Re:Tax hike on California millionaires would create 54% tax ...
by glofish on Friday July 31, 2020 @01:49PM
(#24011363)
Indeed. Most Europeans badmouthing US military spending don't fully grasp how much they have benefited from it.
It is hard to imagine a European lifestyle as we know it today without the advantage of the US military being a deterrent to Russia/China and the latest wannabe dictator.
Please note, I am not blaming the Europeans here, just trying to be realistic and look at a bigger picture.
Re:Tax hike on California millionaires would create 54% tax ...
by Gibbon1 on Friday July 31, 2020 @07:35PM
(#24015630)
I'll point out that while California's public college system isn't as cheap as it was 40 years ago when I got my degree. And there is a lot of competition to get into certain schools. The state never has discriminated against students by age. So pigeonholing people early on is wholly a shitty European thing that has nothing to do with public funding.
Re:Tax hike on California millionaires would create 54% tax ...
by xondono on Friday July 31, 2020 @01:39PM
(#24011253)
You can go to college in most countries in Europe even if you are a 40yo High school dropout for little money compared with US prices (2500€/year).
The real difference is that in general you get what you pay for, and most college education is just licensing.
Re:Tax hike on California millionaires would create 54% tax ...
by umvi on Friday July 31, 2020 @01:52PM
(#24011407)
> You can go to college in most countries in Europe even if you are a 40yo High school dropout for little money compared with US prices (2500€/year).
US has cheap prices too (see: community colleges). Doesn't have the prestige factor of ultra expensive universities, but great if you are looking for education.
Firstly, college is "free" but at the trade off of not everyone being able to go. Instead the government decides who gets to go. In USA anyone can go to college. It's not uncommon for people in their 30s and 40s in USA deciding to go to college. In Europe you have to perform well enough on exams very early in your life if you want free college, otherwise no college for you.
Secondly, I would argue Europe can spend so much on social services because the US buys so many aircraft carriers (and jets and bombs, etc). Post WW2, Europe's military is very weak and can't really project force at all (just look at how well Europe responded to muslim genocide happening next door 20 years ago). Without the US military presence in Europe, Russia would have annexed a bunch of eastern European states by now.
USA isn't perfect, but USA has unique problems that are hard to solve.