Scandinavia, Socialism, Capitalism, and Taxes

1. The only two questions to ask when discussing an economic or taxation program are: 

1) Do the taxes or fees generate sufficiently positive returns for all taxpayers and residents relative to the tax or fee?; and 

2) Are the programs created or maintained as a result of the tax or fee sustainable over time when accounting for all expenses, both short-term (e.g. salaries) and long-term (e.g., pensions)? 

In short, what is the benefit relative to the tax, and is it sustainable? 

2. Here's a relevant link re: Sweden's pension reform: http://www2.ilo.org/public//english/protection/socfas/publ/discus/swedish.pdf 

3. "The key to Sweden's success is that it slashed taxes, greatly reduced its public sector, and underwent a massive privatization program in the 1990s." -- Michael Booth, The Almost Nearly Perfect People (2014) 

4. Increasing funding for a program doesn't always improve the program because much of the new funding may go to existing obligations, not new employees or new improvements. More here: https://bit.ly/2LF6tgx 

5. Full video here discussing issues more in depth: https://youtu.be/sMlCn66_yFo 

Elin Ersson, Hero

Let our descendants not think none of us did something. A few did something. A few disrupted the security apparatus. A few acted out of conscience. And from a few, many can be added, if not today or tomorrow, then at some undisclosed time in the beautiful future.

___________ 

For the first time, someone figured out how to resist. Elin Ersson is a hero. Adults will not create lasting change on their own; change must come from the young and foolish: 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/25/swedish-student-plane-protest-stops-mans-deportation-afghanistan 

Update: apparently, the male subject of Ersson's intervention was not the same person she originally believed was on the plane but a different Afghan refugee, one with a criminal record. He was eventually deported. Yet, the lesson is the same: if a citizen cannot disrupt the security state non-violently in favor of a universal principle, the security state's convenience has superceded individual agency. Whether such supersedence is appropriate depends on whether a publicly-engaged citizenry has access to all the facts and the ability to remove leadership. Some call this democracy in action; others would prefer citizens practice governance once every four years and not a second more.

["The majority will always vote for the status quo because their livelihood depends on it." -- Michael Booth (2014)]

Bonus: https://www.dw.com/en/elin-ersson-and-ismail-k-how-an-activist-tried-in-vain-to-rescue-an-asylum-seeker/a-47295356