In this article, child care is used to justify why socialist Europe is better for families. The cost of raising a child in America is much higher than raising a child in country like France. Is it better — easier, more affordable, fewer “opportunity
costs” — to have young children in France or Europe generally than in
the United States? Are there drawbacks to the European support of
families? Do other qualities of American society make up for the
financial burden on families?
If you have a choice to live in America or European countries like Sweden, which country would you prefer?
If you have a choice to live in America or European countries like Sweden, which country would you prefer?
I will first respond to the last question. The United States of America. All day, every day. The US is the greatest country in the whole world. Patriotism is one of our core democratic values here in the states, I pride myself on living up to it.
ReplyDeleteThis person living in Paris, makes arguments that are bias and present them in ways that offer no alternatives. First they say that "Woman would have a better shot of having it all" in a European style system. Last time I checked America was the front runner in providing Woman's rights and freedoms and is a global leader in bringing this sort of positive change to the world. Many European countries lag behind in this respect. I am also confused why this is an issue of gender. The author does realize that the number of stay-at home fathers is rising in the US and that single parent households are disadvantaged no matter if it is a single mother or father. The 2nd point I found outrageous was that she suggested that the only option for new parents was to do something drastic like move back near your parents or hire a "nanny". How about you do what most people do, take your maternity leave, then go back to work. By that time your child will be old enough to have them in a day-care service should you need it. This is a highly competitive industry and im sure there will be something in your price range if your first option for child care is the personal touch of a nanny.
If these are your attitudes towards America, please keep "having it all" in France. Hopefully that whole Eurozone crisis works out for you!
http://blog.heritage.org/a-better-life-for-julia/
DeleteI completely agree with Travis. This article is ridiculous. Everyone is bound to defend their country and say its the best, but that shouldn't be used to argue a point. Not to say that my country is the best, but women do have more rights and freedom here and that can't be said in other places. The U.S is all for the family feeling in this country. I would not like to live anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteIt seems quite obvious that a socialist style would give some advantages to the general public such as child care that is listed in this article. However, the vast amount of opportunities that a capitalist society gives to its people on an everyday basis completely outweigh the few perks of socialism. With that being said, there is no where else that I would want to live than America. Every country has its flaws and it hardships, but overall I see no reason to live anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has seemed to hit the main points but American is the best place to live/grow up. There are so many opportunities for everyone, it is just a matter of taking advantage of it or going out and finding that opportunity then doing it. Sure our system is not perfect and France may have it better in some aspects but in the grand scheme of things, the overall picture would go to American no matter what country is was up against. There is a reason so many people try to move here, whether it is legal or illegal.
ReplyDeleteI recently read a similar article titled in Slate saying working moms can have it- in France. Personally I am going to live wherever my family and friends are. It is hard to simply leave a country when you are brought up in that society. As an American, I could never see myself moving to France long term just to take advantage of their social benefits. But, if I had the opportunity to change where I came from I would seriously consider choosing France over the United States. In a place where quality of life is high and the government institutions support families, especially mothers, why not have my cake and eat it too.
ReplyDeleteAlso, check out the article I refer to above. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/11/socialist_child_care_in_europe_creche_ecole_maternelle_and_french_child.html
It is one thing to point out certain perks or advantages of a system such as socialism, but it is another thing entirely to claim that it's a "damn shame" that the United States does not implement it. Obviously, much has already been said about this woman's viewpoints in the comments above, and I am in agreement with those who also feel that this is an egregious claim. I too am a bit confused by the pokes at gender equality by the author because there isn't much of an explanation as to why she brings that into the conversation. The US, like any country in this world, surely has its flaws. However, as the other patriots in the class have already stated, it is still regarded in many circles as the greatest country in the world, and unfortunately for this writer, her little rant about how socialism happened to work out for her family specifically, will not change anything.
ReplyDeleteAmerica is NOT the front runner for women's rights. Many European countries have seen women leaders and it didn't come as a shock to them, but look at the U.S. with only a few women in positions of political power throughout history. Plenty of Americans need to realize that the United States that we live in today is not the same United States of the 1960's and that the U.S. has fallen behind in several different categories; women's equality being included. Obviously health care and daycare play a huge role in raising a child so hopefully we can at least see some good healthcare reform after the election to help America really become the land of opportunities (for both men and women).
ReplyDeleteYour argument hinges on the connection between percentage of women in power, and equality. There is no law stating that women can not hold such a position. Therefor the issue you bring up is a social one. This blog post is in regards to legislation and fundamental identities of government. Your point therefor, holds no water in regards to the context of what everyone else is talking about.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe the United States is the "greatest country in the world", because I know better than to SUMMARIZE every single, value and variable in a single sentence like that. Are we number one in "happiness", "freedom", economically speaking, or in terms of global power?? How can we just say that "We're the best"?? To purely summarize our position on the global scale as "number one" without any quantitative basis is sheer ignorant rhetoric. I'm all for notions of American pride and patriotism, but I also realize our place on the global scale. We need to STOP American supremacist ideologies like this. Ethnocentric behavior such as this is nauseating to anyone who can lift the veil of the stars-and-stripes.
ReplyDeleteWe are NOT 'number one' in terms of freedom. Hell, the majority of the world's nations today live in democracies. Canada, Japan, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, and even little countries like Belgium...have freedom now. Out of 270 sovereign states throughout the world today, 180 of them have 'freedom'. This 1950's aMericuhan idea is outdated and its time we look past our shores into the increasingly globalized world.
There is absolutely no evidence to support the claim that we are the greatest country in the world today. (I borrow some of the following data from 'The Newsroom') We're 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, and 3rd in median household income. We lead the world in ONLY 3 categories: Number of incarcerated citizens per capita, Number of adults that still believe in 'angels', and Defense Spending--Where we spend MORE than the NEXT 26 countries combined, 25 of whom..are our allies.
So in short, we are NOT the 'greatest country in the world', and its time we start acting like it. Its time to take our place on the global stage, holding hands with other nations, and supporting each other. Teamwork is key, if we want this globalized world to function. Not American chest-beating.
Patriotism is one thing. By all means, be PROUD of our great nation. But don't dare confuse patriotism with ETHNOCENTRISM.
You seem to be under the impression that there is some sort of global ranking system that everyone seems to be misreading. What you are arguing against are opinions and no amount of stat throwing is going to change that feeling of pride that swells up inside me when the star spangled banner is played. Your jab at the faith of the citizens of this nation revels to me your overall outlook. It is in fact, a reflection of your entire argument here. Essentially you are saying that people are dumb for believing something that can not be proven true or false. The exact same situation as people exclaiming that America is 'the greatest country in the world'. You find comfort in your analysis of your stats in the latter issue, but I'm curious what makes you so confident you won't inevitably face the same judgement as the rest of us? Also you seem to underestimate the power of the US armed forces. "Speak softly and carry a big stick", imagine the injustices that would take place world wide if we just sat back and said go ahead, go at it, we are not getting involved. Nothing comes for free, and I believe many of the nations that are able to call themselves such, owe at least some portion of that to us.
DeleteI just don't see any concrete proof of our supremacy over every other nation. I was never "jabbing at the faith of the citizens of our nation". Not.in.any.way.whatsoever. Comparing the 'belief in angels', and the belief-in-American-supremacy...are entirely different constructs! (Or at least they should be.)
DeleteReligious beliefs are rooted...in belief alone. There is no factual basis behind any current religion. If you believe the US is the best for the same reason--then I have no argument against that. Your belief that America is the best...just because it is, will stand. Baseless, and not rooted in anything but belief. Just like one's religious beliefs. I cannot retort.
I was neither insinuating that American's who hold this baseless logic are "dumb". Absolutely.Not. People can believe what they want. Sometimes belief alone is enough for these people.
However, I for one cannot hold baseless beliefs. I cannot believe something, not rooted in facts, tangible logic, and quantitative reasoning. We are in a class where scholarly sources, data, historical figures, and concrete logic are NECESSARY. My data does comfort me in this light. Calling the USA "the best"...just because one "believes" it, is not enough for those that need more than moral sentiment to subscribe to something.
I was purely saying originally... that ethnocentric ideologies are not going to get us anywhere in this globalized world. Read the Thomas Friedman article again.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/opinion/sunday/friedman-the-world-were-actually-living-in.html?ref=politics
Saying, "we're the best" is a lovely sentiment. But its not realistic. Nor is it rooted in anything but "that swelling feeling" inside you. That type of attitude is not going to make us very many friends on the global stage. Humility, modesty, interdependencies, and comradery will.
Honestly, I don't know that I can accurately say whether I would prefer living in America or a socialist, European country. I might be tempted to say that socialism could provide more educational opportunities, and somewhat lower cost healthcare, but I do not know what the associated costs would be. Perhaps though, it could behoove America to move a little bit in the direction of cost sharing on public quality of life expenditures, primarily healthcare.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading the last comments, and I just think the intersection between the two widely variable view points that show up often is just the pure economic power that is involved in the American economy. Could any other nation in the world nurse and support a sixteen trillion debt like we can? The growth in GDP may be slower than other nations but still make the top in total numbers still have a 15 trillion dollar GDP. China as the second comes in at less than half that. So by that measure. And it's not a small figure we are still the largest. But then you place the other factors in the mix and who knows how farce are.
ReplyDelete