Bernie Sanders: Something's Not-So-Rotten in Denmark

[marmar]

by Sen. Bernie Sanders


Danish Ambassador Peter Taksoe-Jensen spent a weekend in Vermont this month traveling with me to town meetings in Burlington, Brattleboro and Montpelier. Large crowds came out to learn about a social system very different from our own which provides extraordinary security and opportunity for the people of Denmark.

Today in the United States there is a massive amount of economic anxiety. Unemployment is much too high, wages and income are too low, millions of Americans are struggling to find affordable health care and the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider.

While young working families search desperately for affordable child care, older Americans worry about how they can retire with dignity. Many of our people are physically exhausted as they work the longest hours of any industrialized country and have far less paid vacation time than other major countries

Denmark is a small, homogenous nation of about 5.5 million people. The United States is a melting pot of more than 315 million people. No question about it, Denmark and the United States are very different countries. Nonetheless, are there lessons that we can learn from Denmark? ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/what-can-we-learn-from-de_b_3339736.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

[tularetom]

1. Like most of northern Europe Denmark is starting to grapple with a loss of homogeneity

as more and more immigrants from eastern Europe and the Middle East begin to take menial jobs from native born Danes.

All the ingredients for social unrest are there: Resentful (even racist) youths, shit stirring politicians spouting nativist rhetoric, and a safety net that is beginning to show some strain.

As of now Denmark is okay. How long will they be able to hold it together? Nobody knows.

[byeya]

6. Denmark is a small country and by our standards, it's full of people. Why take any immigrants

when you are over crowded to begin with? I have nothing against a country saying, Sorry, full up.

[moondust]

2. Nice place.

I've often wished I'd been born in Denmark. Much of Europe seems to value quality of life much more than who can amass the biggest pile of materialistic excess.

Kick for Bernie.

[antigop]

3. but, but, but.. th-th-that's s-s-s-ocialism! nt

[cali]

4. Vermonters are down with Socialism. We elected Bernie

[antigop]

5. And lots of us are glad you did. We need more like him! nt