41–50 of 137 posts
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> we as Europeans, have little say in how we are taxed. Do you not have elections?
You understand surely, that just because people vote, doesn't mean their representatives actually do anything that the people that voted want? come on
I'm a European and this is fake news
Also shows you they had to search far and wide to find examples.
Free transport? Tallin, Estonia (presumably the only capital city), population: 450k
Government-run grocery stores? Turkey (barely even Europe), only accessible to the poor
Free childcare? Portugal, introduced in 2022, and hardly universal: while the program is open to all, places are limited and can be tough to access
Rent freeze? Established in Berlin in 2020, ruled unconstitutional in 2021.
In other words, garbage article and extremely clickbaity (and lying) title.
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You understand surely, that just because people vote, doesn't mean their representatives actually do anything that the people that voted want? come on
I believe the saying is "no taxation without representation", not "no taxation without personal approval".
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I think a big issue some Americans have is that they think socialism is great because it is the European model. 1. Europe is not socialist (Eastern Europe and the USSR were). And, no, social-democracy is NOT socialism. 2. The welfare state is essentially bankrupt in many European countries. 3. Socialism cannot, ultimately be democratic. My only sane interpretation for an election of a socialist candidate in 2025 is t…
Europe is not a monolith. Norwegians self identify as socialist for example.
Er.. that's not even remotely true
Have most Western countries mostly given up on supply side policies for housing price stablisation as an option ? Odd given how much construction tech has improved.
We could build strong, very energy efficient houses incredibly fast using Structural Insulated Panels.
If you really want to drive down the cost of housing figure out cheap windows or start convincing people they don’t need nearly as many of them.
Don’t believe me? Compare the cost of a large 2 story prefab shed ~10-20$/sf without amenities like plumbing vs a house of similar size.
The Guardian strikes again... as an European those policies are not " a given "... shockingly, we need to buy tickets to ride the bus, childcare is not usually free overall, and rent freezes don't work. It is also not so normal to claim to be a bona fide socialist (and Europe knows more than most what this means).
The point is that most of his policies are part of the normal churn of debate in a great many countries and are not seen as extreme, even if not implemented.
eg: "Free" public transport is a thing in Queensland, Australia.
( Okay, it's actually 50 cent flat rate fares: https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/50-cent-fares .. so lets call that 'nominal' )
I'm a European and this is fake news
Also European, and I partly agree. But I think they are "normal" left wing policies in Europe in the sense that parties in various countries/cities/regions have campaigned on them or implemented them. But my understanding of some US media is these are depicted as borderline communism.
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This just in: some people don’t like paying taxes
You may want to review what caused the American revolution.
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I think you can nitpick the detail but the broader point is still true. Yes, you still pay for the bus, but it’s heavily subsidised. Yes, you still pay for childcare but government subsidies make it wildly more affordable than it is today for New Yorkers. The general pitch is “raise taxes to make life more affordable for all”. That’s an idea Europeans can identify with.
I think a big issue some Americans have is that they think socialism is great because it is the European model. 1. Europe is not socialist (Eastern Europe and the USSR were). And, no, social-democracy is NOT socialism. 2. The welfare state is essentially bankrupt in many European countries. 3. Socialism cannot, ultimately be democratic. My only sane interpretation for an election of a socialist candidate in 2025 is t…
2. The US government is essentially bankrupt, and has been spending far beyond its means for decades.
But countries are not households. Sovereign countries cannot run of money. But they can run out of confidence.
For a nation state, bankruptcy happens when its currency is no longer respected and essential imports become so expensive they cause hyperinflation.
By any objective measure, the US today is closer to that today than Europe. (It's mostly the fault of tariffs, but the cause doesn't matter.)
It's true the influence of neoliberal lobbying and opportunism by US corporates has reduced the effectiveness of welfare in the EU. But health and benefits are still higher, and the only country where insured health costs bankrupt 500,000 people a year is the US.