>>I've seen that assertion posted here before without any supporting argument. I have no idea whether it's true but, just a guess, if so, it's only a part of it. The more important part would be a long tradition of a more positive attitude toward government, a longer and deeper conception of the common good, buttressed by something like a VAT.<<
My first wife, who is swedish, and my current girlfriend, a Canadian, both spoke about that safety net, and the taxes that pay for it, as a part of the social contract, which pretty much everyone in those countries accepts and believes to be fair. Individuals are happy to pay for it, knowing that if they ever need it, it will be there. If they never need it, they count themselves as being lucky.
Seems eminently reasonable to me. |
