I had lunch the other day with some friends from Denmark, a nation of people who've been determined in a famous study to be among the happiest people on earth. (The United States, despite being the richest country in the world, was 16th.) Maybe Denmark just bribes its people by giving them universally excellent schools, free universities, encouraging lifelong learning, six weeks of vacation, great transit, as much as 90% pay during their 52 weeks of maternity/paternity leave, generous unemployment, subsidized child care etc. The down side is they pay 50% in taxes. Read more about the perks of being Danish by clicking here.
The mother in this delightful family from the land of Legos is a physician, and dad manages the household, a model they say works very well for them. The parents think Danes are so happy because of a couple of things. One is that they have a very good safety net of health care and social programs, which means no one has to be afraid that their children will go hungry or be tossed out on the streets. That provides an underlying sense of security. And the second reason is that, because of that basic security, they are more free to choose their professions based on what they enjoy rather than choosing jobs based on which have benefits or pay the most money.
The happy happy talk in the family was not not unanimous, however. There was a dissenting opinion in the family, coming from a 14-year-old. He doubts that the Danes are the happiest people in the world. His opinion, of course, came complete with "that look" you would readily recognize from the faces of young American teens. Isn't that rich!? Even the happiest people on earth have to cope with sullen teenagers occasionally. Take heart, American parents, some things are universal!
Any problem with people illegally entering "The Happiest Place On Earth"? Please...when you sight a study can you name who produced it so I/We can better understand the bias. If it's so famous... Why can't you tell us? How about printing the top twenty .I have a sneaking suspicion there's a lot of socialist trending countries ahead of us.
Ya know, Bri, you just might be right. Hmmm ... Nah, what was I thinking? You and me Bri, we'll just stay here in the good old San Joaquin where our values, way of life, and Costco have produced a wellspring of comfort, wealth and economic security. Can you believe those fakers who try and kid us into believing that the air is bad, the economy is in the toilet, inflation is up, the markets are down, our government is terminally deadlocked, and we've spent half a trillion dollars trying to secure the blessings of freedom for a bunch of people who want to kill us? What a bunch of sinister fools. It would just serve them right if we deported them to Copenhagen!
Based on the posts I see from him, "happy" is not one of the words that would come to mind if asked to describe Mr. Murray. Maybe the Danes are on to something.
(By the way, Brian, Denmark does have its own immigration problems, even though they don't share a common border with a third-world nation like we do.)
Here is one story about the survey of 97 nations and was conducted by University of Michigan professor Ronald Inglehart.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7487143.stm
I'm happy to give you more information on the happiness studies, Brian. There have been several of them and the Danes seem to score consistently high on them. Here is one from the University of Leicester in Great Britain http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/news/press-releases/2000-2009/2006/07/nparticle.2006-07-28.2448323827
and another from the University of Cambridge
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2007041701.
If you want to dig further, just Google "happiness studies" and you can read for hours.
Hmmm. Little glitch with the link to Leicester. Try this one: http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/news/press-releases/2000-2009/2006/07/nparticle.2006-07-28.2448323827
For the moment let's take the Dane's "Happiness" off the table and have
a look at the economic side of their lives.
Excellent public schools, free university education, child care, health care,
six weeks annual vacation, 52 weeks of maternity/paternity leave at 90% of pay, 42 hour work week etc. The cited downside, 50 % in taxes.
Granted, we here in the wealthiest nation on earth do not owe Uncle Sam
(who is not very happy ) that much in taxes. But after we pay for all of
the above, who can keep 50% of their income. Many of us have to decide
to eat or to buy medicine, borrow from Peter to pay Paul to pay for the taxes.
I, personally would prefer to live in Sweden or Norway. But with all
their happiness, there are more and more right wingers (neo-cons)
in Denmark who would like to americanize....just take the taxes and
give nothing in return that is free.
Enter Denmark illegally? One had better be a very good swimmer.
P.S. What is LEGO?
Lego is a Danish company that makes the most wonderful toys, best known for building blocks and the popular Bionicles, so adored by my nephews. Take a look at their product line by clicking here: http://www.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx
I would happily pay high taxes for the benefits that they have. Many of us struggle to put a child through college or with healthcare costs. We are already paying 33% in taxes and don't have those benefits. We might send our daughter to university in Oslo.
Oslo is a beautiful city, as well as the all of Norway. Start knitting sweaters and mittens!
Then just shut up and leave... please.If not ,then do what you can to make things better but enough of the America bashing by the euro-weenies and the buying into it by their sympathizers(you know who you are... Robert). When they all(happier or not) need help we know who they call.The USA-you ought to be grateful and proud you live here.I want to puke when I read your bilge.
I hope that Robert will not shut up!
But I shall shut up and let Alexis de Tocqueville speak for me. These are
a few observations taken from his world renowned classic "Democracy
in America" It was my observation that de Tocqueville was awed
by the energy and vitality of American democracy, but he found Americans
tiresome in their restless and neurotic pursuit of their America(ness????)
"...The Americans appear impatient of the smallest criticism, and insatiable
of praise. They unceasingly harass you to praise them, and if you refuse, they praise themselves. Their vanity is not only greedy, but restless andjealous; it will grant nothing, whilst demands everything....the majority lives in a state of perpetual self-adoration; only strangers or experience may be able to bring certain truth to the Americans'attention..."
And here is Rudyard Kipling, "An Englishman at Yellowstone Park"
(on Independence Day)
"...What amazed me was the calm with which these folks gathered together and commenced to belaud their noble selves, their country and everything that was theirs.....An archangel selling town-lots on the Glassy Sea, would have blushed to the tips of his wings to describe his property in similar terms....a perfectly unknown man attacked meand asked me what I thought of American patriotism. I said there was nothing like it in the Old Country. By the way, always tell an American
this. It soothes him."
To Brian Murray
What's with the use of such uncouth language? The English language is very rich on synonyms , a writers dream. What's with the need to insult people? Attempts to invalidate others is no way to boost self-validation?
Respectfully
The smart ass lady (remember?)
This is what I love about working on the Opinion pages. Where else would you find people answering insults with citations from Alexis de Tocqueville and Rudyard Kipling...??? Gotta love it!