This article has been making the rounds.
“Going Dutch”
About the author and his time in Holland. Even with the 52% tax, he doesn’t sound wholly displeased with the government involvement there.
We can go on and on about socialism here, but the point I’d like to make that he doesn’t is that Holland can have all the cradle to grave social programs on 52% taxes there that they want only because we exist. (and by we I mean our men and women in the military and taxpayers who pay for them)
If the US military didn’t exist (using >4% of the gdp) then the Netherlands would have to step up a bit more than their 2% of their gdp. Or someone would that they could align themselves with and trust.
One subtext of the World Economic Forum at Davos in January was the question of whether, amid the derailing of American-style capitalism as we have known it, the European approach, which marries capitalism and social welfare, and which in times of economic crisis seems to offer more stability both to individuals and to society, could suit the United States.
Maybe, maybe it would. (I don’t think so) But if it did it would come on the backs of something else. Like the military. And if we cut that and choose not to involve ourselves with the rest of the world, then the rest of the world will need to step up.
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