Holm acknowledges that a small homogenous nation like Denmark is very different from our sprawling mega-country with 50 times as many people of diverse ethnic, religious, and economic status. But she tells us why she likes it and feels fortunate to live there.
"First, I like Danish egalitarianism. . . . " [As Jonathan Haidt writes in The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (2013)] ". . . liberals need to feel equal to everybody while conservatives need to feel superior to at least a few. This makes Denmark a perfect fit for American social liberals and a frustrating - even exasperating - experience for Americans who identify as conservative.
"Personally, I like how Danes value work and workers. They seem to understand that nothing is produced or accomplished in society without labor and they honor rank and file workers just as much as managers. . . .
"Union membership is not compulsory in Denmark yet 80% of people with jobs . . . are members of a labor union . . . [C]ollective bargaining . . . is the heart and soul of their economic egalitarianism. Without government interference, it is the employees and employers that negotiate salary, vacation, sick leave and maternity/paternity leave. Women cannot lose their jobs because of pregnancy and all pregnant women are entitled to paid-leave one month prior to giving birth and up to one year afterward. Professional childcare exists so that women can participate in the economy. All children are guaranteed a place in a nursery until elementary school, subsidized through taxation.
"Everybody – skilled and unskilled – is formally trained in Denmark. There seems to be an 'education' for just about everything, including the execution of retail sales in department stores. Workers are entitled to upgrade their skills through courses . . . [often] on company time. If you lose your job, unemployment insurance protects you, giving you enough to stay inside the economic system; enough to keep you from losing your home to the bank; enough to buy groceries and prescription medicines; enough to live with dignity while you search for a new job. Losing your job in Denmark is inconvenient but not a disaster.
"Work/play balance is a Danish value and people who excessively work are not admired but considered anti-social and unhealthy. Normally, everybody works 37 hours a week and gets 5-6 weeks of paid vacation in a calendar year. If you change employers, you are entitled to carry your vacation time with you.
"Health care is pre-paid through taxation. . . . [People can] pick their own physician . . . . [D]iagnostic tests, treatments and surgery are free of extra charge and the costs of medicines are subsidized to make them affordable. . . .
"Democratic socialism is not communism. It is merely a pooling of resources to share the nation’s wealth among its citizens. Democratic socialism means that the decision makers are democratic; transparent; accessible . . . .
"Members of Parliament are not professional politicians but ordinary people: librarians, teachers, dentists, building contractors, accountants, journalists, etc. . . . What impresses me most about Danish political campaigns is the prohibition of television ads . . . . [T]he campaign period is short, not years but a matter of weeks.
"Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Danish democracy is that registering to vote is not necessary. All citizens over the age of 18 automatically receive a ballot through the postal service at their home address. Voting is not compulsory, but in national elections close to 80% of all elligible voters do.
"As an American, I know Denmark’s system is not applicable to the USA. Democratic socialism could only happen in Denmark because the population was homogenous with a high concentration of trust. America was founded by immigrants...from all over... folks who’ve had trust issues with ”government” from the beginning. . . . Danes do not see 'the government' as an adversary but as a mirror. The Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches are fellow citizens working on their behalf.
"This is what makes Denmark (and Scandinavia) different. People trust one another. The challenge is to retain this trust in a society that is no longer homogenous."
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Egalitarianism, trust, cooperation. What a contrast to what we're hearing in our political debates. Of course, all these benefits mean high taxes; but the people could change it if they wanted to -- and apparently they like it this way. Denmark is regularly listed as one of the countries where people are the happiest.
Ralph
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