I have made good friends with a man from Sweden. We made our connection through a knife forum (I make custom knives). Over the past year, we have discussed many things, from the election to health care. My friend follows US news, is very educated, and is about 62 years old.
You may struggle a bit with his written English, but please know I admire this man, as I only can speak and write ONE language!
Here is how he sees us...
Well, we have discuss this before – and I have still the same opinion, the government of a country must understand that it have a very big responsibility for all citizens, their health and in what standard they live.
All civilize country’s in the free work of today have free health care for their citizens – except US. And US average living age is also one of the absolute lowest in the civilized word. No country have so many dead baby’s as US have today per 1000 born children. And so on. In my mind, this is a result from the fact that US do not have a health care system for its citizens.
The poorest citizens health and economical situation is the level we use to se how good our government is to take care of all our people. We have a sort of economical "bottom line". Below that bottom line we do not accept that people are living. If they pass that line they get economical support from the government – and the government also check the out very carefully so that there is no fraude...
Sweden did a nice thing after WW2 when we have our big upswing – the politicians (Socialdemocrats) during that time say that all national resources is owned by the people of Sweden – and all money who come from this shall be used for the people – and no one privet person can own those recourses. That was good for the Swedish people; we all get it better and better from that day.
We also walk to far, the government give the people to much because they think that the money who come in every day shall come in every day in the future – and it did not. The good day last for about 30-40 years – and now we go slowly back, or down, to a level we can afford to have. It have been painful – but it is a small pain. We can live with that.
When US are discussed over here, one thing always come up, and that is your poor people. Here we do not have poor people. We have people with small economical frames – but they have roof above their heads, a bed to sleep in, food every day and so on. Next thing who also always come up is the rich people in US – and the difference between the rich and the poor people – and why the rich people allow that there is poor people in US.
We have also some rich people over here, but they are few here who is in the level of the rich people in US.
We have many "millionaires" sp to speak – but not so many "billionaires". If you move over here and start a business you get some help from the government – and when you start to make money, and I mean big money, you also pay more and more in taxes, if you earn real big money – you also get big taxes. What you are paying in taxes are used to help the poor people economicly. I think that is a good thing.
Now some people in US ask why the rich people shall pay for the poor people? Because of responsibility for all citizens in your own country. Becouse of that perhaps, after the next crises – you need some money back to survive – or you children, or grandchildren.
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There is nothing wrong to be a capitalist – but in my mind, there is also a border up in the sky, a sort of limit for how much money a man can have. I do not like "money destruction" in 25 houses, 10 summer houses, yachts and so on – in the same time people starve to death in other places. It is perfectly ok to be rich and it is allude to use their money as they like – but somewhere all people have a responsibility to look after other people so that their life’s also are ok. I do not think that all people shall have the same living standard, that do not work, but the gap between rich and poor is to big today.
In Sweden we have a Socialist political party in power for a very long time. For me, this political party is somewhere in the middle of your democrat party. They was far right from communists point of view. I have write to you before about where they stands = the people – not by privet persons, shall use national resources. For Sweden, in just this time, it was very good that this party come in power. I do not vote for them, I am little more to the right – but still in your democrat party, not so far right at your republican party.
In my mind, US population seen as a population, is not so wide educated as the population in Europe. Most of US population have not been in other country’s, they have nothing to compare with, they only speak English and they cant look at other news channels. I think that most Americans are a little "brainwashed" in that way.
For example, people all over the world are at least smiling when US people stand up and say that US is the land of freedom - and so on. Wee have been free for thousands of years – and I think that we have a bigger freedom in many ways compare to US population – but US population do not understand this.
For many years ago I discuss things like this with an American guy, in the end he say that I must be a communist and a friend of Russia. I answered him that we live close to Russia, we have done that for 1000 years. We have fight 6 big wars with Russia and we win 4 of them, but, sorry to say, not the last war – and we lost the east part of Sweden, this part is today Finland. We know Russia – and you my friend, live on the other side of the earth and do not understand anything about local things here.
Every person must have a responsibility to work and earn money so that he can support him self. That is the base. If a person are disable, cant work, and so on, the government (we, the citizens) take care of him and we look after him, we give him a wheelchair if he needs one, we make his home work for him so he can use his wheelchair in his home and so that he can get out of his house. We se that he get food every day – and so on. We give him everything he need to have a good quality in his life. But, we also check out what he can give us back. What can he work with, can he produce something, can he be a phone salesman? Anything? We try many ways for this because we like to se that he get a full life, meet other people, produce something for the society – and build up his self-respect.
Here we have a strong union and we have laws who protect employees. No one can fire me without a very good and strong reason. The union is always there in talks like this and both the law and the union protect my rights. That is good. It is a very good and strong protection for all employees in Sweden.
The backside is that it sometime can be very hard to get bad employees to leave the company. We have simple rules, last in – first out. I think you have the same rule - if not, try to get that rule, it helps.
If a person become unemployed we have a security net for also that. He get about 80% of his salary during 1 year and after that a little less money. During this years he must try to find another job. First in his occupation, for example he is a carpenter and first he try to get a carpenter work. If he do not succeed in, I think it is 3 month – he must try to find any job. The goal is that he, in one year, shall be able to support him self.
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These are exerts from letters he has written to me.
My friend has helped me to find perspective in our own struggle to move our country forward with a strong social agenda.
More than that, it has helped me also keep in perspective those shrill, hate-filled voices that are bleating about 'taking their country back' as they prefer only to shout down discourse that does not fit their revisionist, ignorant, and cruel vision for this great country.
We all need to find the strength and resolve; our own 'why', to withstand the assult as we move forward toward a more just country for all.
Our government was established to serve ALL people...it should not simply be an instrument that has become an extension of corportist interests.
I and the sheepel of the right agree on one thing.....'it's time to take our country back'.