He also mentioned that this may or may not work, because France was (at least at the time) alone in attempting this. He argued that if all other countries tried this same thing, it would stand a chance of working. But as it was, with France being alone in this experiment, it potentially put the country at a competitive disadvantage.
Of course, this was not without it's criticism, particularly at the time (remember, there was that whole ugly French bashing spirit that prevailed in the United States for a few years leading up to the Iraqi invasion, and in the aftermath. But Americans have always looked upon the system of benefits that Western Europeans have long enjoyed with skepticism, as the systematic, knee-jerk dismissal of any system of government "handouts" and "entitlements" became so politically profitable among conservative circles as to be like a gold mine to which they kept returning.
One critic (although to his credit, I would not place him as a simple-minded French-basher) was Thomas Friedman, who with his writing, shook his head at France and other western "Old Europe" nations. Specifically, he was talking about France, yes, but also Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Friedman is an intelligent man, with normally reasonable thinking, although his dismissal in this regard of what he calls "Old Europe," a term used at the time by Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, among others, to describe nations that opposed the ill-fated Iraq invasion that we Americans are still paying a heavy price for. Only Friedman was using it to describe the system of government benefits that Europeans enjoyed, taking aim at such things as six-week vacations, among other things.
Here is the thing: while an argument can indeed be made that benefits programs in Europe might go too far one way, an equally valid (if not more valid) argument can certainly be made that the benefits denied to average Americans workers go to far in the other direction. Many Americans are not entitled to more than one week of vacation. And while Obamacare might be an improvement to what existed before, it still leaves tens of millions of Americans uninsured, which is unacceptable. Also, it still does not protect Americans against ridiculous price-gauging. The most obvious example of this was the recent episode when Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, raised the price of Daraprim by 5,000%, just like that.
Indeed, he backed off, but that is not the point. After all, he backed off only because of a backlash that might have matched the dramatic, even outrageous, price hike that he tried to pull. But this was only one example of price hikes for medications that sick Americans need. The United States has the most costly medications by far for it's citizens of any industrialized nation, because American voters, by and large, continually vote against a healthcare system that would regulate prices to protect American consumers. Yes, despite having less access to quality healthcare than any other industrialized nation in the world, Americans on average spend more money on healthcare than any other nation. It is amazing, is it not? And it is hard not to wonder where all of that money goes, especially when statistics show that the CEO's and Board members of big healthcare corporations are enjoying fatter wallets every year.
In the United States, the spirit against such government benefit programs has grown so strong that unions are constantly under attack, as are the benefits of workers. Government officials (usually Republicans) blast these workers for draining the system with their supposed entitlements, although these same supposedly fiscally conservative politicians seem to be a whole lot less critical of the whole corporate welfare program that makes the rich richer. Funny how that works.
So, I expect that the reaction here among Americans to this experiment by Sweden will be harsh and very critical. Personally, however, I hope that it works for Sweden, and applaud this experiment. European nations may be criticized by American politicians, but keep in mind that they have surpassed the once lofty standards of living that Americans enjoyed, which was the highest in the world, once upon a time. No longer. Americans do not enjoy the same quality of education that numerous European nations enjoy. Certain western European countries (you know, those nations of "Old Europe?") enjoy more vacation time, cheaper childcare, and far better healthcare than Americans typically have.
Why? Because in Europe, governments are what Abraham Lincoln wanted the American government to be - a system of government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
And it is not just Europeans. Japanese citizens enjoy these same benefits. Canadians have many of the same programs in place. So do New Zealanders. Australians who, like Germans, enjoy six weeks of paid vacation, also are the only country where, on average, home owners have larger homes than Americans. In fact, the benefits programs of these countries, which Americans tend to think of as a Western European phenomenon, work better than the system that exists in the United States, and which is geared towards the profitability of the corporations, and not to citizens.
Nowadays in the United States, where the Koch brothers control the pockets of certain political campaigns, we clearly have become more of an oligarchy, something that certain prominent politicians - Jimmy Carter and Bernie Sanders not least among them - have warned us about. Yes, we Americans certainly have gone too far in the other extreme, and as such, have become precisely the model that Europeans watch from afar, and look to avoid at all costs.
Perhaps that is why Swedes are trying a shorter work week now, and why the French attempted it years ago, as well. Perhaps that is why Europeans generally take to the streets when they feel those hard-won gains of government benefit programs threatened by corporations who, just like here, claim that these things are placing them at a competitive disadvantage. Not only is union busting the "in" thing, but both Jeb Bush and Scott Walker claimed that American workers were too lazy. The Koch sponsored Walker, in fact, suggested that it might be a good idea to get rid of weekends as we know it. Thankfully, his star descended quickly, specifically because of the places where he got funding. Even among Republicans, which has been the party of establishment and status quo, he was seen as too much of an establishment figure.
We can learn something from the European model. Personally, I think that Bernie Sanders makes sense, as he is advocating bringing the United States closer to learning from the example of our European counterparts. Other experiments in Europe have worked far better for citizens of these countries than Americans tend to give credit for. If you are still skeptical of this simple fact, ask yourself why each and every one of these countries of "Old Europe," as well as all of those countries that Americans would not view as falling into this geographical category, do not let these programs fall, and follow the supposedly superior American model. They see what is going on, and they know better. And that is why Americans stand alone and unique for denying themselves the same benefits that not only European citizens, but citizens of every single industrialized country in the world enjoy.
These programs have worked far better than most Americans - and particularly conservative American politicians - have suggested. So I applaud Sweden's experiment, and I, for one, will be pulling for the Swedes.
Here is the link to the main article that got me onto this topic to begin with, as Sweden is now trying a new, 6-hour work day:
Sweden is shifting to a 6-hour work day *Packs up life, books plane ticket* BEC CREW30 SEP 2015:
Here is the link to the piece by Thomas Friedman regarding the whole "Old Europe" system of benefits:
A Race to the Top By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, JUNE 3, 2005:
Here are links to the story about the dramatic increase of one drug by Martin Shkreli, although the prices were returned back very quickly after an explosion of negative press blasting the move:
The company that raised the price of a drug yesterday by 5,000% is rolling back the increase Reuters Bill Berkrot and Caroline Humer and Peter Cooney, Reuters, September 22, 2015:
‘Pharma Bro’ backs down: Martin Shkreli will roll back outrageous Daraprim price gouge Arturo Garcia ARTURO GARCIA 22 SEP 2015
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