So more vacation, higher retirement benefits for most, always having national healthcare, free college for those who qualify, free or practically free child care is not an improvement for many of lower say 50%. Please explain for instance how Sweden having the overall public health statistics of the lowest 20% being pretty equivalent to the highest 20% is not an improvement for the lowest 20%? BTW the statistics of the lowest 20% in the US are much more similar to most developing countries than the highest 20% in the US. Having only spent a total of roughly three months in a couple of trips to Western Europe I am glad to return to the vibe of the USA and even Houston despite the overall ugliness and our treatment of the lower say 50% of which I am not a member.
Bernie Sanders kicked off his 2020 presidential campaign with a March 2nd rally at Brooklyn College, near his childhood home. This was followed up by an almost impromptu rally in Chicago the next day. With little more than a week to publicize the first rally and basically less than a day for the second, though the Chicago rally was announced the week prior, the focus was on Brooklyn. Still, Bernie Sanders proved he still has the ability to draw impressive crowds. Over 13,000 people attended the Brooklyn event, despite what Bernie called “Vermont conditions” aka cold weather and snow. The next day Bernie took to a stage at Chicago’s Navy Pier, which with a maximum capacity of 12,000 and overflow crowd, means Bernie spoke to over 25,000 in his first weekend of rallies. Like Bernie’s stellar fundraising numbers, these rallies answer an early question, can Bernie recreate the grassroots fervor his rallies provided in 2015 and 2016? If sheer size is any indication, the answer appears to be yes.http://millennialreview.org/2019/03...ow-bernie-sanders-can-still-turn-out-a-crowd/
It is all a matter of opinion. I spend nearly 6 months a year in Northern Ireland. The standard of living in Ireland is certainly not better than the USA. They have national healthcare but it isn’t all that great. They are good at treating common illnesses and are better at preventative medicine. However if you are really sick, you are far better off in the USA. I will take a USA college over those in the UK in most cases. It is a lot harder to make money in Ireland/UK . Most of the good things in Ireland are not government based, but culturally based. Family and friendship are very important and individuality isn’t so important. While you are far less likely to be killed in Ireland, spousal abuse and sexual abuse are fairly common and more tolerated. Also taxes and transportation costs are very high. When I was living in Denmark, the tax cost was nearly twice what I paid in the USA. I am not ripping W.E, I choose to live there a lot and have property and tend to like the values of people in Ireland over the USA.
The poor in Western Europe are treated better than in the USA. It isn’t a utopia, the poor there have lots of issues like in the USA but they do have minimal standards met. I don’t have any issues with the USA protecting the poor and elderly and children, I support it. I mostly have issue with this belief in the USA that W.E. is some sort of social utopia and it isn’t. There are pros and cons and some things are better and some things are worse.
No surprise at all that Bernie Sanders drew well in Chicago and not even Brooklyn. How he draws in Virginia and Arizona and Pennsylvania and Ohio and Tennessee will be more telling.
I don't think it's as much of a matter of opinion as it is a matter of values on things like healthcare, education, economic wellbeing for the middle and lower class, safety - these aren't so much opinionated things as they are measurable, same with taxes of course which is a value you bring up in your post. At least that's what I'm arguing, a country can definitely be better for many highly opinionated reasons which is fine, but I'm more so talking about the measurable quality of life for an average citizen. You mentioned Ireland multiple times, and as you mentioned Ireland is far safer, 100% of their people are covered with healthcare (it's a fine argument that the US might have higher quality healthcare for some, but i'd argue that as a whole the quality of healthcare for ALL citizens on average is better in Ireland), they have a higher life expectancy, most would agree a better education system and higher median wages / substantially lower wealth inequality. For my values, I'd argue that Ireland is a better country to live in. I won't make an argument for the UK, I don't find it to be too indistinguishable from the US as a whole. Interesting that your only comment on Denmark is your tax expenses, Denmark consistently ranks as one of the very best countries in the world to live in for the quality of life across the boards - for many of the same categories I mentioned with Ireland.
Really interested to see how the establishment of the Democratic Party reacts to Bernie this time around. Do they step aside and see what happens with him; possibly hoping Harris catches him? Or, do they pressure Biden, who doesn’t really seem to want to run, into the race and potentially split the base similar to what happened in 2016? They could also turn to someone like Beto in hopes that he would siphon off some of Bernie’s voters, but that could backfire as Beto isn’t really an establishment candidate. Also interested to see who Bernie picks as a running mate if he does get the nomination. Last time, Gabbard was that selection and she’d be a practical choice this time around as well.
Seriously asking....do candidates normally announce their running mate before they’ve won the primary? I seem to remember that VP picks normally aren’t announced until a couple months before the election. I could certainly be wrong though. I know there were rumors that Biden was looking at Beto for his VP.
A lot of this has almost nothing to do with government. It has a lot to do with the cultural values in a place like Ireland. For example they eat out less often, partially for financial reasons. They tend to walk a lot more and they tend to not put older family members in retirement homes. Family is paramount. That has little to do with the government and if anything keeps the burdens on the government to a minimum. As far as schooling goes, the education in the poor part of Ireland is better than inner city Chicago. However the schooling in good American suburbs is higher than equivalent schooling there. It is also a lot harder to become upper middle class over there and in general they have less than Americans. I love W.E., especially Ireland... but it isn’t because of some magical government doctrine. Values are different and those values tend to make it easier. I was only in Denmark for about 6 months. It is closer to the USA than Ireland in a lot of ways. They do have some wonder programs for family leave and mental health. However, their tax rate and cost of housing and goods is very high. The taxes I paid were literally twice what I pay in the USA and that doesn’t even consider the cost of other durable goods. It is a nice place but again there are cultural issues at play. The USA has a lot of negative economic externalities that are not addressed. I was (and still am to an extent) a supporter of socialized medicine, mandatory vacations and other sort of protections. However it isn’t linear. Culture plays a big part. I compare it to democracy in Russia. Everyone thought it was a wonder event and elections and values would be like those in the West. However it hasn’t been smooth and there are cultural reasons for that.
I'm pretty sure you are beating up a strawman. No one you are debating is claiming WE is a "social Utopia" and no DNC candidate is either. It's a better system for the not so wealthy. It isn't an utopia.
Is it a better system for the majority of Americans? Is it a better system for a majority of Americans that vote? I am doubtful of that.
Something I agree with Bernard about: 1. Ending the war on drugs and prison reform https://thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/...emphasizes-need-for-mar1juana-reform-in-2020/
Instead of socialism this and socialism that, Dems need to learn to use euphemisms like “raising the floor for working class and middle class Americans”. Americans love socialism when you don’t call it that.
Maybe? Why do capitalists beg our government to throw money and developing countries? Altruism? Or is it to generate a potential future environment where capitalists can eventually sell them their Ford Focus? Wouldn't it benefit capitalists if poor families spent their money on new cars instead of filing for bankruptcy because their child was diagnosed with leukemia? Wouldn't it be better for capitalists if the poor neighborhoods of Chicago had proper per student funding for education that matches wealthy neighborhoods so they have a higher chance of becoming a high skilled proffesion that not only contributes more to our tax revenue but also spends more on products and services because they can afford to?
I think in the United States there is a certain part of the population who romanticize things Western European's/Western European governance and associate Western Europeans with higher levels of sophistication, education and general quality of life. Based on my experiences in the UK, at least, and having watched a number of documentaries about the UK/set-in the UK, I think that is largely misplaced. The UK has been hit very hard, like the U.S., with the disappearance of manufacturing and other blue collar work. Cities like Newcastle, Sunderland, Sheffield, Manchester, Wales (generally). They have a large "rust-belt" whose problems mimic the United States rust-belts problem.... poverty,unemployment, poor education, bleak future prospects, drugs, reliance on government assistance etc..
The UK and Western Europe in general is about as good as it gets outside of the USA and Canada. It is a great place to visit and to live. In general the people are fairly articulate and overall good people. However, I don't think people in the USA realize how different the values are and what the cost would be to emulate W.E. The best way I can describe it is to say that it is different, not necessarily better or worse. For example, in the UK you get national healthcare and their preventative care is very good. However, if I am going to have a surgical procedure I would rather have it done in the USA. If I have cancer or another aggressive illness I want it done in the USA. Also, in W.E. they are able to keep their healthcare costs down somewhat because the culture relies more on portion control of food, on less eating out, on less processed foods. People in W.E. often times have malls that are outdoors and that you walk greater distances too. There is less pampering in W.E. So yes, I agree with you that W.E. is over romanticized in the USA (as someone that has lived in both places). Some things are better and somethings are not.
It's not socialism at all. Taxing the rich more and raising the income floor is a far cry from actual socialism. The greedy republicans f**king love it. They have somehow convinced their low income base that anybody that tries to give them more money is a socialist. It's the greatest con ever, and now Bernie is willingly playing along with it. It truly astounds me that they have happily used such a radioactive term to describe their platform.
You're right, but it doesn't matter. You have to trick the rubes who have been voting against their self interest by using euphemisms.
Its not just taxing the rich, though. In every Democrat plan, I personally get taxed more. I don't think I'm rich. Define rich. By not wanting to get taxed more, I'm greedy apparently.
