From the HUFF POST:
After the OECD created the Better Life Index to discern which are the happiest countries in the world an organization known as 24-7 Wall St. cherry-picked the list to narrow down those countries with the highest economic stability. Most likely, says MSNBC, “the happiest people in the developed world get loads of social services without having to work too hard.” Or maybe these lucky folks not only don’t have to pay for these services, more of them actually have jobs.
With the exception of Canada and Israel, every country on 24-7 Wall St.’s list features a much higher top income tax rate than ours — currently 35% — and a value-added, or VAT, tax. What’s more, despite the fact that the Tea Party regards high taxes as job killers, all these countries also feature lower unemployment rates than that of the U.S. Below are graphs of seven of the nine “happiest countries,” along with their top tax rates and VAT taxes compared to the U.S…
Click here to read the full article.
EDITOR: Why? Because in more contented countries they have a sense of ‘we’ rather than ‘me.’ That’s is the way the USA used to be under the New Deal and in the ‘50s and ‘60s and into the ‘70s. (Yes, even under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.) The late, great English historian Tony Judt referred to it as “Social Democracy.” Does anyone doubt that Social Security and Medicare add to a sense of security and tranquility for the elderly… and to their children who otherwise would have to support them?
