| mrstickball said: Luney - What about the unemployment rate in Welfare states. It's quite a bit different to have welfare, and have much unemployment vs. less welfare, and less unemployment, no? Also, when your trying to say that things are better off in welfare states, I'd love to see some statistical evidence that proves that. Not just the whole 'Well, Denmark has lots of welfare, and it does well, so welfare states must work!' but an analysis of the actual people on welfare in such states, and compare it that way. Otherwise, your just analyzing your ideology, and not providing a real analysis. Kind of like when people say more guns cause more crime. Actual statistics prove to the contrary. |
Unemployment rates are typically higher in welfare states, that's true. Welfare makes it easier for companies to fire people, and it puts less pressure on the government to create jobs. However this really is a minor problem compared to the benefits.
Claiming that redistribution of wealth in a capitalist economy doesn't increase overall happiness is irrational. Money helps a poor man more than it helps a rich man. The question is whether or not such redistribution has any major undesirable side effects. The common complaints from the far right is that "welfare makes people lazy", and "welfare is too expensive, it will ruin the economy". However a quick glance at the UN human development index proves these claims are not true. In fact if you look at the Gini index you'll see that there's a very clear correlation between income distribution and economic wealth, the exact opposite of what the far right wants you to believe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient
You claim that private welfare works as well as public tax funded welfare. This is simply not true. If you look at life expectancy, infant mortality rate, murder/crime rates, and social mobility, (statistics that poverty tend to greatly affect) the US lags far behind the rest of the developed world.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_rates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prisoner_population_rate_UN_HDR_2007_2008.PNG
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/apr/25/socialexclusion.accesstouniversity
Needy get a smaller slice of charity:
"For most Americans, "charitable giving" connotes donating their resources to help those who are less fortunate to better their situation. Yet how much of charitable giving actually goes to benefit the neediest in society? According to recent studies, much less than most people expect." http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1119/p13s01-wmgn.html
It's better to be poor in Norway than in the US:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0414/p17s02-cogn.html
