[Culturechat] Denmark: A Case Study in Social Democracy (From Mises...
WesTexas@aol.com
WesTexas@aol.com
Mon, 28 Jul 2003 09:45:37 EDT
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In a message dated 7/27/2003 12:19:47 PM Central Daylight Time,
vivjpbbel@wanadoo.fr writes:
> <<I would be careful about portraying the private sector as the minority
> that
> is paying for the majority which receives government benefits>>
>
> There are two separate issues regarding government employees. First, they
> will always be net tax consumers. The second issue is whether they produce a
> benefit to society in excess of what they cost the taxpayers (the minority in
> the case of Denmark). The whole question of course turns on how one defines
> "benefit."
>
> The macro problem facing the Western welfare states is that they are pricing
> themselves out of the market. Workers in China and elsewhere are willing to
> work long hours at much lower wages, and they are turning out ever higher
> quality goods AND services. I disagree that what we are facing is a temporary
> economic adjustment. I think that we are looking at a permanent shift to the
> advantage of low cost providers of goods and services. You can call it
> unfair, unreasonable, etc., but market forces always prevail in the end.
> Basically, the Western welfare states are to Asia as K-Mart is to Walmart.
Young people (especially in Europe), faced with life time tax rates in excess
of 70% to 80%, are going to > increasingly vote with their feet, or they are
> going to choose to stay on the dole.
The question we all face, in Europe and the U.S., is how we handle these
> challenges.
>
> J. Brown
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<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><BODY BGCOLOR=3D"#ffffff"><FONT style=
=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial"=20=
LANG=3D"0">In a message dated 7/27/2003 12:19:47 PM Central Daylight Time, v=
ivjpbbel@wanadoo.fr writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=3DCITE style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT=
: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"><<I would be careful abou=
t portraying the private sector as the minority that<BR>
is paying for the majority which receives government benefits>><BR>
<BR>
There are two separate issues regarding government employees. First, t=
hey will always be net tax consumers. The second issue is whether they=
produce a benefit to society in excess of what they cost the taxpayers (the=
minority in the case of Denmark). The whole question of course turns=20=
on how one defines "benefit." <BR>
<BR>
The macro problem facing the Western welfare states is that they are pricing=
themselves out of the market. Workers in China and elsewhere are will=
ing to work long hours at much lower wages, and they are turning out ever hi=
gher quality goods AND services. I disagree that what we are facing is=
a temporary economic adjustment. I think that we are looking at a per=
manent shift to the advantage of low cost providers of goods and services. Y=
ou can call it unfair, unreasonable, etc., but market forces always prevail=20=
in the end. Basically, the Western welfare states are to Asia as=
K-Mart is to Walmart. </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2=
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2=
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">Young people (especially in=20=
Europe), faced with life time tax rates in excess of 70% to 80%, are going t=
o <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=3DCITE style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LE=
FT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">increasingly vote with their=20=
feet, or they are going to choose to stay on the dole. </FONT><F=
ONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=
=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2=
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"> The question we all face, i=
n Europe and the U.S., is how we handle these </FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000=
" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"=
Arial" LANG=3D"0"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2=
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=3DCITE styl=
e=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PA=
DDING-LEFT: 5px">challenges. <BR>
<BR>
J. Brown</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"=20=
SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2=
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=
=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3D2=
FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0"><BR>
<BR>
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