- Joined
- Dec 13, 2015
- Messages
- 9,594
- Reaction score
- 2,071
- Location
- France
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Centrist
From the Guardian: The five key takeaways from Trump's State of the Union address - excerpt:
Trump wouldn't know socialism if it bit him on the nose. It exists nowhere in the world except, perhaps, in North Korea. And even Kim wants out.
What does exist is an entity called a Social Democracy, which Merriam Webster defines as:
Social doctrine can and does exist within capitalist economies. The European Union is a self-declared Social Democracy, which makes it the largest such democracy on earth with more than 513 million people (about one-third more than the US).
So, Donald Dork's dismissal of "socialism" is quirky, but that's the way he is. He looks at a map of the EU and thinks it’s just a bunch of European countries. It is a democratic entity with a parliament in Strasbourg.
And nobody visiting the EU would think it is essentially different from the US, unless you lived here - which I do. Meaning I know the principal differences between the US and EU in terms of societal goals and their institutional make-up.
For instance, two key differences:
*When I go for an annual health check-up (or were I in need of surgery) about 75% of the cost would be assumed by the state. The other 25% would be paid by "private healthcare insurance” that costs about $100 a month for a small family.
*I sent my kids to university at a cost of less than $1000 of annual tuition.
Meaning what? This: For key services to the individual the Social Democracies of Europe are far more proficient than Uncle Sam who hangs on religiously to an outmoded disgust of what he thinks is "socialism".
Where would you rather live? Because up to about 750K* of your fellow yanks happen to live in the EU.
And now you know why - because of the social-services that are provided to families of which Americans living in the US can only dream ...
Trump wouldn't know socialism if it bit him on the nose. It exists nowhere in the world except, perhaps, in North Korea. And even Kim wants out.
What does exist is an entity called a Social Democracy, which Merriam Webster defines as:
Social doctrine can and does exist within capitalist economies. The European Union is a self-declared Social Democracy, which makes it the largest such democracy on earth with more than 513 million people (about one-third more than the US).
So, Donald Dork's dismissal of "socialism" is quirky, but that's the way he is. He looks at a map of the EU and thinks it’s just a bunch of European countries. It is a democratic entity with a parliament in Strasbourg.
And nobody visiting the EU would think it is essentially different from the US, unless you lived here - which I do. Meaning I know the principal differences between the US and EU in terms of societal goals and their institutional make-up.
For instance, two key differences:
*When I go for an annual health check-up (or were I in need of surgery) about 75% of the cost would be assumed by the state. The other 25% would be paid by "private healthcare insurance” that costs about $100 a month for a small family.
*I sent my kids to university at a cost of less than $1000 of annual tuition.
Meaning what? This: For key services to the individual the Social Democracies of Europe are far more proficient than Uncle Sam who hangs on religiously to an outmoded disgust of what he thinks is "socialism".
Where would you rather live? Because up to about 750K* of your fellow yanks happen to live in the EU.
And now you know why - because of the social-services that are provided to families of which Americans living in the US can only dream ...
