People in Denmark Are Much Happier Than People in the United States. Here’s Why.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- Last week, in Denmark, Malthe and Lærke Knudson had a baby girl they named Emma. That same day, the Robinsons-Dale and Beth-had a little baby in the United States. They called her Rachel.
Right now, they’re just two little babies keeping their parents awake at night. But Emma and Rachel were born in countries that have very different priorities, and that’s going to lead to pretty different futures.
It all boils down to this: Though Danes pay a lot more than Americans in taxes and government fees, they get a whole lot more back in social services: Almost three times as much!
As a result, Americans end up spending twice as much out-of-pocket for those social goods and services. Let’s see how that plays out over their two lives.
"Democratic Socialism"
It's Social Democracy, Goddamnit
The Nordic Model is actually a high tax version of social liberalism. Very little is actually run by or controlled by government officials. All of the Nordic countries are in the top 20 for Economic Freedom.
👍
NZ is a social democracy too...I do believe there is a difference between democratic socialism and social democracy...Dem socs I think push harder for fully fledged socialism.
@@albertabramson3157 While it is true that the nordics have a pretty efficient and relaxed regulatory regime, it is not true they have little state ownership. SOEs make up a large part of the economy in all the countries, especially in Norway and Finland.
both good
A society that does not see to the needs and rights of all of its members is not a society - it is a crime.
So Denmark is criminal?
@@beo191 that is not what the man is saying.....he is basically saying that that it is a crime if a society does not care.....
@@Cerebellis denmark doesnt care about its citizens
we got more than 5.000 homeless people here in denmark
@@beo191 And in USA three is more than 750.000 homeless people
ABSOLUTELY!!!
I'm a Dane living in Denmark - 76 years! The criticism in the entries must derive from not knowing a thing. It is so peaceful living in Denmark - not worrying the big disasters. Nor severe illness, hospital, parenting, free vacation, education (paid after the age of 18), logistics, military, pension - all included in the taxes we pay. Completely free to give birth to our children :-)
So if anything bad happens to you. Can you say the same? That I already paid my whole life to AVOID bad times. I am very comfortable with that in my baggage :-)
A government can spend on it's people generously if uncle Sam pays for it's military. All the social restrictions hinder technological growth , Denmark doesn't have NASA and ESA can't do sh!t compared to NASA and all the innovations and wonders happen in US and the best part is we can protect ourselves we got guns while the Scandinavians would probably cower
@@anmolpatel793 Why does a military bigger than the next 6+ nations combined matter? The US has shit education: the richest country in the world but not even top 15 out of developed nations. The US also has A TON of debt! NASA is super slow because the government is out paying for itself more than education!
I'm happy for you Finn, I'm sorry that this fool doesn't even understand his own country.
I am also sorry that Adam's country doesn't educate him enough, but rather spreads propaganda and gets Adam to spend money on taxes for the rich 1% rather than on his personal well-being.
guess whos moving to denmark 🤩
@@anmolpatel793 haha US military expenditure as a percentage of GDP is 3.4%Nothing.
@@anmolpatel793
NASA is shit. It has to buy rocket engines from Russia to launch their rockets.
Okay... People can no longer call Americans lazy... We clearly can't afford to be lazy. 🙄
That is actually funny.
And yet you have people who get a cheque while.being unemployed and can't afford proper healthcare and had to pay utility companies to get off of their services.
👍👌👏
While Denmark is not a utopia, this video gives us a valuable glimpse of how much less stress the Nordic economic model imposes on people as compared with our U.S. model. In my new book, "Viking Economics: How the Scandinavians got it right and how we can, too," I go beyond the results they get and explain how their model actually works, which parts of it might work in the U.S. (despite our differences), and also share the story that almost no one reveals, which is how the Nordics turned themselves around from the high-poverty countries of misery they were a century ago. Hint: they created mass movements that fought nonviolently their economic elites and actually won!
George Lakey, recently retired Swarthmore College professor, author of nine books on change and how to achieve it.
George Lakey Denmark is a utopia
Don't fool yourself Mikkel, Denmark is not Utopia, i agree with you that Denmark is a great country, but there is always issues to be tackled. If we just started saying everything is great now let's not change anything, our country would slowly but surely sink into shit.
Jakob, what a typical idle mind sentiment. Go to Somalia or Greece or Bulgaria before spouting nonsense. EVERYONE has issues. Denmark is the least corrupt country in the world. Sure there is corruption, but think about that. It is worse everywhere else. utopia; yes. Sure it could be even better, but to the world; yes it motherfucking is.
fex144 You're missing my point, i'm from Denmark myself. I know damn well that we top almost every statistic there is about countries. But that doesn't mean that we should settle for that, because there are always things that can be done better. We didn't get where we are today by sitting on our hands.
Jacob. Sure. However every place that Danes congregate, these same Danes bitch and moan and deny the positives and complain about how shit everything is. And it really, really isn't. Any 'Denmark' video is just lousy with Danes criticizing Denmark and other Danes, it's embarrassing, it isn't merely humility - it's pointless self degradation.
This should be broadcast far and wide and as many Americans as possible should see it.
It simply and clearly explains what social democracy is, and why it is a superior way of life both practically and ethically.
What percentage of US citizens have access to TH-cam? 50? less?
And why bernie should be elected.
Drop the link into comment sections when people use the word Liberal as a slur.
@@aarohalme1020 that impecile. He cannot be trusted at all and he will drain the USA and turn it into the junkyard of China whom he works for you dumbed down asses. You people have no idea how these things work and how they operate including that wimp Berni bitch.
@@silverlove8377 Maybe form a coherent sentence before you start calling names, dumb dumb.
I swear I love Denmark.
Denmark loves you top man
the u.s. needs to stop with the radical capitalism and start adding more socialist traits to their country, unless they just want the working class to continuously suffer ( maybe not physically as much as mentally).
im korean japanese.
my dream is immigrating to denmark
No you don't lol 😂
You are welcome...USA.
Hope I don’t upset anyone by saying this, but...most of what’s said in this video about Denmark is true to most countries in the EU, to a more or lesser degree on each category. Like over here in Germany.
So, it’s not like this was unrealistic and would only work in small low population countries, no. It pretty much works all over Europe, even in big economy locations like Germany.
I never understood the size "argument".
The reason why Denmark is often mentioned in these kinds of videos is because Denmark is the birthplace of social democracy. Denmark was the first nation to favor the working class. Today this idea has spread to the rest of the world and especially in Europe yes, but the idea started in Denmark, it was a gradual change in the mindset of the danish people that lead to social democracy.
How Denmark invented social democracy:
th-cam.com/video/mExN99kHMB0/w-d-xo.html
And it is Capitalism that taxes the rich. There is no such thing as social democracy...it's still capitalism.
They have free market capitalism in social democratic countries. One of the big distinctions is that they have more regulations to curb the excesses of capitalism.
Free market economy= in the US & other
Social market economy= germany, Denmark, Belgium & other
Planned Business= former ussr
There are differences between the economic systems.
Free market system is acceptable in Social Democracy
@Vladimir Putin Read the exact definition of Social Democracy.
@Vladimir Putin: I think you need to brush up on your terminology and definitions. In social democracies they have private enterprises and market mechanisms in their economy. In a socialist command economy those things are nonexistent (unless you count illegitimate black markets). Thus, social democracies are not socialist.
@Vladimir Putin: Social democratic ideas may have started out in the late 19th century as a way to work within the political and governmental systems to slowly change over to socialism from capitalism, but those ideas changed and moderated over time and eventually became distinct from socialism in that it aimed to curb the excesses of capitalism, limit wealth inequality, provide a robust welfare state, promote state intervention for wealth redistribution, etc etc. Social democracy no longer aimed to replace capitalism, but rather reform it.
Social democrats of old would today call themselves Democratic Socialists.
The thumbnail of the video made it seem as though the video would be comparing social democracy to a system that more closely aligns with free market capitalism. The video correctly described Denmark as being a social democracy, but then the narrator threw in the term democratic socialism at the end. We need to stop using those terms interchangeably. A social democracy still has an economy that relies on capitalism, but with strong socialist institutions. It's basically the closet you can get to socialism while still having a capitalist system. Democratic socialism is the opposite. It's as close as you can get to capitalism, while still having a socialist system.
True !
This is arguably one of the best videos you guys have ever produced, and it certainly is the best video I have seen, which so succinctly and clearly illustrates why a properly balanced hybrid of a free market and social welfare system, such as the one in Denmark, is preferable to one where free market aims eclipse everything else, as is the case in the United States.
I always find it odd, as a person who is born and raised in the United States, that our ideas of patriotism and how we support our citizens are so inconsistent. The popular notion of patriotism in the United States invariably comes down to our worship of the military, and us making an idol of the self-sacrificial soldier. Think about that for moment. Why is the soldier so revered? Why is the solder so lionized? The soldier is glorified because they make a sacrifice for the "welfare" of all of us. That is the essence of patriotism - the individual sacrificing for the good of the whole.
So why isn't it seen as our patriotic duty to sacrifice a little more of our personal income than we currently are giving, so that the basic needs of healthcare and education are guaranteed to all of our citizens? Your average citizen is far more likely to be effected by unequal or lack of access to healthcare and education than they will be to the insidious plans of Al Qaeda or ISIS. So, if anything, desiring that all citizens have equal and affordable access to healthcare and higher education should be seen as more of a patriotic aim than picking up a rifle to fight for wars - wars which seldom have anything to do with protecting our citizenry, and have more to do with lining the pockets of big business.
That's not democratic socialism, that's a social democracy, which all of that can be done inside the capitalist and free market economic system.
The prime minister of Denmark already said to Bernie Sanders that Denmark is a free market economy and that he should stop saying that it is a socialist country
@WillfulObscurantism 故意に隠すこと once he did? americans on the right had been doing it way longer, even calling it "sovietic" and marxist
at least bernies term is a bit closer to social democracy than socialism and communism
True but Bernie sanders is also a social democrat
@@chronicallyboredenby no he is a socialist.
Social Democracy is just Capitalism with welfare benefits and public services.
Socialism is collective ownership of the means of production.
@@shalyfemusic From 'political positions of Bernie Sanders' on Wikipedia: "The political positions of Bernie Sanders are reflected by his United States Senate voting record, public speeches, and interviews. He is a self-described democratic socialist."
@@falkelh exactly
When can I move to Denmark? If I had the means I would.
Have fun learning Danish!
Why not put a poor person in the White House instead of theese rich assholes that only think about themselves?
We no longer accept economic refugees in Denmark and we actually do place Americans in category unless they have a high income job in Denmark.. but the US treat the Danes the same way.
@@MrThorsteinb
"We no longer accept economic refugees in Denmark"
Unless you are from a loser culture which cause us endless troubles. Then welcome !!!!
@pies_man if you move to another country you should speak the local language, don't just expect the whole world to speak your language to meet your needs.
This makes me wanna learn Danish and move to Denmark
Most European countries have a very similar system so you don't have to move to Denmark specifically.
So do it...don't talk...walk.
let the wave of salty americans hate
Peakzter
The only problem I have with this video is that they mentioned the false belief in the wage gap.
@@andydavis3075 ? By the pay gape they mean that the average earnings of women is closer to men in Denmark then in the US
@@matteoescobar1714
Yes, agreed but, sexism being behind it is false.
Said by A MAN. You have never had to experience sexism, Andy, so why don't you stay out of it? @@andydavis3075
@@biguglystick
Who said I've never experienced sexism? And even if i didn't that doesn't make my argument invalid.
A big flaw in the video. Denmark have social democracy. Not democratic socialism
Proves that lawmakers in USA could careless about the health and well-being of its citizens passing horrible evil laws calling its citizens a burden on taxpayer.
@Ackj 375718 wasn't America founded by immigrants?
@Ackj 375718 and what about the mass amounts of Germans, Irish, Italian who immigrated there? Don't they make up a Huge chunk of the current population?
@Ackj 375718 Not funny. Tragic. Making the majority of republicans in US think that they were helped by the Trump admin. with the lower taxes? When the big WINNERS as usual were the 1% few (billionaires). THINK!
Yeah, the Congress and Presidency. Nothing to do with capitalism...so, I agree with that.
I live in Ireland which has very similar system to Denmark also, I thought the videos would compare the two. But is there no benefit of living in America? Wasn't much of a comparison of it was just a list of negatives about the US. I know a few people that have moved there for better wages and tax's and more affordable cost of living.
Social democracy for the win!
That's democratic socialism , lower class pay fuck all tax , middle class tax to hell welcome to middle class shithole Australia decades
@@coopsnz1 "lower class"' in socialism? E
69 Likes lol.
Denmark has less ownership class retard = less middle class and bigger working class per capita
@@coopsnz1 if you add up all of the costs Americans need to pay then you would see that Danish clearly get more ^^
Well Done!
More More More!
moving to denmark ✌🏾
Have you moved yet?
@@andrewwittemann9614 it’s gonna be hard to fit in. Denmark is a very ethnic homogeneous country.
@@andrewwittemann9614 considering the far right immigration rules Denmark has, probably not.
I want to move there! Or The Netherlands or Norway. I'll take any of these 3 countries.
Here in the Netherlands it's just as bad as in the USA now, honestly. A lot of American Corporations came here about a decade and a half ago and ever since it has not been the same.
Student debts, tax fraud, fees for everything and a severe lack of affordable housing.
Not to mention a right wind authoritariam government that aparantly can change the results of a fair trial by simply holding another trial with a different judge 5 hours later.
@@sirazazeloflowkey6424 Wow. That's terrible. Well, I can say proudly I am part of the democratic socialist movement. Volunteered for Bernie. I highly recommend for you to check out Jacobin. There is lots to be done and realistically may or may not be in our lifetime, but we cannot have fascism and right wing extremism getting any worse than it already has all over the World.
@@AmandaBlondie007 Hey, I ain't even American and I support Bernie.
But I'd rather call it social democracy, not so much democratic socialism.
As socialism itself has a negative acconotation with me, being born and raised and exploited under the Soviet regime before moving to Europe.
The Netherlands however was and should have still been a social democracy. We used to have it not that long ago. And it was like a mini paradise.
You couldn't convince me to move anywhere else. When this started I wanted to move to the USA and almost had, but then...you know...you guys kinda went to shit in a handbasket around the same time.
@@sirazazeloflowkey6424 franchise started up in your country moron not corporation , the not corporation moron wallmart & amazon a small business owned in Europe
@@sirazazeloflowkey6424 you tax to much why your household debt high in Europe dumb fuck , not because of capitalism you lefties blame always . In Australia there 125 taxes add up all taxes on fuel , liquor , products , cars why you save less dumb socialist
Love the video. Only question, is not this Social Democracy described and quite different from Democratic Socialism? At the end you title it Democratic Socialism but that is a post-capitalist system, which Denmark is not.
Democratic socialism is an off spring of social democracy, where socialism leans more to captalisim
@@lightblue254 I would disagree, true democratic socialism is post capitalism, while social Democracy is more capitalist
@@theamericanmoderate the Definition of it currently is very vague, especially in the USA. For me personally socialism is in the middle between communism and captalisim, Democratic socialism is in between socialism and captalisim :)
@@lightblue254
"For me personally"
It's probably easier if we all use the same meanings.
There is one thing working hard in Denmark won't get you and that's rich. That's because any income over 55,000 is taxed at 60%. From a BBC news report over 55,000 a year 60% income tax rate .
No on needs to be rich to live comfortably. Why are people so obsessed with being rich? Not everyone needs a huge empty house and three cars and tv in their bedroom.
at least the danish vallets survive the trip to the hospital
all of this is true. this is not something you hear by someone who wants americans to pay more in taxes
The Knudsens, not the Nudsens.
K in front of n is not silent in Scandinavian languages😉
pls don't say democratic socialism and socialdemocracy becouse this both things are completly different
Social democracy with the W
:-) W for human Welfare :-)
It’s definitely more important to have the richest 1% than happy people
Thats it Im moving the fam to Denmark
Dane here. You only get 90% of your previous salary, if you had a very low income job before. The benefit is called "dagpenge". The max amount you can receive is DKK 18,633, which is the equivalent of $2,900 before our insane taxes.
You can expect to have around $1,850 after taxes, but then you also have to pay 25% sales tax on everything you buy with that money. If you want to buy a car, you pay about 150 - 180% tax, and the 25% sales tax on top of that. Yes, you pay sales tax of the car tax... Not really that much purchasing power left.
Oh, and did I mention that you must also pay for an insurance to be able to get the benefits in the first place? You have to have been a paying member of what we call an A-kasse for at least a year while working full time. It costs about $75 a month for basic coverage.
If you do not qualify to recieve "dagpenge" you can recieve another benefit instead called "kontanthjælp". If your possessions are worth more than DKK 10,000, though, (DKK10,000 is the equivalent of $1,550), you can not receive anything at all. You have to sell your stuff and spend the money first before you can receive "kontanthjælp". How much you can receive depends on your age, whether or not you live at home with your parents, whether or not you have children, and so on.
If you live at home and is under 25 years of age, you only receive about $550 a month. If you are under 25 and not living with your parents, you receive $1,130. If you are over 30 years of age with no children you receive $1,755. If you have a child living with you and you are under 30 years of age, you receive $2,230. All these numbers are per month and before tax.
Remember, Denmark is a very expensive place to live, much more expensive than a lot of places in the US. To be fair, though, some places in Denmark are cheaper to live in than some places i The United States, e.g. New York City, but I think you get the point.
No Google, I don't want to use my real name. No Google, I don't want to use my real name. Wrong, rent is NOT cheaper, that is a biiiig lie, obviously if you look at central NYC it’s more expensive in the US, but basically anywhere else in the US has lower rents than the big cities in Denmark, where the univerisities are.
And, ummm yes, there’s “kontanthjælp” in the US, it varies from state, $783 PER WEEK in Massachusetts, and $235 PER WEEK in Misissippi.
Stop the lies, research first, type later.
@@SpellbreakWiki You are in lower class , why high taxes doesn't effect you , but it wouldf effect you if you were in middle class earning $80000 a year
That was really interesting. Laid out very clearly, good video 👍
Well there you go, yes please!
"America, love it or leave it." I am so glad I left for Canada.
"democratic socialism"
its a social democracy lol
Why did you have to end this video calling it democratic socialism... why... WHY?
I have no idea. Probably because Social Democracy and Democratic Socialism can be mixed up at times.
@@JohnDoe-xp3ge Yep. Although they feel somewhat similar, people fail to see that they differ greatly in that Social Democracy works on a capitalist economic framework and Democratic Socialism works on a socialist framework.
85% - 150% tax on cars very left wing Denmark
High taxes bankrupt a country @@KurtFrederiksen
@@KurtFrederiksen generation x can't afford to buy a home in Denmark and Norway free university don't mean shit when more than half your pay goes to Government yearly = it's harder to save to a home and retirement . Same problem in Australia 40 yrs
4:52 Sadly, the United States isn't alone in being a developed nation with unfriendly workplace attitudes towards women who are expecting-pregnant women are often fired or have to quit their jobs as they'll lose them anyway in Japan, for example, which explains Japan's very low birth rate.
My way of looking at it is that some developed nations are more admirable than others in how they treat workers-and the admirable ones are the role models to follow.
Im danish and its okay whit all that paying but its pretty good
Because of the culture here in the United States of not trusting our government, I don't think a system like this would work . . . I 100% wish it would!
moral of the story: america bad europe good 🇪🇺
$140 a month in Denmark but only with a child? How about $1000 a month regardless if you have a child or not? #YangGang
Middle class screwed over in Denmark , most people rent because it's Hard to save @@KurtFrederiksen
@@KurtFrederiksen
Just imagine how much taxpayer money could be saved in America if we got the freeloaders off of welfare. The amount would be staggering.
@@KurtFrederiksen
The majority of homeless are in cities ran by Democrats. States with the most homel6per capita are democratic ran states. I have no problem with social programs aiding those that need them. But more than half on them are more than capable of participating in the workforce. Our system is broken. Imagine two equally opposing forces. One is for hard work and self reliance. The other is for nanny state from cradle to grave. And all they do is slam heads together. I work 90+ hours a week. Not because I have to, but because I want the best I can provide for me and my family. America was founded on blood and sweat. It is our tradition and our way. As soon as the Democrats quit pushing for a nanny state, things will be better everyone.
@@KurtFrederiksen living in an apartment isnt middle class that's most of Denmark population are working class
@@DG-america Denmark has more working class per capita than. Middle class in usa per capita
Is this ad trying to convince me to move?
Let's see Denmarks model with 5.7 million people work for 330 million. 😂😂😂😂
D G Just imagine if US states, controlled there own taxes and cared for their citizens. Imagine!
explain how more people would make it any different. just try
@@soka227
Lol. Look at what little social-(ist) programs we have now that are unregulated. They cant keep welfare in check by keeping the fraudulent people off it. But you're gunna tell me that going 100% to their socialist gov is gonna work? You've bumped your fuckin head. And to top it all off, I would hate to be the one that stood up and told all of America that their taxes, effective immediately, will be increased to 70% across the board.
I could have just shortened my answer by telling you that REAL AMERICANS wouldn't stand for it. But by your comment, being the socialist you are, that wouldn't do.
@@DG-america Social Democracy isn't Socialism or Democratic Socialism, it is a pro-capitalist idea that allows everyone to have the same opportunities. There is no socialism in social democracy - your idea of socialist programs keeping welfare is obviously correct, hence why socialism doesn't work, but a system that supports capitalism to everyone equally does, as seen in the Nordic countries. Many Americans retaliate as soon as the word 'social' is mentioned, despite it not necessarily meaning a far-left government - only because the media portrays it to be this way for their own profit and support from all Americans from the Cold War era who sees anything social as bad.
@@jacko7253 ,the capitalism we have in America today is available to everyone. Everyone that wants to get off their dead ass and apply themselves.
The socialist-Democrapic Nordic type is only capitalistic to the government at 70% taxable income so everyone can be held by a nanny state until they die. We in America believe, (at least the generation that I grew up in) that self reliance is what makes a man. It is a cornerstone of our country, just like guns.
And plz dont try and tell me that this equality you speak of isnt an SJWtalking point. Everyone in America is already equal. A citizen has the equality of The right to life, liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness. As defined in our Bill of Rights.
People cry and complain about the Rick corporations all the time, but I guarantee you that less than 1% of those people would be willing to put in the hours and effort that the founder did to make that company so big and profitable. I am on the job upwards of 90 hrs a week, but I dont complain about the rich. I have aspirations to be one.
2 reasons 1) the USA provides defense for Europe... 2) antidepressants
Quite frankly most of the stuff in this video is misleading at best. Also, I dont understand the infatuation with college. Everyone doesnt need to go to college.
Ch Pa: Quite framkly - as you say - everything good said here is true, come to your senses and do your RESEACH. Examples of what you mean by "misleading as best" - pick just a few examples, enough to pick from in this tread! For all to understand your misleading statement :-)
Not in the US atleast.
Bro I like the vid and no offense but this guy sounds like Greg from Steven universe (good thing)
DENMARK 🇩🇰 please show us da way.
In Scotland 🏴 we got some catching up to do.
How can you complain with the NHS?
We still get free uni education, healthcare, prescriptions, ect.
@@suprensa4393 NHS doesn't always work.
You’re just parroting every Libertarian since Ronald Reagan by conflating Free Market with Laissez Faire, which wouldn’t be so astounding ignorant except that Norway is literally a more Free Market economy than the US by pretty much any index.
For a country like india where the alarming widening gap between the rich and poor the best political model is the Denmark model, our Modi government should some how adopt this socialist model to control the looting by the rich and suffering by the poor. The whole world knows why the Denmark people are happiest in the world. Only thing, it is not impossible, but we indian should find a way to bring this system in to place.
I'ma move as soon as a can.
@Ackj 375718 As joint citizenship, it wouldn't be to bad.
@Ackj 375718 the benefits you will get clearly out weigh the second amendment
@Ackj 375718 What's the point in having a gun if you die from not being able to have a livable wage nor healthcare.
@Ackj 375718 sucks for u is not a valid political system nor is it a good society, everyone should have the same chances and free Healthcare so they live a good life, not just so that only you can enjoy a good life
@@lightblue254 Ignorant people don't care about the rest of us, that's why we're gonna vote them out and fix our country.
🤣 It’s funny that you try to hide very important details in this video. Denmark isn’t a socialist country.Denmark has no minimum wage, and the country has very few regulations on businesses that allow them to pay those high taxes that pay for those social programs that the citizens enjoy. Private education and private health insurance is becoming more popular in Denmark. So please, when post a video maker you to tell the whole story.😃
And show the little shitty unsafe cars many people drive here in Denmark. Video is just propaganda.
Atleast Sweden is not any bad that's for sure.
There's nothing to hide. There's no need for a minimum wage or business regulations in Denmark, because the labor unions there are exponentially stronger than in the US, which keep wages fair, and keep business practices safe. The vast majority of Danes use the public healthcare and education systems. The private health insurance is supplemental.
@@chaddavis5734
There are lot's of business regulation in Denmark.
Chad Davis more people are moving to private health insurance there and away from unions. We can’t go that rout here, without major regulation cuts.
it´s a Social Democracy not a Democratic Socialism... juts to be clear it´s a common mistake
Absolutely true!!
Eh, it’s more of a “Nordic model.” It’s argued over if it more closely resembles social liberalism or social democracy
Then move there. Enjoy your obscene tax rate, unaffordable car, and longer waiting times for “free” healthcare. And don’t come back
In Denmark you even have to call in advance if you need to visit the emergency room. Lame! :)
I'd rather not be able to afford a car than not afford healthcare, little guy.
@@donthasselthehoff5753 I can afford both and I’m far from rich, big guy
what would i need a car for. there's nowhere in the county i can't get with public transportation for a faction of the cost to owning a car.
and lots of people own a car, desprit that. like 80% over 40 i would say at lest
"and longer waiting times for “free” healthcare."
only for minor non emergency procedures
and have it crossed your mind that the longer waiting time is do to the fact that people actually go to the doctor here, because they don't fear getting economically devastated.
@@crazydinosaur8945 then stay there and enjoy your depression and pill abuse lol
You can move to Denmark but I'm staying right here in the USA
How is free healthcare and education socialism or it's the high taxes that make it socialism???? Serious question btw
Neither. It’s just dumbasses who like to use it as a buzzword for anything they don’t like.
They aren't socialism. Silly uneducated conservatives who like to fearmonger call anything left of centre socialism or communism.
how isn´t the gigantic american military complex seen as socialism by american repubs?
Social democracy still sucks for middle class
@@coopsnz1 sucks for the rich*
Let US politician redirect their policies and resources towards the citizens, instead of financing corrupt governments, fighting other people's war and being the father Christmas and police of the world.
Denmark has also failed to meet its NATO obligations in terms of defence spending for the last 32 years. Its easy enough to build lovely schools when the USA and UK spend their money on protecting you!
The United States and Great Britain rule the world.
while we thrive under your protection aka you pay the bill
if that isn't savy capitalism i don't know what is :)
@@crazydinosaur8945 if we rule the world shouldnt we be the ones thriving? You fail to hold up your end of the bargain. Lets hope our genorosity doesnt run out if the red menace encroaches beyond the Ukraine... or shouuld that be you should hope?
@@peanutpresenting9337 "red menace encroaches beyond the Ukraine" you saying Russia is red?
@@crazydinosaur8945 yes obviously
@@peanutpresenting9337 russia's an oligarchy.
After watching this video American's happiness rating will drop even further.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But Rachel is a a much stronger, self-reliant, and freedom-loving individual. So there.
@Irina Ivanova agree, most Americans think democratic socialism or social democracy are like communism which they are not
And in social democracy you get freedom as well so I don't understand why you apparently you can't be free lol
@Irina Ivanova I'd like them to tell me that social democracy is not great when you can ask anyone from a northern European country like finnland, Germany, Denmark etc that supports social democracy or uses it and they will all tell that we live better than Americans lol, and for sources: I am GERMAN
@Irina Ivanova please tell them this next time: I am from Germany, I am originally an immigrant from Asia so my parents had a poorer background and when we came here: We were treated with nothing but love! Of course there were some racists but those are only a tiny minority. After we came here we were given free health care, free GOOD education(unlike American high school lol, also the food at our schools is fucking great and is even paid 50% by the government as a Form of aid!) I'm going to university next year so I'm very excited because I will have to pay zero euros and I will get a seat to one of the best universities from all around the world studying my favorite thing :) and all I have to do is one thing: pay my Taxes, be a good citizen, be friendly to other humans and that's all it! I guess those people you talk about just don't wanna help each other huh lol, they only want themselves to succeed and control everything.
@@lightblue254 Dude w Jamaicans have a social Democracy but due American interference shit has been getting worse for decades with trickle down economics bullshit. If the US just left us the fuck alone and the IMF wasn't such an asshole organization run by the US my country would be so much better. The US trained political insurgents inth seventies and eighties because our greatest leader Michael Manley instituted a Social democracy with socialist policies of the time that worked. The man founded maternity leave, minimum wage and a number of rights for workers and got fucked over for it. All because the US doesn't like anyone in their region having nice things unless those people are rich. Now the infrastructure of Jamaica is run by American and American allied and influenced businesses. The IMF forced out country to sell every business they had a share in. Now that our past three administrations have been partnering with China the US has threatened to embargo us.
This video is the reason why Bernie should be president
This is a bit one-sided. This video says very little about the market economy that underpins the Danish high-tax-high-spending system. Denmark ranks higher than the USA for economic freedom in some indices.
No taxes on cars in Usa , in Denmark 85% -150% tax on cars , Income tax 38% -58%
But Denmark think climate and Health, not about being fattest possible.
Your comparing a county the size of NYC to all of the United States
6 million vs 328 million, its like comparing apples to oranges. Denmark may have a system that works for them and the people there are onboard with it. It is impossible for the USA to adopt their systems and not implode.
I come from the UK which is like Denmark, just slightly less extreme and I fell that us Brits hit the sweet spot, but I have to say that this video does NOT draw enough attention to taxes which, in Denmark will be much higher meaning that there will be little change for a company to grow and thrive.
There is one thing which I feel like this video didn't cover. When you put childcare costs medical costs educational costs and others and add that on with the taxes then we actually pay more than Denmark and pretty much every other high-tax country as a total and percentage of our income. We honestly could afford their level of services and have more money come back to our pocket. People only look at our federal taxes but forget we have state taxes and local taxes and sales tax on top of every item which isn't showed in the price of the item till you check out. In fact even right-leaning Institutes using the most ambitious medicare-for-all plan which literally covers everything compared to the less generous Nordic Healthcare System and we still end up saving money that's how bad we have it. We're getting ripped off hand over mouth while paying more taxes and fees than the rest of the developed world including on Healthcare which is a much higher as a percentage of our GDP than other countries and we still get less than half of what everyone else gets. It's about time we reform our system and we don't even have to increase how much we're going to have to pay in because of how much we already do
That's not true. In fact, Denmark is way better for starting a business than the US!
@@falkelh I couldn't name a business from Denmark if I tried. If they're good at breeding 'em, they're not exactly very good at keeping 'em home!
@@williamseldon1383 You probably know Lego, Maersk, Carlsberg and so on but even if you don't know any of those a business in Denmark statistically has a higher chance at succeeding than in the US. The reason you don't know a lot of businesses from here is that A: you didn't know they're Danish, and B: Denmark's pretty small so there aren't as many businesses as other places.
@@falkelh good point
Well my thought on this is that would political parties perverse this in a way through political correctness into having someone do better than the other as I don't see what would stop them from trying?
I have the feeling they are not telling the whole truth.
they dont
they didn't mention we get paid to in higher education. that pebbly wild sounded to unfathomable for you
where are the downsides ?
High taxes, one size fits all health care.
Almost all white so no BLM or white guilt.
Because they didn't enslave or creat James Crow laws to the blacks...so they don't need it they are very respected people unlike the US. And they Joke about how the US is terrible at this XD
@@sorban5352 History can't be changed. So they should either get over it or move back to Africa.
@@slimpaco3561 We don't change History why talk about the "REAL" History what really happen and who really build this country and want really happen in the Civil War the Republican want to hide it, sorry but truth will always be know someday.
Accept it or go back to Europe !
@@slimpaco3561 "or move back to Africa", you're the descendant of immigrants so you should be the one to move.
B-B-But what about muh Venezuela!
B-B-But why is America ranked place 1 in the World in key categories like income and housing when Amercia is so bad an Denmark so great? www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/united-states/
@@gucbhispeklfe4454 In income because Americans work more hours, take less vacation, and has a larger share of working population active. Productivity is pretty much the same as that of Denmark or France.
As for housing, the US is less dense, and that means cheaper housing. But it also means longer and more expensive commutes.
Venezuala isnt socialist in any way.
@@justinrozario2003 it isn't far left it's a corrupt Social democratic country under sanctions
@@justinrozario2003 most of Venezuelan economy is private
0:37 the counterarguement to "but they pay high taxes." Yeah and you pay high taxes in America except the benefits are less and America uses that money to build more infrastructure and help the Top 1% get richer.
USA doesn't have federal sales tax and lower income tax than Europe so shut up
Most Danes pay about 38-40% income tax + 25% VAT + 150% tax on cars, 150% tax on fuel, 150%+ on water, etc.
Note: I use American style separators (which I hate). "," for thousands separator and "." as comma.
Then property value taxes which is 0.92% of the value. So a $500,000 home will cost you $4,600 a year in property value tax.
Then there is property tax which is a local tax and vary. But it's apx. 0.008 x value of your home.
So a $500,000 home will cost $4,000/year.
Knudson
Are they Norwegian immigrants?
+Jonassoe
I think Swedish, because it's there most of the "- son" is from ;-)
I just think he couldn't say Knudsen maybe
+Sarah Hansen
You could be right, but I don't think so, because he also wrote this under the video "Last week, in Denmark, Malthe and Lærke Knudson had a baby girl they named Emma. That same day, the Robinsons-Dale and Beth-had a little baby in the United States. They called her Rachel"
Norwegians would be Knutsen, mostly.
Middle class in Usa save way more , than middle class in Denmark . The highest household debt in the world is Denmark
I hate when these videos tried to be educational, but end up spreading misinformation, because they just don’t know enough about the countries they’re speaking about.
No you don’t “just” get up to 90% of your salary if you’re suddenly without a job. For that to happen you need to pay (besides taxes) a montly fee to a union, and it is that union, that pays you, not the government.
Now the actual welfare if you’re unemployed and not in a union, you’ll get a salary ranging from 950$ to 2000$ a month.
On top of that, people should remember that we pay taxes ((up to)) 55% of our salary for these benefits, and we pay up to 180% taxes on cars as well, so a 50.000$ car will in Denmark cost 125.000$
AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, Denmark is NOT a democratic socialist country, pleaseee get it in your thick skull, like seriously, stop making “educational” videos, and then not even know wtf you’re talking about.
Denmark is a social democratic country, we pay a lot in taxes, car taxes, food is more expensive etc. But we get a lot of benefits from doing that too.
That doesn’t mean that Denmark isn’t liberal, Denmark is also known as a social liberalistic country, who offers great independence for companies, not controlled by the state at all like in socialist countries.
Sadly, another useless video, could have been great, if the author would have consulted with a dane who knows something about their country....
U are misinformed...
1. Yes the amount u pay to your a-kasse/Union, goes to the stat, and yes the STAT pays your "dag-penge"/Unemployment benefits.
2. No one pays 55 % of ther income in taxes... IF u have a MILLION salary, then yes u might hit 50%, if not, u are NOWHERE near 50%, but closer to 35-40 % TOPS.. = like in NEW YORK, ( but do they get anything?, nooooo)
@@johnsandy7802 You're wrong, as a dane with an undergraduate degree in political science and a graduate degree in social science I think I know how the danish system works, also, the higest tax bracket is 67.5%, so you're delusional if you think no one pays 55%.
So no, I'm far from misinformed, you however, are.
How does Denmark regulate capitalism? They give out money to families with children, does that not somehow mess up the economy?? (I don't know much about economy, please bear with me)
The people pay more in taxes and government fees therefore the government has more money to not messup the economy (I think at least😅)
making sure money don't get sucked up by billionaires and mega-corporations tend to leave more for the rest
I am from Sweden and no i am not happy
Wow, pure propaganda! No mention of the downsides. Emma should be depicted with a ball and chain with "Taxes" written on it.
Healtcare may be free, that is, paid via taxes, so not really free, and we danes may spend less than US on healthcare, but that is because we have less advanced equipment and waiting lines where people die of cancer.
We do work relatively little and have 5-6 weeks vacation but GDP is also lower as a consequence. This means smaller crappy cars and smaller homes.
- a dane
GDP isn't a measure of wealth usually. The USSR GDP was 2nd in the world does that mean it was one of the richest?
Also Denmark according to the LPI has one of the best healthcare systems in the world.
@@enterchannelname200
PS! You must take population into account.
GDP/Capita
@@enterchannelname200
Seems my main reply keeps disappearing.
@@BarrySlisk Oh now it's GDP per capita. Only a 3k difference.
Plus wealth inequality is big thing in America as well.
@@enterchannelname200
3k ?
"Plus wealth inequality is big thing in America as well"
So?
This includes many generalizations which do not accurately represent reality.
But the facts are very true :)
VanishBlox well yeah but more and more danes are switching to private healthcare since the regular does not offer so many benefits.
I recently moved to Australia and their healthcare system is great. Free healthcare for all, but many chooses to opt for private healthcares because the benefits are great for an reasonable price. The U.S should opt for that system, but it will require them to pay more taxes.
@@cokezzz8249 Danes do NOT switch to private healthcare. They ADD some service that way to the fewareas now covered in the healthcare system in Denmark. Exactly as you mentioned for Australia. Thus Danes are not dependent on their job to have secured the wealthfare.
Europeans may be able to get free higher education, but one has to qualify for it and not everyone can study the major that they wish. Which is actually a good thing...seriously, how many Psycho degrees does a nation really need? For instance, in Germany the most common degree is in Engineering...in the US that doesn't even make the top 10.
Maybe this has something to do with this rumor I heard about the Danish all having long range sniper rifles and being good with them.
If I was their government, I wouldn't wanna screw with them either. lol
The rumor is incorrect.
Home Sweet Home Danmark ( scandinavia ) paradise on EARTH, I am so proud to be born Danish, the world should have the Scandinavia model.
video nation it's better (name TH-cam)
More middle c;lass and milionaires in usa ,. Denmark most are working class debt slaves
The Social Progress Index analyses just that, also how can you say that when America clearly has a shrinking middle class because the young generation is out of college buried in debt and can't even afford health insurance.
young generation were never in middle class to begin with the students lower class @@stefanneagoi6001
You still have more middle class than Denmark , Denmark residence live in small apartments @@stefanneagoi6001
You're desperately hanging to the status quo because it fits your bigoted beliefs, face it, you have the strongest economy in the world yet your streets are dirty, students are poor, quality of life is shit, the use of substance is high and suicide rates have skyrocketed not to mention racism and religious bigotry. You need to wake up, all that wealth that america supposedly has is not going to people, it's going to the top 1 proccent, American society needs reform. Trump has been in charge for 3 years now and has only reinforced that gap between classes by leading only for the likes of him.
@@coopsnz1 my point was that you accused dutch people of living in debt when america is notorious for living people buried in it, people will never reach the middle class if they live in such conditions right after college.
What are the taxes in Denmark? This all sounds real good but the tax payers pay for it.
About 38-42% income tax. 56% marginal income tax rate (of income over $70.000/year).
25% VAT (sales tax)
150% apx on car purchase (+ 25% VAT)
$600-1500 each year for owning a car (depends on gas mileage etc).
300-400% tax on water, electricity, gasonline etc.
$5000 /year in property taxes for house valued at $400.000
27-42% tax on gains from trading stocks (tax higher the more you make - progressive)
So why shouldn't they pay for it if they benefit from it? Where do you think all that money comes from.
search their channel. they have one on taxes in denmark versus the usa
th-cam.com/video/EK_dI-ofceQ/w-d-xo.html
Toyota gt86 is $70,000usd in Denmark , Bm m3 $160,000usd . Your money buys far less in Denmark
No Google, I don't want to use my real name. Take your own advice, YOU are the one not looking at the whole picture, clearly you don’t have a degree in social science from Denmark, well, i do, and you get more for your money in the US, and much much less in Denmark, because that money has been spent making a safety net for everyone in Denmark.
Save less than middle class americans you idiot @@SpellbreakWiki
@@SpellbreakWiki how much household debt does local Denmark residence have
@@coopsnz1 you talk and talk - Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world - USA is not even considered: worldpopulationreview.com/countries/happiest-countries-in-the-world/
I thought Denmark were social democrats not democratic socialists.....
they are soc dem
They're social Democrats. I guess the video confused the terms at the end
in american vernacular they have both become conflated
There's no such thing as a Democratic Socialist country. Most countries are social democracies but some run it better than others, you'll be much better off under Danish Social Democracy than Greek Social Democracy.
Denmark is free market capitalism.
All true social democracies are what's your point, they just tax it higher in order to create an environment for capitalism to lead to more egalitarian outcomes.
@@stefanneagoi6001 Yeah, higher taxes for social services and welfare programs.
@@stefanneagoi6001
Egalitarian outcomes. The hell with that. All social welfare programs do in America is create generational welfare recipients. When people are forced to be self reliant, they realize their worth to themselves. They want more, and work harder to have it. I have no problem with welfare programs for the mentally or physically handicapped, but at least half of the recipients here are capable of working. They choose not to.
Denmark is Social Democracy, meaning that it supports Universal Healthcare, Universal Education, Universal Child Care, Housing and Social services but with free market system.
@@DG-america That's the US problem not the world's.
Soooo Move to Denmark?
you think the founding fathers should have moved instead of revolting?
hey while we are at it, why even vote in a president and have a senate, if everything should just stay the same and never improve, get rid of the whole democracy
Depends what part of the US population you are talking about. Firstly, there is no such thing as a social democracy. It's a made up term that confuses very high taxation of the capitalists rich to provide for social programs. That's not socialism nor something called social democracy. It's taxation, and you can't have taxation unless there is private ownership of the means of production in which to get taxes from. Socialism is public ownership in the means of production, which means taxation can't exist...unless you tax yourself which is a moot exercise. Please stop calling European capitalism a social democracy...there is no such thing. Learn your economic terms. America suffers from bad politics, not capitalism.
Dänemark and the USA are two sides of a DIFFERENT COIN.
In a country with as small as a population as Dänemark, a social Democratic society may work as the cost for a social program if considerably smaller. Not to mention the government of Dänemark takes 64 percent of your wealth is you earn 60K a year. Also, I don't think that required vacation is a great idea.
Benito Mussolini its not a required vacation its a right you have if you want to use it. If not you just continue to work as normal, nobody is forced to take vacation. But it may be very good for all Americans to have some time of work over longer periods with there families, that motivate the workforce.
did you forget that things scale?
if you really think it does not work when the programs are big, you cant deny they are good, if it was proven to me they dont scale, i would just advocate for each state to pursue the system individually
i got the wrong understanding of our welfare system. The first 513.000 danish kroner (70k dollars) you pay around 45% and if you earn more then 15% more tax called "topskat" in denmark. Then you will pay around 60%.
@@jeppeprang2817 thats not how it works, its 15% of the money made over the amount of 513k
the 15% tax does not affect any of those 513k krones
if you make more than 513k
lets say you make 520k, then on the first 513k of yout income you pay 45% (although on some of that you pay less so its actually less) then its only the 17k after that which you pay 60% on
@@magnusorn7313
He did not say that you had to pay $60 of the entire amount. You read that into his post.
You need federalism and fewer births, and fewer consume and fewer dependency on stuff you don't need.
What the US? That country is built on stolen land the South especially since it was rightfully Mexican territory that American settlers started building on.
A mix of Marx and Smith and you get the highest quality of living
I guess the great society wasn’t such a great idea. But wait.... it’s because we weren’t socialist enough.
Why are so many people insisting calling us Danes socialists - while we're not. Wake up. Our system is "taking good care of eachother" in an otherwise thriving envirement - with success better than almost any country in the world outside the Nordic countries. Do your homelessons!
@@f1nn0
How many thousands of immigrants and refugees do you take in a year? How many millions of dollars do you give to other countries a year? How many thousands a year illegally enter your country a year and take jobs and use social programs? Just curious.
@@DG-america As I said before - do your homework! There are many interesting statistics via Google - e.g. Denmark being the no. 5 in the world more often than not in help to less fortunate countries. You are not NEAR a match, I believe?
@@f1nn0 so basically what you're saying is that you dont know. Tout how great your country is, but dont have the stats when people ask. BRILLIANT!
Denmark population 5.7 million. 2500 immigrants in 2018, and your immigration minister threw them on an island that is for the study of infectious animal diseases. 👍nice!
US 2018 had 400k border crossing APPREHENSIONS, not including those not caught, or applicants for legal entry. 2017 has 25k asylum seekers alone.
Denmark gave 2.6 billion in economic aid in 2016 equating to .8% of gross national product, while the US in 2018 gave 49.8 billion for economic and military aid.
Son theres a little statistics for ya. You wanna tout how wonderful your tiny little country is. Americans work harder, take less vacations, give more personal income and taxpayer money. We have 329 million people in our country with a serious problem of "lazy-fatass-itous". Our detention centers at the border may be over crowded and under staffed, but at least we dont send them to an infectious animal disease study compound.
@@DG-america You're out of line - how is it educating to compare pears and apples (our GNP with your aid figure of 49.8 billion without GNP) The island thing has been discussed here in Denmark but isn't going to be (Danes find it disgusting) etc etc Comparing apples and pears is not how to measure - look up truth, as it seems you have, with your never lying Trump twitters ...
Sounds like the dance are pretty lazy
You meant clever didn't you?
Also it's "Danes"
I'm going to assume that Denmark takes care of their own people with their tax income - they don't bail out other countries after disasters, or give financial support to other countries who are their allies. I'm assuming that Denmark also does not have a huge military budget. The USA spends a lot of federal tax income internationally. If we (USA) were a tiny country only taking care of our own - we might also have better social welfare. The reality - it is complicated. Denmark does not have the geo-political role that America has, and doesn't have to finance it.
Lady please go read a book or at least google the things you assume.
Jennifer, do your homework - we're bailing out the disasters and catastrophes and poor countries of the world top 5 in the world - and our military is very strong though we use less per capita than the US . But the outcome is surprisingly effective, showing that we just use our brains and use the money wisely. America should try that?
Jennifer B. They do! But not even close to the amount that the US does, people seems to forget that the debt of the US is largely because they basically build Europe back aft Ww2
@@ShaneshaS They wouldn't ave to if the US joined the war earlier.
First thing im doing whne im old enough IM HIGH TAILING OUT OF THIS COUNTRY RIGHT TO DENMARK
The USA the biggest nation in the world where a person like me can make a hell of a living without finishing school.
If Denmark is so great. Why is it that all the people and celebrities in the world want to move to the USA 🇺🇸
Your country is like an Empire
"why do rich people want to be here?" thats not an argument for your country being a good place for the working and middle class, its an argument for it being a place where rich people benefit the most
th-cam.com/video/kbpY-2nOYRI/w-d-xo.html
@@erikchepkyy5912: Don't mind the original poster. Judging by their name, they are from Tennessee. And people from that region of the US are ignorant, close minded rubes that have been brainwashed since birth to think the US is "God's" chosen country and that everything about it, including its history, is that of the highest amount of integrity and morality. They are ethnocentric, patriotic and nationalist to a fault and find any way to rationalize and justify any ills our ancestors have committed.
Pretty much all of the states and regions that fall under the umbrella term of "The South" are a cancer upon this country; really a cancer upon humanity.
Because USA is big market and speaks English which all Europeans understand.
But there is more to life than Hollywood :)
and they dont only actores and such move there rly
I ask all Americans to share this platform to educate the ignorant and get BERNIE in office BERNIE2020
Why not go all communism. I'm sure you'll be even happier
MrTweetyhack
This but unironically.
Agreed. Killing off your productive people is a very good way to make your country a better place. It is an effective way of fighting obesity. Just look at Venezuela. They are losing weight all the time...
@@dervaretyndigtland4760 Rulling class and smalll rich elite isnt "productive" to society in any way. Its the regular workers who create profit not their bossess.
You fucking idiot they aren't socialist or communist they are social democracies. Those two things are very different. It's like the difference between bear, bare.
Title slide says social democracy but script uses "democratic socialism"; they're not the same. Bernie talks DS but seems SD.
Keep in mind that it is those over-worked Americans who pay taxes for their own military to defend those happy little Danes living in a dandy little "utopia."
Why does America pay that much for military costs in other countries? Why not just pay the same amount if it’s an issue for the US? I honestly don’t understand? Why not just leave NATO if it’s too big of a burden?
@@maryhanna3317 Hey, I'm all for the US leaving NATO. Sovereign countries should be able to defend themselves without a big brother watching out for them. It's just that there are too many in the US on both sides of the political aisle that don't care how much the US spends and would see it as "isolationist" if the US were to leave NATO.
Scandinavians define happiness as getting enough food and money to last a month , many of them don't have any dreams of making it big
They have no dream owning a home , there is less ownership class in Denmark and Norway
if every human on earth became president, then there would be no point, if they all are ceos, no work gets done, if they are all "making it big" then no one is
the vast majority will ALWAYS be people willing to just live a happy life, but the US does not prioritie that
th-cam.com/video/kbpY-2nOYRI/w-d-xo.html
@@magnusorn7313 true! people think social democracy is like communism which is just sad :(
When you write: "many of them don't have any dreams of making it big" it really just translates to "many of them are not greedy".
as a person living in Denmark i can tell that you my friend don't know what you're talking about.