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Originally Posted by AngryAlpaca
[France]
[Britain]
[Canada]
[Germany]
[Italy]
France doesn't seem too atypical at all in the context of the west (US is an anomaly [you'd be hard pressed to tell me, a Canadian, that my living standard is lower than yours]) - their living standards are about the same as everyone else's.
Also, the Canadian tax rate ends up at about 47% of the total income of an average family. Doesn't seem to affect my living standards.
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Taking a broader view Canada or most of Europe could not win a war against Bolivia. Allocation of rescources as the US does affords the socialist countries a free ride on defense expenditures, The US bore the brunt of the cold war & now the war on terror.
Whether you agree with our policy or not you enjoy the benefits.
You also ignore the fact that most of the countries you mention have almost a zero growth rate and for example if current trends continue most europeans in ten years will have a per capita 1/2 the US.
Canada is the anomaly with huge natural resources (like energy) that facilitates a functioning economy.
Fact is most of europe can not afford to pay for present or future benefit committments. France has 10% unemployment, a negative birth rate, few bussiness start ups, corrupt goverment. "OLD" Europe is a socialist Europe with the peasant mindset of socialists regimes.
ViVA La` Eurabia