I have been in Sweden for a week and a half and am about to depart in the morning. The purpose of this trip was attendance at the International Sociological Association meetings where I gave two papers and otherwise hobnobbed with my fellow wizards. But the experience of Sweden and, in particular, Göteburg, is what I wish to discuss.
Sweden has a bad rap in the United States for being too heavily taxed and the prime suspect in that crime known as “social democracy.” It is true that taxes here are high. Not only taxes, but prices for a middle-class sociology professor like myself are just about astronomical. A Caesar salad at any decent restaurant is going to cost the equivalent of about $20.00 and bottled beer goes for about $7.00. One ride on the tram is almost $3.00, at least 30% more than comparable cities in Germany, for example. One supposes that the high prices are a result of the tax structure. The lovely proprietor of a shop selling Indian goods told me that she had to pay 25% off the top from every transaction she made as tax.
On the other hand, the streets are clean and street crime is a non-issue. What is more the people enjoy a very healthy lifestyle and few are as extremely obese as Americans. Coming in by train from Copenhagen, I faced across from a Swedish professional woman who was quick to praise the many social services that were available to people in the country, especially child care. She had children who were in kindergarten which had a very active program and which could keep children until she got off work. In addition, the children were fed two nutritious meals. A woman came in every day and cooked for the class and prepared homemade bread and rolls. Her child does not eat prepackaged meals filled with preservatives and additives, but homecooking and that in a public facility. She beamed when she told me this and that childcare was a worry with which she did not have to contend. Children in the country receive the equivalent of $200 per month from the state paid to the parents and when they reach age 16, the money is paid to them directly. University education is basically free if a student can qualify.
Politically, Sweden is a neutral country so its politics are unusual. The defense budget of the country would not be nearly as burdensome as is that of the United States. Since crime is so low, there are few people in prison taking that burden off the budget as well. In fact, Sweden incarcerates 75 out of every 100,000 people, while the United States incarcerates approximately 750 out of every 100,000 people, ten times as many proportionately. There is an increasing amount of racial and ethnic diversity since Sweden welcomes immigrants from Africa and many foreign nations making its mix something fairly interesting.
Göteburg is a medium sized city (350,000) on the western coast of Sweden and is the second largest city after Stockholm, the capital. People are friendly and the extensive public transportation system makes getting around very easy. I heartily encourage a visit to this interesting place, but save your pennies because it is not inexpensive, especially for Americans who will find that as time goes on their money may not go as far overseas as it has in the past (nor will it at home). Sweden is an example of a working social democracy which is feeling the same pressures that all nations are contending with during the world-wide economic crisis. Forces in this world are attempting to dismantle every bit of human connectedness and feeling, but if people are aware that this happening, possibly they can take steps to prevent it.
No comments:
Post a Comment