The American Dream Is Alive in Finland

What it is said to represent are qualities like social mobility in which America ranks amongst the very worst of the other 48 developed nations.

Here in the UK there is much resentment to people who receive benefits. I have been someone who lived on benefits because I could, not because I needed to. I spent that time learning new skills and overall have been a net contributor.

But I also know people who have no intention of personal improvement who plan to spend their entire lives on handouts.

I look at the US and see a system that seems designed to breed crime, poverty and prostitution.

Don't trick yourself into thinking the Nordic model is the greatest though. I spent 6 months there in Finland and predict a lot of social pain in the next decade. Growing unemployment will put strain on the social services. Multinationals have been allowed in which means profits sucked abroad via Wal-mart, Lidl and a host of others.

The brain drain to other parts of the EU will also grow, if the students I met fulfil their ambitions.

'Social Mobility' cannot be compared between USA and small Euro nations.

'Social Mobility' within Denmark, a country smaller than Los Angeles, is pretty good.

What if you compared 'Social Mobility' across the EU.

Do you think that poor people in Croatia, Sicily and Greece are 'mobilizing' up past the Swedish middle class?

No.

Also - America has large ethnic groups. America is really 5 nations: Europeans, Asians, Latinos, Blacks, and 'everyone else'. By almost every measure, America is different for these people, it's tough to compare. I'm not saying it's right, rather alluding to what it is.

Finally - I would say having lived in the US and Europe - that there is without a doubt more opportunity in America than in Europe overall. No question about that.

The elite in most European nations come from pretty good families. They go to the top schools and have their careers guaranteed.

Anyone in America can be successful.

Obviously, that's not a pragmatic statement, as poor kids from the ghetto often have no appreciation of this and simply don't work towards great outcomes - but this is the reality.

Anyhow - the gini coefficient for 'all of Europe' I suggest is definitely lower than the US, and this is because it's nary impossible for poor Spaniards/Greeks/Sicilians to rise to higher than the European upper middle class.

While at the same time producing the highest GDP per captia in the world, the most number of people with college education, and leadership in probably 80% of global industries?

The US doesn't 'breed' anything - communities 'breed' themselves.

I suggest the US could do a little better with the social safety net, and possibly some basic healthcare guarantees, but having 60% taxes, 30% payroll tax and 20% VAT meaning the average worker putting 75% of their income directly towards government spending is not going to work either.

The 'Nordic Model' can only work in small countries, with small, tight ethnic groups and cultural foundations.

Nordic Countries almost all have Monarchies, State Churches (Sweden gives 1% of it's tax revenues to their Christian State Church - could you imagine that in the US?). I'm not saying 'faith' is an important factor, rather pointing out the relatively cohesive social identity.

And yes, you are right: UK and Germany are sucking up talent like vacuums.