The happiest people in the world..

Puja20

..live in Denmark.So I am catching up on my Oprah's today on Tivo and just watched her Happiest People in the world episode. Here are the perks of living in Denmark-Free health care-6 months to 1 year paid maternity leave-Free education plus the government will give you 400-500 dollars a month to go to college-If you lose your job the government will pay 90% of your    salary for 4 yearsHere's the kicker..they also pay 50% in income tax!What do you think..would you be happy with this? 

Nebb

Well i kind of have half of that in canada. I will stay here.

georgia_bride09

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Sooles

im doin' fine up in canader. but jeez, 4 years?? thats a little much. doesnt exactly encourage you to find another job does it?

singing_sea

I'd be :::shrug:::

impslave

I would love it.The extra 20 or so percent difference between the tax rate in the US and Denmark is already going to costs such as student loan payments, health care premiums, child care costs, etc.Breaks out to be pretty much the same.

BarefootContessa

I watched that episode. It was amazing to me to see exactly how small their living space was!

MeaghanandMichael

Sooo what is the incentive to not lose your job?

britne28

The US, according to the National Geographic, ranks at the bottom with Nigeria for maternity leave.  England has a year but I'm not sure if it is at full pay.    Well the taxes are a bit much but overall it doesn't sound bad. 

Stackeye210

YES!  Plus I like seeing people wear wooden shoes. 

ring_pop

I think I'm happy with Canada, thanks.

SwedishChick2011

If I could really get all those things, and they were as good as they sound), it would probably be worth 50% income tax.  I'm a little skeptical, though. Do they have to pay any taxes above the 50%?

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I would be. I'd totally do it in a heartbeat. Then again, I'm normally fine paying more in taxes as long as it's going towards something good, like social programs.This would never, ever fly in the US, though. Too much of a Horatio Alger mentality and people who are not used to having the government take care of them, or who think it's a bad thing.

MissIntentional

that's the second special on denmark i've seen. i find the way they live very interesting. i'm happy here. i think my life would be less stressful there, but i won't be moving anytime soon.

kate51485

They left out, however, that Scandinavians (and those of Scandinavian descent) often tend to have higher rates of depression, or at the very least greater rates of Seasonal Affect Disorder, than other parts of the world.

Nebb

Whooo Canada ranks #6 on that list!

Puja20

It doesn't sound so bad to me!  They did also say the government helps you find a job as well, so maybe it's kind of like unemployment here where you have to prove you are looking for jobs.Another thing I learned was the the people in Denmark are also the least religious people in the world.  I don't really know what that has to do with anything but I found it interesting,

saschaduran

I have read about this before. There is a huge incentive there not to work because you get paid anyways. You just have to be a good employee for the trial period, 90 days or something, then you do whatever the helll you want. If your employer fires you they pay a big part of that income so many will keep you on so the quality of the workforce is very poor and lazy. On the other hand it is a slackers dream. Hopefully Darksideofthemoons hubbby gets transferred there.

jessjo04

No thanks. But I fear this is the direction in which the US is headed anyway.

ring_pop

Is it 50% income tax across the board though? In Canada, income taxes are kind of a sliding scale... the more you make, the higher percentage you pay.

MissIntentional

the US will not even come close to Denamrk, not while we're alive anyway.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Europe has much higher rates of unemployment than the US. 10% is not unusual. A bad recession might see more like 20-25% unemployment. Hence the good unemployment benefits. There are just fewer jobs.

[Deleted User]

Hopefully Darksideofthemoons hubbby gets transferred there.Ha!

Puja20

Regarding the taxes..it did say in the episode that people can pay up to 60% depending on their scale.  The women in the episode talked about how the gap between rich and poor is one of the smallest in the world.  Most people chose medium paying professions and do things they love rather then go after careers that pay more.  More money=more taxes.

MissIntentional

i liked how they just left their infants outside in their strollers. that was a trip.

saschaduran

I do love the free education and maternity leave though. I met a woman from Estonia and they get amazing maternity leave. I think 18 months. And the father gets 3 months as well to give him a time period to bond. I may be slightly off with the numbers but they are very close. It is also a highly educated country and one of the least religious. 75% do not claim a particular religion.

Puja20

"i liked how they just left their infants outside in their strollers. that was a trip"That was crazy.  Can you imagine anyone trying to do that here?!  CPS would be called, and probably rightly so!

andyandhillary

If it works for them, then great!Not my cup of tea.  I'm too much of a libertarian.  I don't like other people controlling me. 

missy68

(places a wager her ex-h has booked a one-way ticket to Denmark).

MissLeahM

I get everything but the 4 years salary in Canada..

saschaduran

Haha.maybe my daughters dad has a ticket with your ex missy!