Is Denmark really that great?

[hannahbanana]

I always hear about how Denmark is the happiest country in the world, and how it's because they have all this great stuff like free health care, free schooling, free child care, $20 minimum wage, all that.

I have a hard time believing this is true or can be at all sustainable, but I don't hear anything otherwise.

So to people who live/have been to/know a lot about Denmark, what's it really like?

[Ace]

 

This is a good video to watch. A lot of people look to the Scandinavian countries as an example of how socialism works. But in a lot of ways they are more free than we are in the US or Canada.

 

And I think a lot of these "happiest country" in the world studies use things like low economic inequality and socialized day care, education, health care, etc. as indicators of happiness unto themselves.

[Kevin Beal]

They are also supposed to have the largest penises 

[Wuzzums]

[RyanT]

I think Stef pretty much nailed it, people who hold up the Scandinavian countries as 'proof Socialism can work' really are getting the cart before the horse. In that the whole reason these countries can afford expensive government programs without it being too detrimental to the average standard of living is the result of the free market creating the wealth in the first place.

 

A bit like those guys earning like £20,000 a year, who'll see successful types driving an Audi's or wearing a Rolex's and  imagine somehow owning that luxury car/watch will transform them into an affluent professional.   

 

Of course their very low levels of military welfare doesn't hurt either, 

 

In 2012 Britain came 4th in the world, spending $61,007,000,000

 

Norway came 28th with $6,973,000,000

Sweden came 33st with $6,209,000,000

Denmark came 41st with $4,442,000,000

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures

 

This means if the UK only spent as much as all of those 3 countries combined it'd still leave $43,383,000,000 left over.

 

In 2013 496,000 students began full-time undergraduate courses, meaning that would have paid $87,465.73 each towards their education and living expenses.

 

While the media is full of stories of people being people being left out on trolleys in corridors for hours on end

With Britain having the second lowest number of hospital beds per person in Europe...

 

According to the Department of Health, a hospital bed costs around £400 ($642.86) a day. Thus as inefficient as the NHS is, $43,383,000,000 would fund an extra 184,888 beds per year.

[Josh F]

I think that the myth is that these countries are more socialist, when in reality they are far less socialist.  

 

For example, the "minimum wage" does not exist as a federal mandate, but is created by the unions and businesses in that field.  Then they have the nationalized industries.  Instead of regulating them into non-existence, the government simply owns shares of those businesses which entitles them as shareholder to influence the business practices.  These are also smaller government, held more accountable by the people, who are in a large part some of the most peaceful people on the planet.  

 

These are no socialist redistribution economies, they're fascistic or progressive, like our own, but less so.  I think they make a great case for liberty in that even their nominal increased economic liberties affords them great wealth.  

[hannahbanana]

Thanks for all the responses! They are quite informative, and help me get a little bit more understanding. So Scandinavian countries are freer in some ways (freer economies), but also have considerable government involvement...either way, it wouldn't really be considered socialist. Interesting.

[FreedomPhilosophy]

You may find this relevant as well...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKTCAZqc4dQ