[oldalum]

Countries like Sweden and Denmark have much higher tax rates, but their citizens aren't at risk of starving or being kicked out of their homes when times get tough because they have a much more balanced pendulum. The sad irony is we're probably going to end up paying more on a per capita basis to provide emergency spending to save the whole system from collapse than those countries who paid more to have safety nets in good times.

That's Nicholas Kristof's conclusion in this excellent column on Denmark: NY Times column

[oldalum]

Countries like Sweden and Denmark have much higher tax rates, but their citizens aren't at risk of starving or being kicked out of their homes when times get tough because they have a much more balanced pendulum. The sad irony is we're probably going to end up paying more on a per capita basis to provide emergency spending to save the whole system from collapse than those countries who paid more to have safety nets in good times.

That's Nicholas Kristof's conclusion in this excellent column on Denmark: NY Times column