With the United States' Presidential Election just over a year away, many topics have risen to the forefront of what America and her citizens are talking about, worried about, thinking about and mad about. Chief among them being immigration and gay marriage. I'll admit, I have thought quite a bit about both of these topics as well. However, my opinions most likely differ from yours greatly. I have a question for my readers (as few as they may be), don't we have more important things to worry about? I mean, seriously? I read a post on Facebook earlier today about Denmark being the happiest country on the planet. Well, they were. This year they were taken over by Switzerland. Denmark is still the 3rd happiest country on the planet. So what is it that these two small nations do that the US doesn't do that make it's peoples so happy? Lucky for you, I have done a bit of research, so you don't have to. Now let me explain...
Both Switzerland and Denmark have free, universal and effective health care. Not only is the health care free, it is a right of EVERY person that is a citizen of these countries. It's people do not have to shell out $200 - $1000 a month to be able to see a doctor, dentist or medical specialist. Because of that, Danes and Swiss see their Primary Care Physicians almost twice as often per year as a citizen of the US. The routine visits allow the PCP to establish continuity with their patients that help to extend lives, on average, to almost 13 YEARS LONGER than the average American. Do you still think America is the greatest nation on the planet? Let me finish then...
Both Switzerland and Denmark have free, universal and effective child care. Are you tired of shelling out almost $200 a week for child care so that both adults in the house can work? You should be. These nations that rank numbers 1 and 3 in the world as far as happiness of it's people go, have figured this out so they can keep the money that they have worked so hard to earn. My wife and I were lucky, we didn't have to pay for child care. My wonderful mother-in-law took care of our kids until they were old enough for school. Not everyone is blessed the way we were. The people of Denmark and Switzerland are though. Every single one of them. Are you still convinced the US is the greatest nation in the world? Allow me to continue...
Switzerland and Denmark have free, universal and effective college educations for all of it's citizens. Imagine if you will being so intelligent and knowing by the time you are 16 years old what you want to do with your life. Now imagine being that same intelligent person not being able to go to college because your parents can't afford to send you because one year of tuition to the college that you want to go to is more than $30,000. It makes you feel horrible doesn't it? Maybe even a little depressed? How about being able to take out student loans to pay for college? A student can always do that if they want to go to school that much. Yes, you are correct. Imagine you are the same person from the two instances above, except now you have to take out student loans for four years of a higher education at an average of $30,000 a year. After you graduate, you walk out with your piece of paper, a smile on your face, no job and over $100,000 of debt! Congratulations!!! Your education has cost you the price of a 3 bedroom home in the state of Indiana. Now pay it off for the next 20 - 30 years of your life. This isn't an exception for college students in the US, it is a reality. Have you changed your mind yet about America being the greatest country in the world? I will finish up now...
The American worker in the greatest country in the world puts in, on average, 47 hours a week just to pay their bills, put a small amount of food in the cabinets and fridge and be broke for another 6 or 13 days, depending on your job's pay cycle. In Switzerland, the workers have a 35 hour work week. In Denmark, it is a 33 hour work week. I'm sure by now you're asking yourself, but how do they survive working so little? Well, that's an easy question to answer. In Denmark the minimum wage is $20 USD per hour. In Switzerland, the minimum wage is $19 USD per hour. Both of these countries accomplish this incredible feat with zero natural resources to speak of. Most of the income that these two countries have coming in is from exported goods and tourism, with 80% coming from exported goods. Are you still convinced that the United States is the greatest country in the world? Then I pity you.
So how can the US begin to measure up to all of what Denmark and Switzerland do? Why, I'm glad you asked. Do it. Period. Do everything they are doing! But, but, but, how could we possibly pay for this? Again, I'm so glad you asked! Switzerland spends less than 2.4% of their GDP on healthcare and a total of less than 8% of their GDP on everything I mentioned in the paragraphs above. Denmark does not spend much more than Switzerland. 3.1% and 9.5% respectfully on healthcare and the total of everything. On top of all of this, the highest tax bracket of Switzerland is 11.5%. Denmark is just slightly higher at 12.3%. America's AVERAGE tax bracket is 35%!!! So here's how we do it. It is really a simple solution and one that even the most stubborn assholes in Washington could agree on. Stop sending billions of dollars to countries overseas. Stop spending billions of dollars every fiscal quarter on barrels of oil only to stock pile them "in case shit". Stop paying the corrupt politicians more than 100x's more than the people they represent. And this one, I really can't stress this one enough, STOP SPENDING BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS OF OUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS ON MEANINGLESS, WORTHLESS AND GREED DRIVEN WARS!!! If those four things are corrected in Washington, I just saved this nation over a TRILLION dollars to pay for the well-being, care and education of it's people. If you don't believe this model works or can work, just look to the 1st and 3rd happiest countries in the world! America, you have failed this nation. You have failed it's people. You have failed.
Now ask yourself the question again. Is America the greatest nation in the world with the way they take care of it's people? If you still answer yes after reading all of the facts that I have presented to you, then you are part of the problem.
