in their country by utilizing the following strategies:

Much Higher Minimum Wage
Healthcare For All - Single Payer System
Free College Education
Free Child Care
Shorter Work Week

So this is what Socialism looks like? Hmmmmm. Why are we so scared of such a system? It is due to the fact we think people will become lazy and not work. It is not about that at all. It actually makes people more productive.

Another counter point is the higher income tax (some as high as 40%) and higher sales tax (some as high as 25%) It sounds counterproductive compared to our system. However, let me provide you and example of how we actually pay a lot of taxes comparatively. It is just hidden in our system.

For example:

Student Loans - Those who go to college spend a lifetime paying them back on plans that are 10-15% of their income.

Property Taxes - In NYS some communities pay as high as 12 thousand dollars on personal property taxes.

Federal Income Tax - Can be as high as 28% however middle income families pay a much high burden than the rich.

State Income Tax - In states that have state income tax, another 5-8% of your income can go towards state income tax

Child Care - Ask anyone. At least 10 percent of your income.

Healthcare costs - Can be as much as 10 percent of your income and depending on coverage, it can bankrupt you if there is a catastrophic illness.

We are living in a lottery system in the Untied States. Those that complain about Socialism have the odds in their favor. However, once one of the big five expenses hit their family, they begin to realize that a better system would benefit all Americans.

So, maybe we should go to Denmark. Not to live, but to learn about their system. Knowledge is power and we have the power to make our lives much easier in the United States by providing an effective safety net like the models that are currently successful in Europe.