4 ms·

The American dream is now in Denmark

2 points by miles 6y ago

refurb 6y ago
I see nothing about an American Dream and just some millionaire spouting off about paying more taxes which he he is more than welcome to do.
- eesmith 6y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream > in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. Essay: > I am an immigrant son of a single mother from Iran; while my mum cleaned in hotels, I studied hard, worked hard, and became a successful entrepreneur. I rose to be a multimillionaire — the American dream, except in Denmark! It seems a pretty good fit. You comment: "just some millionaire spouting off" It's meant as a counter-point to American millionaires who "lobby for a threadbare safety net to pay less in taxes". I've seen that people listen to millionaires and billionaires because they are wealthy. (Eg, why did people care so much about Musk's views on cave rescues when there are many more poorer people with more expertise who didn't get such coverage?) Therefore it seems appropriate to have a contrarian viewpoint originating from the same class of wealthy people, which can't so easily be dismissed as a sour-grapes sort of complaint.
  - refurb 6y ago
    But becoming a multimillionaire is not the American Dream. The American Dream is coming to America with nothing having a middle class life. And how is the American safety net thread bare? It’s 60%+ of the federal budget? Like I said, dude is welcome to pay as much as he likes in taxes. But being a millionaire doesn’t make you a social policy expert.
    - eesmith 6y ago
      The chance for social mobility, typically presumed to be upward mobility, is the American Dream. One such example is going from a working class, immigrant, single mother family to being a multimillionaire. That is of course not the only one, as you seem to suggest. If it were, then you cannot point to anyone who lives the American Dream, because everyone's path through life is different. > how is the American safety net thread bare? It’s 60%+ of the federal budget? Yes, it's pretty well known the US overspends on a lousy safety net. For example, "Americans pay more for health care and get fewer results, according to a new analysis." - https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-spends-health-care-countries-fare-study/story?id=53710650 https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-spends-health-care-countrie... Did you skip the part about "creche care and schooling and health care" in Denmark? Do you know how much daycare/preschool costs in the US? Much less daycare/preschool with trained career professionals like they have in Denmark? Being a multi-billionaire doesn't make one a social policy expert either. That doesn't prevent people from listening to the nonsense Gates says about education. As I suggested, think of this piece as directed to the people who listen to Gates because he's a famous rich person. Do you listen to social policy experts? What do they say about this topic? If you don't listen to social policy experts, then clearly having a multi-millionaire support a global wealth tax, higher taxes, etc. is effective at reaching a new audience.

2 points by miles 6y ago

I see nothing about an American Dream and just some millionaire spouting off about paying more taxes which he he is more than welcome to do.

eesmith 6y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream > in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, as well as an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers. Essay: > I am an immigrant son of a single mother from Iran; while my mum cleaned in hotels, I studied hard, worked hard, and became a successful entrepreneur. I rose to be a multimillionaire — the American dream, except in Denmark! It seems a pretty good fit. You comment: "just some millionaire spouting off" It's meant as a counter-point to American millionaires who "lobby for a threadbare safety net to pay less in taxes". I've seen that people listen to millionaires and billionaires because they are wealthy. (Eg, why did people care so much about Musk's views on cave rescues when there are many more poorer people with more expertise who didn't get such coverage?) Therefore it seems appropriate to have a contrarian viewpoint originating from the same class of wealthy people, which can't so easily be dismissed as a sour-grapes sort of complaint.
- refurb 6y ago
  But becoming a multimillionaire is not the American Dream. The American Dream is coming to America with nothing having a middle class life. And how is the American safety net thread bare? It’s 60%+ of the federal budget? Like I said, dude is welcome to pay as much as he likes in taxes. But being a millionaire doesn’t make you a social policy expert.
  - eesmith 6y ago
    The chance for social mobility, typically presumed to be upward mobility, is the American Dream. One such example is going from a working class, immigrant, single mother family to being a multimillionaire. That is of course not the only one, as you seem to suggest. If it were, then you cannot point to anyone who lives the American Dream, because everyone's path through life is different. > how is the American safety net thread bare? It’s 60%+ of the federal budget? Yes, it's pretty well known the US overspends on a lousy safety net. For example, "Americans pay more for health care and get fewer results, according to a new analysis." - https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-spends-health-care-countries-fare-study/story?id=53710650 https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-spends-health-care-countrie... Did you skip the part about "creche care and schooling and health care" in Denmark? Do you know how much daycare/preschool costs in the US? Much less daycare/preschool with trained career professionals like they have in Denmark? Being a multi-billionaire doesn't make one a social policy expert either. That doesn't prevent people from listening to the nonsense Gates says about education. As I suggested, think of this piece as directed to the people who listen to Gates because he's a famous rich person. Do you listen to social policy experts? What do they say about this topic? If you don't listen to social policy experts, then clearly having a multi-millionaire support a global wealth tax, higher taxes, etc. is effective at reaching a new audience.