On the 'nanny-state'-thing i would like to add that people always tell that they're against nanny-states.
It is true that over here in europe there are big problems because of social programs that have spiralled out of control.
But the basic theory that if the governments doesn't interfere with the economy and just leave you strugling to get by, that that is the very essence of freedom.....Well, let me put it this way: many politicians say that they want no social programs or government interference because that way the hard working ordinary joe the plumber will pay taxes for people who don't work hard.
But in reality, in a world with only 'negative freedom', a government that stays out of the economy, the ordinary hard working man on the street will have to work harder and harder to get by, he will have to work two or three jobs and still hardly have enough, while the rich kids up there get there bonusses AND their tax-cut's that are also being sold as in favor of the hardworking people.
Let's face it: tax-cut's for billionaires...How many of you are billionaires?
Is getting a fair chance in life by having acces to education a luxury? is it a luxury that you don't have to be a millionaire to get acces to good healthcare? is it a luxury not to be exploited by your boss?
That's what the politicians who're campains are financed by those billionaire kids who get their tax-cut's as a celebration of the free market, but who when their banks fall somehow get bailed-out mysteriously and get to keep their bonusses mysteriously..anyway, those politicians tell you.
You have to work three jobs to get by, you have to compeed on the labour market with illegal immigrants who work in sweatshops for nothing, your job is getting outsourced to slaves in china and you have to work harder and harder everyday for less and less money, only to pay for the bonusses of rich kids who never worked a single day in their lives, while you see on all the TV-shows how being rich is glamourous and good and how rich people are admirable and fantastic, while YOU are actually working for their bonusses. And when their banks fail, YOU are paying to save their banks and the bonusses that they're allowed to keep in spite of how they've failed on that celebrated free-market.
You are being lead to belief that it's good if the government stays out of everything including healthcare.
But in that strugle of yours, the majority of people will loose. You are being blinded by the belief that in america everybody can get rich if they work hard. But fact is that social mobility has decreased over the last decades. If you're born poor, you are likely to die poor and if you're born rich you are likely to die rich.
You can think that all this so-called 'freedom' is in your interest, but how many of you are rich? You can work as hard as you like but the most of you will never get rich.
Do you want to live in a country that only takes care of the winners? well, let's be honest, we aren't those winners. We may not be the biggest losers, but how many of us are millionaires?
In europe you actually have a bigger chance to become a millionaire if you're born poor. In america you have a bigger chance of becoming a billionaire if you're born a millionaire.
I'm not in favor of nanny-states. But when you look at the facts, you have to see that their are european countries that are doing worse than america and that ARE nanny-states in many ways, but there are also european countries that have a healthier economy, a higher average income, bigger exports, higher life-expectancy, lower crime rates, lower teen-pregnancy rates, lower rate of illiteracy, higher average level of education, lower health-car costs, higher life-expectancy at birth and most importantly: biggest overall happyness.
Denmark, sweden, norway and finland are the HAPPIEST nations on earth AND, they have healthier economy's.
And i know many people are told that those are socialist states, but this is absolutely not true. Their economy's are actually doing BETTER then the economy of america or britain, then the countries where the free-market is being hailed as if it's the gospel of st-john itself.
Germany has only a year ago been passed by china as the largest exporter in the world. I mean 80 million germans are producing nearly as much as 1350 million chinese people!! you cannot say that germany is a communist state: everybody all around the world wants to buy mercedeses, BMW's, audi's, volkswagens, porshe's, maybach's and bugatti's..those aren't trabbie's, these people know how to run a profitable business, it's GM that needed government money, not BMW.
If you have SOME government regulations and SOME social programs to prevent people from being exploited and squeezed out like a lemon to work as hard as possible for as little money as possible and to prevent ordinary hardworking citizens to wind-up homeless on the street if they get sick and to make sure that also childeren of ordinary laborers can make it to nobelprize winners if they got the brains for it, you just have a better world to live in.
While negative freedom leaves you free, yes. But it's only a free fight, a free strugle every day where the winners take all and the losers get nothing, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Where the people at the top see their salary increase with double digit's percentage growth's while the ordinary people see their job's going to china or seeing their salary stay the same with economic inflation going up, or seeing even their salary diminishing year by year.
You're being blinded by the words 'freedom' or the 'american dream' while it's only the top-dogs who benefit and who want to keep you blind. While the rest of us has to strugle.
While it doesn't have to be that way, it can also fairer.
The danes, the swedes, the norwegians, and the fins have proven it.
They are happier, healthier and richer and they are not in debts that much. As a matter of fact, america and the UK are much, much deeper in depth then those scandinavian nations and even the eurozone as a whole. The eurozone as a whole, is less in depth than america and the UK, even when the average financial position of it is being dragged down by greece and portugal.
Even france´s financial position is better then that of the anglo nations.
Not worshipping the almighty invisible hand, not leaving people to die out on the streets doesn´t make you a nanny/state, it doesn´t make you a communist and it doesn´t leave you in debts.
Stealing from the poor and giving the lute to the rich like america and the UK are doing leaves you in debt.
plus, i've never liked them. it wasn't until the last couple years that i calmed down enough to feel that i could own a gun. i was always worried that i would get upset one random day and do something stupid. well, now that i feel responsible enough to, if i wanted, i can't. felons can't carry weapons. i believe that is a horrible blanket law but i see the logic, to an extent, but my felony was non-violent. but i guess specific cases would take too long to examine so they use the blanket laws. oh well...
