The fastest growing economy in the West

[GOP = Terrorists]

And yes, we are and entirely capitalist country

I'd just like to argue that in the history of civilization there has never been a purely capitalist if Capitalism and Socialism are seen as a linear gradient.

IMO a purely capitalist country can not have any regulations including things that we would take for granted such as regulating the work force by banning slave labor or a capitalist military which IMO is completely merc...

That every country is somewhere between the furthest extremes of pure capitalism and pure socialism.

[Jens]

Denmark has been following the same economic model for decades, so any recent spike in growth can't possibly be attributed to thier mixed-economy government.

Actually a lot of things has changed in the last decades. Some of the rater rigid structures has been abolished creating the socalled "Flexicurity" system

[Jens]

http://www.ncpa.org/pi/internat/pdinter/march98n.html

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Yeah.  Sounds awesome.

And NCPA is of cause extremely possitive towards Denmark. Take a look at their "about us"

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, established in 1983. The NCPA's goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. Topics include reforms in health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, criminal justice, education and environmental regulation

Sounds like they would not be able to say anything possitive about Denmark, no matter what

[Jens]

Ireland is by far the best performing nation among Western Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan, if you include it in the "West" which I do. It has been deservingly nicknamed the "Celtic tiger".

In the 50'ies Ireland was by far the poorest country in Western Europe and still when Ireland entered the EEC in 1973 they were dirt poor. High growth rates comes easy when you have a low starting point

[Jens]

Simple question: What has Denmark done for the world?  The United States has cars, airplanes, pharmaceuticals, engineering firms, space industries, manufacturing, etc.  Notice the AND operator.

What does Denmark have?  If Denmark would disappear from the world, would anyone care/notice?

Well for one the US troops would have some serious trouble getting surplies since Maersk is the major shipping company in the world, the 5th largest brewery worldwide (probably the best beer), Vestas, the largest windmill company worldwide - besides present day companies, nomerous nobel prize winners in litterature, chemestry, physics and the peace prize - most prominent Niels Bohr, the man behind quantum mecanics.

Plus Aqua, the band that made the hit single "I'm a Barbie Girl"

[opebo]

Edit: Though in general, Western Europe gets a bad rap when it comes to economic performance-- their economic growth rate is lower than America's only because their population growth is slower. The Economist recently reported that Europe's per capita GDP growth over the past five years was 1.4% compared to 1.5% for the U.S.--statistically insignificant difference. Over the past 10 years Europe's job creation record has been better. France is more productive than the U.S., while Germany is the world's largest exporter.

I recently saw an interesting segment on the BBC that showed that social mobility is much greater in Europe and other parts of the developed world than in the US.  Apparently the US was dead last in terms of ability of the very poor to change their predicament!

[TB]

And yes, we are and entirely capitalist country

I'd just like to argue that in the history of civilization there has never been a purely capitalist if Capitalism and Socialism are seen as a linear gradient.

IMO a purely capitalist country can not have any regulations including things that we would take for granted such as regulating the work force by banning slave labor or a capitalist military which IMO is completely merc...

That every country is somewhere between the furthest extremes of pure capitalism and pure socialism.

Very true no economies have ever been entirely capitalist of communist. So I'll eat my words and say we have a modern market economy which embraces capitalism. Thanks for that correction Progress.

Also I agree with Jens' points. My goal was to point out that the Scandinavian model does work. It would be difficult to find healthier economies at the moment. And Richius I simply don't buy that critique. They don’t seem to know anything about this country.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

* Danish schools and hospitals are reportedly not very good, and waiting lines for routine operations are irritatingly long.

That is not true. Danish schools are very good. Other studies show that Danish students are among the best in the world. An EU study showed that Danish students were the most knowledgeable when it comes to the EU and the world in general. Our hospitals may not be in the top three in the EU, but a reform which will provide better service is under way. The Danish school and healthcare system ensures that everyone has the opportunity to get an education and medical treatment which the American doesn’t. That’s only for the wealthy.

* The average lifespan for almost every other country in Europe is increasing faster than that of the Danes.

We believe in social liberalism. The government mostly stay out f the private lives of people which means that we don’t have smoking bans or as many restrictions on alcohol as many other countries. Our climate is also against us. Studies show that the cold and rain is less healthy than the sun and heat in the Mediterranean countries.
 
* Denmark has Europe's highest income taxes, requiring both spouses to work -- which means they don't get much time with their children.

Wrong again. Women can stay at home if they want. They work because they want to pursue their own careers. Also I already said before that we work three month less per year on average than an American and still we are more productive!!!

* One Dane out of every eight is tax-financed rather than market-financed, and well over one-fifth of people of working age are on welfare.

Your numbers are not right here. The reason is that we give money to students so they don’t have to work while taking an education. That ensures that they can focus on the education 100 percent. It also gives less privileged kids a chance of getting a top class education. Also we encourage higher birthrates by supporting families. A family gets a certain amount of money per child. That’s why we have one of the higher birthrates in Europe 1.78 per woman at the moment.

Danish taxpayers recently became irate over a newspaper story which reported that the country's 11,000 Somali immigrants -- virtually all beneficiaries of the welfare state -- had managed to send back to Africa the equivalent of $8.4 million over the past nine months.

Well that is a problem. A lot of immigrants try to cheat the system which is a problem. The Welfare sate is build on the presumption that everyone want a job, well not everyone wants a job, and lately a lot of immigrants have seen this as a way of milking the system. But the truth is that a lot of people get a chance to start a new life a life where they have the opportunity to become the equals of their new countrymen.

My conclusion is that we don’t have to be melancholy in this country.

[Richard]

And NCPA is of cause extremely possitive towards Denmark. Take a look at their "about us"

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, established in 1983. The NCPA's goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. Topics include reforms in health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, criminal justice, education and environmental regulation

Sounds like they would not be able to say anything possitive about Denmark, no matter what

Are you disputing what they are saying in any way?  If not, move on and go suck a lemon unless you feel like contributing towards the discussion.  If you are disputing what they are saying, please provide a link and an argument.

[Richard]

Well for one the US troops would have some serious trouble getting surplies since Maersk is the major shipping company in the world,

Oh please.  As if there are no other shipping companies in the world.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Will hardly be missed if they're gone.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

OK.  You got me there.  Denmark can make windmills.  Amazing.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

He also lived about 80 years ago if memory serves, in a time when the United States was less mature than Europe.  Now the United States is mature, and kicking your ass in pretty much everything.

[TB]

Doesn't Denmark spend the most on Welfare than any other country?

I believe Sweden is ahead of us. The libertarians have long been dreaming about substantial cuts, but the development of the new flexicurity system have cooled the debate lately.

Oh and David, I also wanted to say that you are right. The government does "steal" a lot of our money. We are currently ranked 4th when it comes to GDP per capita, but only 17th when it comes Purchasing Power per capita. I know you will call that theft, but most Danes seem to be satisfied. Denmark has succeeded in creating the most equal society in the world if you look at the Gini coefficient and yet one of the most economically dynamic.

Simple question: What has Denmark done for the world?  The United States has cars, airplanes, pharmaceuticals, engineering firms, space industries, manufacturing, etc.  Notice the AND operator.

What does Denmark have?  If Denmark would disappear from the world, would anyone care/notice?

Simple question what have you done for the world? would anyone care/notice if you would disappear? My point is that you can't put it up like this. You exist as a part of the world the same goes for Denmark as a country.

[Jens]

And NCPA is of cause extremely possitive towards Denmark. Take a look at their "about us"

The National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, established in 1983. The NCPA's goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. Topics include reforms in health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, criminal justice, education and environmental regulation

Sounds like they would not be able to say anything possitive about Denmark, no matter what

Are you disputing what they are saying in any way?  If not, move on and go suck a lemon unless you feel like contributing towards the discussion.  If you are disputing what they are saying, please provide a link and an argument.

My point was that the whole basic of NCPA is to promote a policy that is the direct opposite of what have the policy of all Danish political parties the last 75 years. NCPA is against a welfare state and as TB's post showed quite clearly that they are using a few things out of context to promote their policies - that said, you should start to debate in a more civil tone

[Јas]

Ireland is by far the best performing nation among Western Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan, if you include it in the "West" which I do. It has been deservingly nicknamed the "Celtic tiger".

In the 50'ies Ireland was by far the poorest country in Western Europe and still when Ireland entered the EEC in 1973 they were dirt poor. High growth rates comes easy when you have a low starting point

No need to start mud-slingin at our economic growth.

[Jens]

Well for one the US troops would have some serious trouble getting surplies since Maersk is the major shipping company in the world,

Oh please.  As if there are no other shipping companies in the world.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Will hardly be missed if they're gone.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

OK.  You got me there.  Denmark can make windmills.  Amazing.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

He also lived about 80 years ago if memory serves, in a time when the United States was less mature than Europe.  Now the United States is mature, and kicking your ass in pretty much everything.

Comparing Denmark with the USA is quite silly. Of cause the USA has more major companies, do more reseach and has a bigger army that Denmark. the country is more that 50 times bigger.

Niels Bohr died in 1962, but the Niels Bohr Institute of Physics still is one of the most prominent physics institutions in the world

Oh, and I completely forgot to mention Hans Christian Andersen - Many a child would miss "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Mermaid" and "The Emperor's New Clothes"

[Jens]

Ireland is by far the best performing nation among Western Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan, if you include it in the "West" which I do. It has been deservingly nicknamed the "Celtic tiger".

In the 50'ies Ireland was by far the poorest country in Western Europe and still when Ireland entered the EEC in 1973 they were dirt poor. High growth rates comes easy when you have a low starting point

No need to start mud-slingin at our economic growth.

I wasn't - Ireland has showed an impressive will to evolve, but it is time that you deside what you will do now there is no more help from the EU

[Shira]

How could it be? .
Is Denmark not a Communist country, where the Healthcare and Education systems run by the government?

[Јas]

Ireland is by far the best performing nation among Western Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan, if you include it in the "West" which I do. It has been deservingly nicknamed the "Celtic tiger".

In the 50'ies Ireland was by far the poorest country in Western Europe and still when Ireland entered the EEC in 1973 they were dirt poor. High growth rates comes easy when you have a low starting point

No need to start mud-slingin at our economic growth.

I wasn't - Ireland has showed an impressive will to evolve, but it is time that you deside what you will do now there is no more help from the EU

I'm sure we'll do fine. While the EU has of course helped, high-tech led investment (mainly American) has been the major factor for growth. And the reason for that investment seems to be a young and highly educated workforce, english speaking, freedom of operation within the EU market and low corporate tax rates (I can't remember if it's 10 or 12%). These basic factors will likely remain.

The problems facing us are that our workforce are no longer comparatively cheap labour and that some new EU states have even lower (indeed I believe Estonia has zero) corporate tax rates.

[TB]

How could it be? .
Is Denmark not a Communist country, where the Healthcare and Education systems run by the government?

I choose to believe that you're joking.

Just to be sure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism

[TheresNoMoney]

I recently saw an interesting segment on the BBC that showed that social mobility is much greater in Europe and other parts of the developed world than in the US.  Apparently the US was dead last in terms of ability of the very poor to change their predicament!

This is not surprising at all. People on this board are terribly ignorant of the cyclical poverty that exists in this country. 

Can you pull yourself out of poverty? Sure. However, it is highly unlikely. The cards are stacked against you moreso than just about any other industrialized country.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Can you pull yourself out of poverty?

More than one sort of poverty

You must be logged in to read this quote.

A rather patronising attitude don't you think? Damn plebs.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Not true. Not true at all.

[Richard]

GDP growth:
-- 2.1% in 2004
-- 0.3% in 2003

[opebo]

Can you pull yourself out of poverty?

More than one sort of poverty

Regardless, transitioning from the lowest quintile to higher ones - and certainly to the highest, is a great rarity.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

A rather patronising attitude don't you think? Damn plebs.[/quote]

Why do workers always fall for this?  Someone quite reasonably points out the miserable facts of their situation in the capitalist heirarchy, and they feel demeaned.  You dolts, you are demeaned by the reality of your situation, not the person pointing it out.  Talk about blaming the messenger.

In exactly the same fashion, you poor plebs fall for the blandishments of your betters claiming you can 'get ahead' due to some personal ability or worth.  What hogwash.  Your hubris would be heartbreaking if it weren't so dumb.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Not true. Not true at all.
[/quote]

Jeezus christ man, have you never been to the USA?  Go have a look at the place - it is half slums.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Regardless, transitioning from the lowest quintile to higher ones - and certainly to the highest, is a great rarity.

And it is everywhere...

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Why are you a patronising snob?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

This is 2005 not 1855

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I Have No Idea Why That Might Be

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Uh huh. See, thing is... we actually know what the reality of the situation is, while you and people like you... don't...

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Blaming the messenger? What for? Nowt wrong with pointing out that the message turned out to be about as genuine as the Hitler Diaries.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Uh huh. Methinks that you need to lay off the alcohol before posting. Either that or you've contracted an interesting new... ahem... "tropical disease"...

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Or maybe it's opium?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Do you actually know what a slum is? Has your life been so spoilt and sheltered that you think that most American neighbourhoods are slums? Someone needs to pull the toffee out of your nose.