Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Liberals never seem to want to own their failed policies that have devastating effect on their societies. Sweden is a prime example, if you read this article till its end you will not only understand the failures of the liberal policies that lead to this you will also understand the efforts of those in power to hide the devastating outcomes from their citizens.

https://www.commonsense.news/p/two-bombings-in-one-night-thats-normal?utm_source=post-email-title&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

This is denial at its finest. Sweden ranks #1 in the world in quality of life. The US, by contrast, is down at #23

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/swedish-passport-leads-worlds-best-quality-of-life-list-for-2022/#:~:text=The%20Scandinavian%20nation%20has%20earned,Index%20of%20Quality%20of%20Life.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

So Sweden has great social services, your ranking only measures various metrics to arrive at its conclusion, maybe you would prefer a Reuters article, the point of the OP is to highlight failed immigration policies in Sweden and the elite's efforts to hide the failure from it's citizens by going so far as to suggest that tracking crime or even criticism of liberalized immigration policy is r****t, sounds familiar. The left's attempts to shut down any critical look into the resulting conditions from woke policy.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/gang-crime-looms-over-e******n-sweden-shootings-spread-2022-08-12/

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

No system is perfect, but Sweden's is apparently far better than that of the US in providing its citizens with a high quality of life.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

That does seem to be the case in many aspects but that is not what the argument the article makes is about. It is about globalism and the negative effects of open immigration polices have had on the Swedish society, a similar movement is occurring here in the US currently.

I don't want to be misunderstood, immigration is important for the US, unfettered open borders however is of concern and the elites efforts to not recognize their failed policies and their constant cries of r****m as a defense in an effort to shut down any critique of their policies do not serve the society which they govern. It is incredible to me that our current administration makes claims of a closed border given the conditions shown on the border each and every day, or their claims that unbridled spending is not contributing to the inflation that has many families in this country struggling to make ends meet. Maybe we should just hope for a bit more honesty and open and honest discussions coming from leadership. I know that is too much to hope for but until that happens this country is on a downward spiral.

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

Move.... I have zero desire to live in Sweden... Sounds like you need the help and services they provide for free.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I agree that the country is in a downward spiral but I disagree about the causes. The main problem is wealth ine******y, whether the rich happen to be on the left or the right. The US no longer creates as much wealth as in the past, nor is it any longer strong enough to extort the rest of the world as it did post-WW2. Public services are at an all-time low due to tax breaks given to the rich. Immigration is a relatively minor problem in the bigger picture, and actually i*****l i*********n is a boon to many sectors that employ manual labor, as they don't have to shell out for all the requisite worker protections. And in today's geopolitcal reality there is no going back

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

Wealth ine******y is a big problem that is true and I really don't see an adequate solution for it. As far as taxation, that is a point where you and I have some disagreement, I don't see the government using our tax money productively and I would just as soon leave that money in the private sector, currently the federal government receives about 20% of GDP when you thrown in State and Local that number climbs to somewhere between 35% to 40% of GDP, maybe if they did a better job in their spending efforts we would see better results.

As far as immigration goes I have already said that it is important to this country, where I live all able bodied residents who want to work are working, the work ethic in this country has gotten really bad, many sit on their conches all day either mesmerized by internet garbage or simply stoned out of consciousness, if you want work done chances are the labor that performs it will be an immigrant and more likely than not it will be one who arrived here without legal status. There is no manner in which this country could expel those living here without legal status as several sectors in our economy would collapse overnight, this still does not excuse the current status of immigration policy in the US.

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

Just how did the US extort the world, I am asking for clarification.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

All great powers use the leverage they have to get all that they can. The US has 4.25% of the population and uses a quarter of the world's resources. This is not because other countries wish to give up what they have but rather because they are forced to do so. One example is the fact that the dollar is the world's reserve currency. That means that all t***sactions are basically done in dollars, which means that the US gets a percentage of every t***saction, since other currencies must be converted into dollars.

Then there is the fact that the US has been at war every year except for 30 in its history. Wars are fought in countries' interests, not only in self-defense. The US has more that 700 military installations on foreign soil. In comparison, China has eight. Military presence is basically a signal that if you don't do what we say, bad things can happen...In Japan, for instance, 20% of Okinawa is occupied by the US military. The Japanese pay for the US military presence, even if they don't like it and don't want it.

The US isn't special in this regard. All great powers behave in this way. It is just that the US has been the major great power for many years, and so they are the most exploitative of any nation on earth at the moment.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Your view of America's current state reflects your personal dislike for capitalism. Yes, the gap between wealth and poverty is not caused by too few having too much but by too many refusing to participate in trying to gain anything. Remove the blinders and discover it is American private wealth that is now deeply involved in the space race. Nobody standing around looking for handouts ever went anywhere, and you want that to represent America? The names Jobs, Gates, Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, et al have raised more wealth than any previous group of achievers. Drive, determination, and willingness to work is alive and well in America. Too bad you miss what is really important. That failure is what caused you to miss reality of life.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Technical problem: redundant post

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

What is really important is a good quality of life for all members of the society. The fact is that American capitalism represents a "winner take all" mentality that disenfranchises many people willing and ready to work. If you look at America's "golden age" post WW2 and through the 60s, you will find that the rich were much more highly taxed than now. Social democracies, such as are found in Europe and particularly in Scandinavia have proven their worth. It is no coincidence that America is rated #23 in quality of life. Oh yes, life is good for a few percent, but overall the social fabric is in tatters, and the wealth raised by the names you mention remains in the top percentile. Amazon workers can barely survive, while Bezos is building a superyacht worth half a billion dollars. Willingness to work is alive and well, but technology has made many jobs redundant, so people willing to work cannot find jobs, and the jobs they find don't support them. When I was growing up, most families had a single breadwinner with a single job, which was enough to support a family and even send the kids to University. Now many good people working 40 hours weeks cannot even afford a place to live. The GINI coefficient has reached a point where societies and known to tear themselves apart, and that appears to be what is happening in America.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

That is interesting, and there is a lot of reason in what you say, but then on the other hand I see so much evidence that would dispute your words. I have two children, neither finished college but both earn in 6 figures, my nephew also never went to college and he too earns well into 6 figures. Having lived in Florida most of my life I saw so many successful immigrant families, Miami is owned by immigrants and has become maybe the most important Latin city in the world. What they brought with them was a strong work ethic and drive. Here in the mountains where I have retired to, there are many successful recent immigrants running small businesses, labor here starts at $20/hr and if they develop a sk**l set they can earn more. My daughter-in-law in Florida started a hair salon with a partner a few years back, now they have two salons and she earns in the $200K range... There is still opportunity here but you have to work for it, nothing will be just handed to you it takes hard work and focus.

As far as the high tax rates of the past that people seem to think better served our society? Well that is pretty much a myth, the government never collected 70% or 90%, be it because of loopholes in the code or otherwise no one paid that kind of a tax rate. Last year, not shown in the graph below federal receipts were above 18% of GDP and 2022 is projected to be a full percent and a half higher than 2021.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Just a quick Google indicated that in Sweden most residents only pay local taxes. However, these run from 28% to 35%. This may indicate why the quality of living is so high in Sweden.