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Swedes test 6 hour workday, paid as 8


BengalRep85-9

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As well as an engaged electorate that demands accountability from their elected officials...

And a government that does, I don't know, the actual things that governments are SUPPOSED to do, like making their citizens, their health and welfare their #1 priority. Healthy workers being productive workers and all that conspiracy theory nonsense.

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One of the things that stood out to me in the article is "well educated workforce".

 

That's the biggest thing, the people are educated and therefore don't fall for the propaganda that gets them to vote against their own interests. AKA they aren't idiots.

 

I'm sorry but walk around town or just generally be around the voting population and it's enough to make your head hurt.

 

A large percentage of them are so painfully stupid I don't see how they're able to walk and breathe at the same time.

 

It's obvious the oligarchs don't want an educated workforce and their political puppets do whatever keeps the money rolling in.

 

Education is the key, and we're cutting it at every chance possible.

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While the US certainly does have its faults and the Swedish bikini team is pretty awesome.  I would never want to live in a country with that high of Taxes.  Before everyone submits their immigration papers please look at their tax rates.

 

There is a reason the Swedes refer to taxes as Skatt...

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While the US certainly does have its faults and the Swedish bikini team is pretty awesome.  I would never want to live in a country with that high of Taxes.  Before everyone submits their immigration papers please look at their tax rates.

 

There is a reason the Swedes refer to taxes as Skatt...

 

 

I wouldnt mind it if it meant that I actually got things I benefited from from those taxes rather than them going to an oligarchy

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While the US certainly does have its faults and the Swedish bikini team is pretty awesome.  I would never want to live in a country with that high of Taxes.  Before everyone submits their immigration papers please look at their tax rates.

 

There is a reason the Swedes refer to taxes as Skatt...

You already pay those taxes in a different form, to corporations who by the way are getting fat from it and want their cut of your money.

 

For example, you pay for medical, dental, 401k, disability insurance, etc. Then you have State on top of Federal taxes. Plus, figure in your property taxes, etc.

 

I would venture to guess that all of those combined would come pretty close to Sweden's tax rate.

 

The question really is, do you trust government to handle your health, welfare and retirement, or do you trust insurances and banks to handle it for you.

 

Government is typically less efficient, less freedom of choice, but typically, not based on a profit model therefore treat the insured/covered equally.

Private companies are more efficient, offer more freedom of choice, but typically, because of the need to eek out profits, could screw over their clients based on cost/profit models.

 

It all depends which good/evil you deem more attractive.

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While the US certainly does have its faults and the Swedish bikini team is pretty awesome.  I would never want to live in a country with that high of Taxes.  Before everyone submits their immigration papers please look at their tax rates.

 

There is a reason the Swedes refer to taxes as Skatt...

 

They get a lot for the taxes they pay.  I would gladly pay even more in taxes if my health care were taken care of, my roads were in good shape, I didn't have to worry about the bridge upon which I was driving wasn't at risk of collapsing, if our electrical grid and water infrastructure were modern and robust.  Instead, I pay a ton in federal taxes and get jack shit for it... 

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You already pay those taxes in a different form, to corporations who by the way are getting fat from it and want their cut of your money.

 

For example, you pay for medical, dental, 401k, disability insurance, etc. Then you have State on top of Federal taxes. Plus, figure in your property taxes, etc.

 

I would venture to guess that all of those combined would come pretty close to Sweden's tax rate.

 

The question really is, do you trust government to handle your health, welfare and retirement, or do you trust insurances and banks to handle it for you.

 

Government is typically less efficient, less freedom of choice, but typically, not based on a profit model therefore treat the insured/covered equally.

Private companies are more efficient, offer more freedom of choice, but typically, because of the need to eek out profits, could screw over their clients based on cost/profit models.

 

It all depends which good/evil you deem more attractive.

 

I agree with everything you said with the exception of the part in bold.  Deregulation and consolidation of our airlines, telecommunications, utilities, etc. has been absolutely disastrous for the consumer both in cost and in choice... 

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They get a lot for the taxes they pay.  I would gladly pay even more in taxes if my health care were taken care of, my roads were in good shape, I didn't have to worry about the bridge upon which I was driving wasn't at risk of collapsing, if our electrical grid and water infrastructure were modern and robust.  Instead, I pay a ton in federal taxes and get jack shit for it... 

 

Yes, I would too.  I did live in a Nordic country for 7 years.  The health care system was similar to Sweden.  Mother in Law was admitted right away and was given a room right away.  Getting a doctor right away is a different story.  She died as a result of the health care system.  Yes, she would have paid for it here in the US but she would have had doctors climbing over each other to treat her also.

 

I could also take into account the cost of living in regards to grocery bills, rent, gas, and a host of other things.  Its not just the taxes.  Life is cleaner over there and the crime is smaller.  The women are beautiful and the parties are extreme.  Roads can be hit or miss kind like here in the states.  Oh, and did I mention the women are beautiful ?

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I agree with everything you said with the exception of the part in bold.  Deregulation and consolidation of our airlines, telecommunications, utilities, etc. has been absolutely disastrous for the consumer both in cost and in choice... 

 

Well, you still have the choice because of deregulation, you just have to pay a lot more for the "freedom of choice". In other words, you can check 2 bags on the plane, you just pay for it. You can buy a cell phone at any plan you want, but you pay for each "menu" item. Deregulation really did create more choice in my opinion at the cost of sticking it to Joe Schmoe and making corporations richer.

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While the US certainly does have its faults and the Swedish bikini team is pretty awesome.  I would never want to live in a country with that high of Taxes.  Before everyone submits their immigration papers please look at their tax rates.

 

There is a reason the Swedes refer to taxes as Skatt...

 

 

 

They get a lot for the taxes they pay.  I would gladly pay even more in taxes if my health care were taken care of, my roads were in good shape, I didn't have to worry about the bridge upon which I was driving wasn't at risk of collapsing, if our electrical grid and water infrastructure were modern and robust.  Instead, I pay a ton in federal taxes and get jack shit for it... 

 

The tax issue is ultimately a relative matter when one considers that the real issue is defined by an answer to this question: "What kind of society does one wish to work towards?" I tend to agree with Elflocko here; the portion of one's earnings scooped away for social purposes is not so onerous if those social purposes are truly beneficial to society.

 

Related: Here's a recent piece that is a pretty good read, "Infrastructure Sticker Shock." Note that the argument emphasizes the financial overhead costs of infrastructure rebuilding projects--and consider as well as the alternative--self-financing by government.

 

The most important issue in current American politics is not tax-related, it's whether or not we will allow the financial community to be the top dog in policy-making, rather than occupy it's proper place in a functioning economy--as necessary lubricant for the productive capacity of the economy as a whole. You are living the foul fruits of the former but there is precedent for the latter.

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I spoke with a Swedish friend of mine about this.  For a college-educated professional, the tax withheld from a paycheck is not really that high, and it's really just a few taxes (local, county, fed).  Included in that is income tax, social security, and health insurance. 

 

example from a tax calcuator website (I converted everything from Swedish Krona):

 

Salary:

$50,000 per year

Take Home:

$39,324 per year

 

OR

 

Salary:

$80,000 per year

Take Home:

$57,588 per year

 

The employer contribution, which doesn't appear here is very high, but obviously not prohibitively high.  

 

VAT (think of it as sales tax) is high (25% - 6% depending on the item) and the cost of alcohol is kind of high.

 

In Germany I keep roughly 62% of my pay.  The rest go to various taxes (income, former East Germany, state pension) and health insurance.  The pension isn't a pittance like social security, either.  People can truly live off their state pension, and it won't get plundered by greedy bastards like private pensions do in the US.

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I spoke with a Swedish friend of mine about this.  For a college-educated professional, the tax withheld from a paycheck is not really that high, and it's really just a few taxes (local, county, fed).  Included in that is income tax, social security, and health insurance. 

 

example from a tax calcuator website (I converted everything from Swedish Krona):

 

Salary:

$50,000 per year

Take Home:

$39,324 per year

 

OR

 

Salary:

$80,000 per year

Take Home:

$57,588 per year

 

The employer contribution, which doesn't appear here is very high, but obviously not prohibitively high.  

 

VAT (think of it as sales tax) is high (25% - 6% depending on the item) and the cost of alcohol is kind of high.

 

In Germany I keep roughly 62% of my pay.  The rest go to various taxes (income, former East Germany, state pension) and health insurance.  The pension isn't a pittance like social security, either.  People can truly live off their state pension, and it won't get plundered by greedy bastards like private pensions do in the US.

 

On a side note:  Is the alcohol content regulated in Germany or can I get a 12% beer for instance ?

 

While you are in Germany do you get a COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) from your company or is that figured into your salary already ?

 

Note:  The other half had an offer for moving overseas and we played the "how much do things cost game" with a few different countries.  Although I have lived overseas on a couple of occasions, she hasn't.  There is certainly a lot to be taken into account and definitely not something to be taken lightly.

 

 

 

 

 

The tax issue is ultimately a relative matter when one considers that the real issue is defined by an answer to this question: "What kind of society does one wish to work towards?" I tend to agree with Elflocko here; the portion of one's earnings scooped away for social purposes is not so onerous if those social purposes are truly beneficial to society.

 

If.  Pretty sure I will find no guarantees in almost every country.  The true IF is, can we all work together HERE in the US to truly benefit society as a whole ?  I tend to be a wee bit pessimistic in this aspect and have less faith in humanity than one might expect out of me.

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Alcohol is regulated like any other foodstuffs but not in the realm of alcohol content.

 

I work for a German company.  They covered moving expenses 6 years ago, but I don't get extra money for being on detail or anything like that. 

 

Figuring out how far your dollar/euro/rupee/etc. will go is one of the trickier aspects of living and working abroad.  The big mac index is kind of useful.

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Alcohol is regulated like any other foodstuffs but not in the realm of alcohol content.

 

I work for a German company.  They covered moving expenses 6 years ago, but I don't get extra money for being on detail or anything like that. 

 

Figuring out how far your dollar/euro/rupee/etc. will go is one of the trickier aspects of living and working abroad.  The big mac index is kind of useful.

 

Thank You.  Had to look up Big Mac index.  I had heard it before but did not realize that it is a real thing and not just a humorous way to describe an economy.

 

http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index

 

Awesome set of graphs and charts that I can't cut and paste on the above link.  Sweden is listed on the index.  Neat stuff.

 

Worked with the German Navy while in Puerto Rico while they were doing sea trials on their Lutjens class of destroyers ( Lutjens, Molders, and Rommel ).  Those guys were a blast to work with and even brought a couple kegs of special beer for the May Day celebration.  Former East German sailors were my main contact and had some awesome stories about how they conducted business under the former regime.  I, at one point, felt more like a party liaison than an actual foreign liaison.  The Germans also brought a few Tornadoes which my boss enjoyed riding in and playing with.  I reflect back because of history and how at the end of operations I invited the British, Canadian, and German sailors over to my house ( directly on the beach front ) for a cookout, BBQ, drunkfest, swim, etc...  AND... nobody killed one another.  There was only one casualty and that was a female Canadian sailor who was injured while swinging from a vine in a tree behind the house.  Thanks again for stirring up the good old memories.

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If.  Pretty sure I will find no guarantees in almost every country.  The true IF is, can we all work together HERE in the US to truly benefit society as a whole ?  I tend to be a wee bit pessimistic in this aspect and have less faith in humanity than one might expect out of me.

Yes...if. Of course, that's politics. How we spend out tax dollars really matters--not the fact of the tax dollars themselves.

 

Tax Dollars, Detroit and Israel

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There was only one casualty and that was a female Canadian sailor who was injured while swinging from a vine in a tree behind the house.  Thanks again for stirring up the good old memories.

What do we do with a Drunken Sailor?

 

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGyPuey-1Jw[/media]

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