Seems like a lot of double talk. On one hand, taxes are very high compared to US standards. On the other hand, taxes are not high because you get 85% of what you pay back. On one hand, Sweden is the perfect welfare state. On the other hand, very little of the government fisc is paid to the poor.
It’s easy to tell this tale, but does it measure up to reality?
He doesn’t seem to understand the US, either. Doesn’t he understand that we also have social security, medicare, and now Obamacare? Doesn’t he understand that the rich pay the overwhelming bulk of the taxes in the US? Doesn’t he understand that Big Government has run amok in the US? He makes it sound like we are like the Wild West—completely unregulated. In reality, we are one of the most regulated societies on Earth.
I am always suspicious when I see someone compare the US to a country that has fewer than 10 million inhabitants—particularly when the other country has very little demographic variation. Sweden has a population approximately the size of NYC. Sweden is less than 1/30 the size of the US population-wise. Government planning works a lot better when you are planning for 8 million people than when you are planning for 300 million.
“He doesn’t seem to understand the US, either.”
- I’d say so too.
I don’t have a say when it comes to American domestic affairs, but if I did, my conclusion would be this; Whatever policy that works or does not work in Sweden will have little impact on American soil, simply beacause USA is not Sweden.
In any case, it’s a good thing Sweden has abandonded Socialism. Sweden was rich 20 years ago alright, but our standard of living is like heaven today compared to 1990 and we no longer support Cuba.