Sweden Provides Free Higher Education, Universal Healthcare, Free Daycare -- Why Can't the U.S.?

[Newest Reality]

The issue that people bring up about scalability is highly debatable since larger countries than Sweden are able to do this. I think that issue is one of the most prominent roadblocks and should be investigated and debated more.

[blm]

1. ✔️

[Crowman2009]

2. It's a combination of the MIC and the 1% stealing from the treasury.

Anything else I missed?

[Aussie105]

7. Sure.

Compare Sweden's spend on military to that of the US.

60% of tax paid by an American worker goes to the military.
(From a Michael Moore documentary.)

[napi21]

3. I can tell you a little about european countries and their health care. My granddaughter & her

husband are both Dr.s in Germany. First, they are employees if the government. They make good money, but not nearly what American docs make. They have a lot more bennies than American docs too, like free childcare right at the hospital, 1 year paid maternity leave for the new Mom & 6 months leave for the new Father. As a Country, Germany believes the most important part of society is the family which is why they have such generous leave policies.

There is an interesting tax system there too )All the health care is paid for by the Government). Your % of taxes go down the longer you work. I don't know how they handle taxes on business and the wealthy) but I think overall their taxes are higher than in the US.

I asked my Doc whey there was such a big difference in health care costs between here & Europe, and he said they have a different priority then here. We concentrate on the latest & greatest medical equipment, drugs, etc. Europe concentrates on affordable care for their citizens.

I couldn't hold him hostage to answer further questions because they can do most of the complex surgeries and have very modern equipment so I guess the diff. must be that we are FIRST to get all this stuff, but Europe does get it in time.

I would love for the US to adopt a lot of the philosophies of Europe, but I don't have much hope I'll ever see it. Our docs aren't going to give up all that $$. and people won't leave the system they have grown to believe in.

[McKim]

4. If We Hat that......

If we had those benefits then we couldn’t afford all those wars and military bases all over the world. This is where the bulk of our tax dollars go! This will continue until people demand better.

[ancianita]

5. The problem is structural, from the Constitution to the tax base structure of school funding.

[Lock him up.]

6. A comparison of (averaged) take-home salaries for 40 countries.

https://www.businessinsider.com/tax-rates-take-home-salaries-40-countries-2018-5



Also, on average, U.S. corporations pay less taxes than abroad & donate more dough to politicians by lobbying.A

[Jakes Progress]

8. OMG OMG OMG We can't raise that kind of money!!!!

Same thing idiots say about M4A. Other countries do it without complaining. But these people seem to think that the USA is not capable of behaving like other civilized countries.

[Collimator]

9. This is sort of a lateral tangent . . .

But remember when Trump talked about sh!thole countries and lamented that we aren't getting more immigrants from places like Sweden?

That was funny because compared to Sweden WE are a sh!thole country. No wonder the Swedes are not lining up to swarm at our borders.

[Newest Reality]

10. Good point...

I am glad you brought that up.

A trip through the various statistics usually puts the USA well below average, even to the extreme, in many categories. Here, in the Land of the Free, we have the highest incarceration rate in the world and the margin is very large. I mean, shouldn't that be China, Russia or some other BIG shithole? LOL!

The list goes on and on as if you are seeing an alternate Earth compared to the mainstream and common views on this.

The rhetoric does not match the facts, but they try to make the data match the rhetoric. I firmly believe that there is more to this overlooking and covering up and diversion than people realize. It, to me, creates a kind of cognitive dissonance, (hearing one thing but seeing the opposite around you) that is damaging our collective psyche and poisoning our public discourse. Not good. When you poison the streams, whatever drinks from it gets sick or dies.

[tenderfoot]

11. I'll break out the excuses...

Sweden has less people

People with free tuition won't try as hard

Who will pay for it

blaa blaa blaa


The same excuses apply to public transportation and a national rail service.

[Collimator]

12. Just wanted to chime in on one point . . .

A former boss of mine grew up in the UK. Her take on the free tuition situation is that one actually has to work harder. Yes, the government will pay for your schooling but you have to get the grades to continue. In other words, nobody is going to pay for your tuition if you sit around and half-arse it.

(Unlike many legacy students at prestigious colleges here in the US.)

[tenderfoot]

13. Yes. Scholarship students have to keep their grades up too.

There are idiots on this site that believe that any kind of financial help with tuition will lead to sloth. I wonder if they feel the same way about cadets at West Point or the Naval Academy, who also don't have to worry about tuition. That must mean they sit around and party all day and night.