This is not the same thing that the person you were responding to was talking about. Swedish civil servants do not lead extravagant lifestyles, even at the high

This is not the same thing that the person you were responding to was talking about. Swedish civil servants do not lead extravagant lifestyles, even at the highest levels, nor do politicians (not directly by virtue of being in politics, at any rate, although sometimes indirectly). What they were saying is that the Swedish system is very friendly to wealthy individuals operating in the private sector, while letting the middle class bear the brunt of subsidizing costs for those with lower income, which is true.