Gee, the US tax system has much in common with the Swedes.
Training Apes
A number of years ago, animal psychologists performed an experiment that goes a long way toward understanding some of the more perverse and illogical aspects of human behavior. And while I’m NOT putting humans down there with the monkeys, recent political events certainly make it increasingly difficult to maintain that separation.
Here’s what they did:
They began with a cage containing 5 apes. In the cage, they dangled a banana on a string near the roof and placed a set of stairs beneath it. One of the psychologists stationed himself above the cage with a high-pressure water hose. When the first ape attempted to climb the stairs toward the banana, the man on the hose opened up and thoroughly sprayed ALL the apes with ice cold water. The moment another of the apes attempted to touch the stairs, they ALL got another ice water shower. When yet another ape attempted the climb, another freezing deluge ensued.
At some point in the process, when one of the apes touched the stairs, the other apes frantically PULLED HIM BACK - even though NO water was sprayed on them.
They then removed one of the original apes and replaced it with a new one not involved in the first part of the exercise. The new ape spied the banana and headed for the stairs. He was IMMEDIATELY attacked by the other 4. After a few more attempts - and attacks - the new ape soon understood that any further attempts would result in another assault.
They then removed ANOTHER of the original apes, again replacing it with a new one. The newcomer went to the stairs and was promptly attacked by the other 4, INCLUDING the first replacement ape who had NEVER received the cold water shower.
They then removed the third of the original apes and inserted a new one. The new ape made it to the stairs and, as with the others, was promptly attacked. Two of the 4 apes that assaulted this new member had no idea WHY climbing the stairs was a forbidden activity or WHY they were participating in the assaults on the transgressors.
The experimenters then replaced the 4th and 5th apes leaving none of the original apes. No apes subjected to the cold showers remained in the cage.
Nevertheless, NO APES AGAIN EVER APPROACHED THE STAIRS.
If you don’t get the point of this story, go sit in the back of a courtroom during one of the thousands of “victimless crime” trials each year and watch the jurors refuse to touch the stairs.
Sadly, most people belong down there with apes. Yours is a good illustration of the power “conventional wisdom” has over people and their inability to think logically if doing so produces results that contradict “conventional wisdom”.
It’s a fact that most people don’t think for themselves.
Indeed a multi-storey story.
However, despite all of the levels of the whole thing, I guess it all boils down to this:
Apes need bananas, the government crave for your money. In case nothing is done in order to prevent it, the survival of humanity at large is threatened.
Today, Sweden is cutting taxes and the US, once known as a market economy characterized by entrepreneurship, low taxes and unparalleled levels of economic freedom is burdened by way higher corporate taxes than many European nations (including Sweden).
Even though many European countries have higher taxes in general, it is notable that many European businesses enjoy lower CORPORATE taxes.
Hungary .....18%
Ireland .....24%
Switzerland ..... 24.9%
Norway ..... 28%
Sweden .....28%
UK ..... 30%
South Korea ..... 30.8%
Australia ..... 34%
Netherlands ..... 35%
Italy ..... 37%
France ..... 37.8%
USA ..... 39.4%
Canada ..... 44%
Germany ..... 52%
fascinating study! I try to be the one who questions, and breaks the chain. For example I see in initiations.. like a new professional in the organization is expected to ‘earn’ their place. They give them absurdly long hours, tough work and so on. A lot is because they were initiated like that, and they want to make sure newcomers have it just as tough as they did + a little extra. I try to break the chain in things like that, I don’t pass it on.