Rainbird said:
Wow, that was amazing! I rarely find something I disagree with so much! I live in Denmark, a very socialist country. Even our liberals are socialists by american standards. I would never, ever want to live in a country with a rule that even slightly resembled that. We pay very high taxes (~50% on average) and there is a 25% tax on all wares bought in the country. This money goes to paying our all our welfare. Free healthcare, education and support for those in society who need it. And despite all these high taxes, I would never want to be without them. It's not without reason that Denmark has been the happiest country in the world for the past 30 years or so. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/14/60minutes/main3833797.shtml Of course, I'm not here to tell you what to believe, we live in a democracy after all! But I can't help but wonder why in the world you would remove a basic freedom such as freedom of religion? |
This. The same thing goes for the European Union in general. A world without social democracy would be a terrible world in my opinion. Europe wouldn't feel like my home without social democracy, without everyone's right to not only pursuit hapiness but to live a healthy life without being scared of losing everything (which basically means their job in today's times). I live in a country that is mainly christian but I'd still give Cem Özdemir (who is a muslim) my vote if he was to candidate for the job of our foreign minister in 2013 and our next foreign minister is most likely going to be a homosexual.
Despite living in a country that strongly supports social democracy I'm a free person. I didn't need a rich father to go to university, my friends accept that I don't believe in god and my chancellor had the balls to monish the pope when he tried to get a group of Holocaust-deniers back into the catholic church.
I live in a union of countries with big cultural heritages, which not only opened their markets to each other but also opened their borders for free movement of people. Our governments are having way more influence than the american one but if we don't like what they're doing, well... we elect a new one. Isn't that how democracy works? A strong government isn't going to harm anyone as long as it isn't a corrupt one because it was elected by the people.
Stop generalizing things. I know the US is in a different situation than Europe but this demonizing of everything that even remotely touches social democracy or socialism is scary to say the least.
