Social scientific inquiry into liberation theory, scientific socialism and critical theory perspectives on contemporary culture.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Denmark, with a mixed market capitalist economy and a large welfare state, ranks as having the world's highest level of income equality. Denmark has frequently ranked as the happiest and least corrupt country in the world. Here's how the happiness/economic equality numbers break down according to Forbes:
Denmark:
Ranking: #1
Percentage thriving: 82%
Percentage struggling: 17%
Percentage suffering: 1%
Daily experience: 7.9
US on the other hand:
Ranking: #14
Percentage thriving: 57%
Percentage struggling: 40%
Percentage suffering: 3%
Daily experience: 7.3
Mental illness numbers compare thusly:
United States: 12-month prevalence of any mental disorder: 26.2% of adult population, 5.8% of adult population are diagnosed with severe mental illness.
46.3% of adolescants and young adults age 13-18 years experience a lifetime prevalence of any mental disorder (that's almost half!!!)! 21.4% of the whole 13-18 year old population are diagnosed with a severe disorder!
(source: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/index.shtml)
Denmark:
It was very hard to find information in English on general mental health statistics in Denmark.
Here's what I did find: 16.5% of Danish youth 12-18 were diagnosed with a mental disorder. That's a difference of 29.8%! (source: Gosden N, Kramp P, Gabrielsen G, Sestoft D. Prevalence of mental disorders among 15–17-year-old male adolescent remand prisoners in Denmark. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica [serial online]. February 2003;107(2):102-110. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 24, 2011.).
The afformentioned study mainly focused on juvenile prisioners. Of the sample group only 2% were found to be psychotic. Of adult prisioners only 3.7% were found to be psychotic.
Compare this to US prisioner mental health numbers:
"Among inmates with a mental condition ever treated
with a psychiatric medication, only 25.5% (SE =7.5%) of federal, 29.6% (SE = 2.8%)
of state, and 38.5% (SE = 1.5%) of local jail inmates were taking a psychiatric
medication at the time of arrest, whereas 69.1% (SE = 4.8%), 68.6% (SE = 1.9%),
and 45.5% (SE = 1.6%) were on a psychiatric medication after admission"
(source: Wilper A, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein D, et al. The Health and Health Care of US Prisoners: Results of a Nationwide Survey. American Journal of Public Health [serial online]. April 2009;99(4):666-672. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 24, 2011.)
The same study found that there was a chronic incidence of untreated physical illness amongst US prisioners.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) 7,225,800 people at yearend 2009 were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole — about 3.1% of adults in the U.S. resident population. 2,292,133 were incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails at year end 2009.
Whereas Denmark has a low incarceration rate with a total of 3774 inmates in the country. Denmark has 59 people in prison for every 100,000 citizens or .00059%, a difference of 3.09941% from the US.
Crime rates for Denmark can be found here: http://www.nationmaster.com/country/da-denmark/cri-crime
For US go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States
What are we doing wrong that Denmark is doing so damn right?
In the United States the highest tax bracket is US $373,651+ at only 35%, whereas in Denmark the highest bracket is US $138,050 at as high as 57% or as low as 43% depending on the amount of interest you pay annually.
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with democratic aspects. They have a strong welfare state. Denmark has 20 weeks of paid parental leave and 32 of unpaid compared to the US which has 24 weeks of unpaid leave for mothers only (source: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/parental_2008_09.pdf). Denmark ensures that all Danes receive tax-funded health care and unemployment insurance. The United States is stingy with these benefits limiting them only to the very poor. The average worker in Denmark makes US $5,464, monthly gross and US $3,226 net according to a 2006 survey. Sales tax is 25% compared to 8% in the most of the United States (some places like Montana are 0%).
In 2009 trade union density was 6.66 in Denmark as oppsed to 11.8 in the US.
Finally, Denmark has a strong socialist movement. In the 2007 election, the Socialist People's Party (SF) went from 11 to 23 seats in the Folketing (National Parliament) out of 179 members. That is 6.1%.
There is currently one socialist representative in the United States, Bernie Sanders, I-VT of 435 House seats. That is .22%. There are 100 senators and no socialists occupy any of those seats.
What do Danes get out of their monarchistic nanny state with high taxes? Peace of mind, knowing that they don't have to face beggars on the street or rampant crime. Less depression. More satisfaction with their jobs and their lives.
Denmark:
Ranking: #1
Percentage thriving: 82%
Percentage struggling: 17%
Percentage suffering: 1%
Daily experience: 7.9
US on the other hand:
Ranking: #14
Percentage thriving: 57%
Percentage struggling: 40%
Percentage suffering: 3%
Daily experience: 7.3
Mental illness numbers compare thusly:
United States: 12-month prevalence of any mental disorder: 26.2% of adult population, 5.8% of adult population are diagnosed with severe mental illness.
46.3% of adolescants and young adults age 13-18 years experience a lifetime prevalence of any mental disorder (that's almost half!!!)! 21.4% of the whole 13-18 year old population are diagnosed with a severe disorder!
(source: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/index.shtml)
Denmark:
It was very hard to find information in English on general mental health statistics in Denmark.
Here's what I did find: 16.5% of Danish youth 12-18 were diagnosed with a mental disorder. That's a difference of 29.8%! (source: Gosden N, Kramp P, Gabrielsen G, Sestoft D. Prevalence of mental disorders among 15–17-year-old male adolescent remand prisoners in Denmark. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica [serial online]. February 2003;107(2):102-110. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 24, 2011.).
The afformentioned study mainly focused on juvenile prisioners. Of the sample group only 2% were found to be psychotic. Of adult prisioners only 3.7% were found to be psychotic.
Compare this to US prisioner mental health numbers:
"Among inmates with a mental condition ever treated
with a psychiatric medication, only 25.5% (SE =7.5%) of federal, 29.6% (SE = 2.8%)
of state, and 38.5% (SE = 1.5%) of local jail inmates were taking a psychiatric
medication at the time of arrest, whereas 69.1% (SE = 4.8%), 68.6% (SE = 1.9%),
and 45.5% (SE = 1.6%) were on a psychiatric medication after admission"
(source: Wilper A, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein D, et al. The Health and Health Care of US Prisoners: Results of a Nationwide Survey. American Journal of Public Health [serial online]. April 2009;99(4):666-672. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed July 24, 2011.)
The same study found that there was a chronic incidence of untreated physical illness amongst US prisioners.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) 7,225,800 people at yearend 2009 were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole — about 3.1% of adults in the U.S. resident population. 2,292,133 were incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails at year end 2009.
Whereas Denmark has a low incarceration rate with a total of 3774 inmates in the country. Denmark has 59 people in prison for every 100,000 citizens or .00059%, a difference of 3.09941% from the US.
Crime rates for Denmark can be found here: http://www.nationmaster.com/country/da-denmark/cri-crime
For US go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States
What are we doing wrong that Denmark is doing so damn right?
In the United States the highest tax bracket is US $373,651+ at only 35%, whereas in Denmark the highest bracket is US $138,050 at as high as 57% or as low as 43% depending on the amount of interest you pay annually.
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with democratic aspects. They have a strong welfare state. Denmark has 20 weeks of paid parental leave and 32 of unpaid compared to the US which has 24 weeks of unpaid leave for mothers only (source: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/parental_2008_09.pdf). Denmark ensures that all Danes receive tax-funded health care and unemployment insurance. The United States is stingy with these benefits limiting them only to the very poor. The average worker in Denmark makes US $5,464, monthly gross and US $3,226 net according to a 2006 survey. Sales tax is 25% compared to 8% in the most of the United States (some places like Montana are 0%).
In 2009 trade union density was 6.66 in Denmark as oppsed to 11.8 in the US.
Finally, Denmark has a strong socialist movement. In the 2007 election, the Socialist People's Party (SF) went from 11 to 23 seats in the Folketing (National Parliament) out of 179 members. That is 6.1%.
There is currently one socialist representative in the United States, Bernie Sanders, I-VT of 435 House seats. That is .22%. There are 100 senators and no socialists occupy any of those seats.
What do Danes get out of their monarchistic nanny state with high taxes? Peace of mind, knowing that they don't have to face beggars on the street or rampant crime. Less depression. More satisfaction with their jobs and their lives.