The Teabaggers are crying that Pres. Obama & the Democrats, heaven forbid are moving us to a European styled social safety net in America. Let's look at what a European styled social safety net does. Myth vs truth!
Jeremy Rifkin wrote a book called The European Dream but even before he wrote that book, people have been asking is the American social safety net or is the European social safety net more respectful of real family values. Which offers lip service and which offers real meat & potatoes for working class folks? What is the truth & what is the myth?
This diary will look at facts & the fact is even with the coming health care reform (which will leave behind millions) the US is still the only major industrialized country in the world that doesn't offer universal medical for all residents. The US also stands alone in not offering paid maternity benefit, paid sick leave & paid annual leave by right of law. The US is also alone by graduating students from university with a high debt burden due to out of control post-secondary education costs. Not offering paid child allowance benefit as well seems to be uniquely American. In fact most Americans don't even know what a child allowance even is.
(Written by an American expat living in the European Union)
Maybe we should work for a European social safety net in the US for real family values. What do you think?
The Guardian UK: What do we get for our US tax dollars?
We like to think of Europeans as poor overtaxed serfs but the benefits they receive show the shortcomings of the US system
The fact is, in return for their taxes, Europeans are receiving a generous support system for families and individuals for which Americans must pay exorbitantly, out-of-pocket, if we are to receive it at all. That includes quality healthcare for every single person, the average cost of which is about half of what Americans pay, even as various studies show that Europeans achieve healthier results.
But that's not all. In return for their taxes, Europeans also are receiving affordable childcare, a decent retirement pension, free or inexpensive university education, job retraining, paid sick leave, paid parental leave, ample vacations, affordable housing, senior care, efficient mass transportation and more. In order to receive the same level of benefits as Europeans, most Americans fork out a ton of money in out-of-pocket payments, in addition to our taxes.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/...
What happens to the 4 weeks paid vacation benefit that Americans don't get. It doesn't disappear, it turns into profit in the owner's pocket. What happens in the US to the maternity benefit that is not required to be paid to workers by law? Well it too turns into profit in the owner's pocket. What happens to the universal medical and dental (cradle-to-grave) benefit, which includes prescription medications? It also is stolen by the owners and the elite class in America. What happens to the by law guaranteed sick leave benefit? Again it gets stolen by rich Americans who have prevented that benefit from becoming law through their lobbyists. What happens to the pension systems in the US that Wall street stole? Who is getting rich off of that?
Well obviously the policy of the US government is to make the rich richer and this has created an eye popping 403 American billionaires, which is the largest number of billionaires not only in the world but in the history of the world. Why do we as Americans turn to the very people who are stealing from us into icons of social worship on the cover of news magazines?
According to Forbes, there are 403 billionaires in the U.S. with a collective net worth of $1.3 trillion. Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates — ranked by Forbes as the two richest men in the country — are leading by example. With a combined net worth of $100 billion...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/...
U.S. lags in paid sick days, work benefits
(Reuters) - The United States lags far behind other nations in offering paid sick days, paid parental leave and other workplace benefits that proponents consider vital to public health and workers rights
Please ask yourself why is the US the country with the highest rate of billionaires in the world and the only major industrialized country in the world that doesn't offer job protected paid maternity leave by right of law?
A group of MEPs in the Women’s Rights Committee are calling for minimum maternity leave in the European Union (EU) to be extended from 14 to 20 weeks, and be fully paid.
http://news.icm.ac.uk/...
Did you know that US workers on average get the least amount of paid vacation of any major industrialized nation in the world? Why is it that the country with the highest number of billionaires picks the pocket of working class people by taking from them their paid vacation time? What kind of family values are those?
39 Developed Countries That Take Longer Vacations Than America
Americans work longer and take fewer vacations than just about any developed country. America is the only one that doesn't mandate paid vacations for full-time employees.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/...
How do you feel that the US the only major industrialized nation in the world that doesn't provide for mandated paid vacation by right of law? How do you feel about that? Is it fair billionaires are stepping worker's rights by stealing their paid vacation days from them?
Countries that give the most paid vacation time are primarily located in the European Union, and the highest ranking average vacation time in countries occurs in Finland, where workers receive about 30 days of vacation per year and also have nine paid holidays for each year. Other countries with generous, or some would say reasonable, vacation packages include France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. Countries outside of Europe that have quite a bit of vacation time include New Zealand, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and India.
http://www.wisegeek.com/...
Did you know that in England, Oxford and Cambridge university for students from the UK or other EU countries cannot charge Ivy league tuition rates and that unless you make over £15,000 pounds a year you are not required to make any student loans payments. More over did you know that most EU countries have low or no tuition for students?
Below is a quick quote below of the student loan system in England, to which I would like to ask, are you aware that the lifetime limit of the federal Stafford student loan has not been increased for almost 18 years? Please make your member of Congress aware of this because the door is closing on the American dream.
Let's look at higher education in the UK:
Basically, all university students now have to pay for their fees but loans are available to help cover these costs and you don’t have to pay anything back until you’re earning more than £15,000* a year.
http://www.blackpool.ac.uk/...
Did you know that in the EU, full time higher education students can get a child care allowance. How do you feel about that? Here is an example in England of just exactly that.
(England)
Childcare Grant and other help for students with children
If you're a full-time higher education student with dependent children, you may be able to get extra financial help. The Childcare Grant can help with childcare costs, and the Parents' Learning Allowance with costs related to your course.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/...
Too many people in America are graduating with big student debt that to the point where people are now talking about American student debt slavery which provides for a compliant workforce because they really need their jobs. Not just because they are afraid of losing their health care but they are afraid of defaulting on their student loans because they can't be discharged even in bankruptcy.
Let's look at higher education in Germany:
Tuition fees at university in Germany
Following a judgement of the Federal Constitutional Court (bundeverfessungsgericht), students are charged registration and tuition fees at universities and colleges in Germany as of 2005. However, there are some federal states (Lander) where universities still do not charge tuition fees. In general, tuition fees are approximately 500 euros per semester and registration fees are about 50 euros per semester.
http://www.studyineurope.eu/...
Let's look at higher education in France:
Basic standard student fees in France in 2010-2011 are 174 euros per year for a first degree, and 237 euros per year for masters degrees - plus a few other extras that can push the price up by a small percentage on top of this.
Add to this subsidised student restaurants, cheap public transport, subsidised halls of residence, and what are you waiting for ? If you can get by reasonably well in French, there's a whole alternative university system waiting for you ! And in French universities there are no caps on student numbers, except in certain courses such as Medicine.
http://about-france.com/...
How do Europeans view the American medical system?
In order to answer that question this diary provides a quick quote and a link to an article written by the British newspaper known as the UK Independent which gives a pretty good insight of how Europeans feel about the American medical system.
Independent.co.uk The brutal truth about America’s healthcare
The LA Forum, the arena that once hosted sell-out Madonna concerts, has been transformed – for eight days only – into a vast field hospital. In America, the offer of free healthcare is so rare, that news of the magical medical kingdom spread rapidly and long lines of prospective patients snaked around the venue for the chance of getting everyday treatments that many British people take for granted.
Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/...
Take a look at the French Health Care Model
In France all residents are apart of a European dream, cradle to grave medical and dental care system that provides for full prescription medication coverage.
Please ask yourself what could we learn from the French model of providing universal medical care that is affordable.
The French government provides a number of diverse and comprehensive healthcare rights. For more than 96 percent of the population, medical care is either entirely free or is reimbursed 100 percent. The French also have the right to choose among healthcare providers, regardless of their income level. For example, they can consult a variety of doctors and specialists or choose a public, private, university or general hospital. Moreover, the waiting lists for surgeries found in other government supported healthcare systems do not exist in France.
http://ambafrance-us.org/...
Take a look at the German Health Care Model
What could we learn from the German medical system which provides for cradle to grave universal medical system at affordable rates and costs about 40 percent less than the system in the US yet covers everyone through the statutory and private system wherein about 90 percent of the people are covered through the statutory system.
Health Care in German Society
Germany's health care system provides its residents with nearly universal access to comprehensive high-quality medical care and a choice of physicians. Over 90 percent of the population receives health care through the country's statutory health care insurance program.
http://www.germanculture.com.ua/...
Here the Physicians for a National Health Program in the US on their website list 16 different countries all of whom offer universal medical care, to which this diary asks can we in the US learn anything from them?
Physicians for a National Health Program
Snapshots of health systems in 16 countries
This publication covers the organization and financing of the health systems,and the provision of and developments in health care in each country. Edited by Susanne Grosse-Tebbe and Josep Figueras, the state of affairs is presented for Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
http://www.pnhp.org/...
What is Child Allowance (also known as child benefit)?
Here is some quick information about child allowance in France, but first let me explain what child allowance is because Americans never get child allowance and therefore have never even heard of such a thing. This is a monthly family maintenance payment that you receive as grant money from the government every month to help raise children in the European Union countries. This is standard throughout western Europe. You see, EU citizens get something for their taxes in the EU.
(From French social security website - English version)
- Family allowance
Family allowance is paid to families with two or more dependent children living in France. It is neither means-tested nor related to previous employment periods.
The amount of the family allowance as of 1st January 2010 is 32% of the monthly family benefit base (€124.54) for two children and 41% (€159.57) for each additional child
http://www.cleiss.fr/...
Most countries in the European Union offer some type of comprehensive child benefit and it for the most part is not means tested but rather is a cash payment made to parents for children living at home. This is something that doesn't even exist in the US. Did you know that? The following below is a link to the a wikipedia article describing child allowance which provides limited information in Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden and even Australia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
This diary is by no means meant as a comprehensive treatment of this subject area but is instead only meant as a subject discussion starter. To that end, this diary asks you if you have lived aboard or are living aboard please provide comments of what your experience has been living under an EU social safety net system. Please know that all opinions are welcomed in a spirit of intellectual freedom.
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Additionally in America we spend more money per person on each and every one of the 2 million people who are incarcerated in the US than it would cost them to send them to Harvard, why do we do that in America? What say you?
What does this all turn into and mean when we have the largest prison population in the free world (an excess of 2 million people)?
NY Times: U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations
The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population.
But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners.
PS: Quick word of thanks to ridemybike for suggesting Thomas Geoghegan's new book:
Were You Born On The Wrong Continent? How the European Model Can Help You Get a Life.
by ridemybike on Wed Sep 22, 2010 at 06:30:12 AM PDT
this is the diary I have been waiting for
.... I want us to be more like Europe.
every single European friend I have... whether from England or Germany or France are having a much easier, less stressful, more enjoyable life. and every single one of them wonders, more and more, what is wrong with the U.S.
why don't we take care of each other?
why do we put a hitler mustache on our president when he is trying to make sure we get health care? why does our government let us struggle and starve and end up on the street? these are real questions usually asked with a sense of bewilderment... and confusion. personally, I'm sick of struggling... and I'd give just about anything to have more any security at this point.
though I haven't started it yet, I'm looking forward to reading
Thomas Geoghegan's new book: Were You Born On The Wrong Continent? How the European Model Can Help You Get a Life.
on my way out the door.... but I will fully digest your diary this afternoon. hopefully, it will stay on the recommended list all day.
many thanks :)
As the elite media except for short and very forgettable sound bites will never cover this subject matter. It's up to you to keep this discussion going. By commenting here, talking to your family, friends, neighbors and even your members of Congress, otherwise tomorrow when this diary is no longer on the recommended list, all of the great comments made by our posters here will be forgotten, because the elite media's owners don't want them to report on the subject matter.
They hire Fox news and people like Glenn Beck to confuse this issue in an attempt to damn the very word "social justice" as a Communist idea when in fact, Fox news and Glenn Beck both promote trade with Communist China in an attempt to de-industrialize the United States even more. Would you please comment and tell us why do you think the American expat community is growing? Is it because more Americans are turning to the European dream?