Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stevemcgarrett]

Sorry to barge in on this Dutch lovefest but some of the rudest people I've met over the years were Dutch. And a few of the nicest. So where does that leave us?

Perhaps their children are the happiest--or more likely doted on in this very permissive society.

First, the Dutch are the beneficiaries of a relatively low defense budget, as with Scandanavia, not having to contribute their fair share to NATO during the Cold War and after.

It's more than a little unfair to compare a nation with as many children as the U.S. has with the Netherlands, especially given the impoverished immigrants who rush to our shores and our much more diverse culture. Apples and oranges. As for the sheer opportunity to be self-made, sorry, but I'll take the U.S. over the Netherlands any day.

And what to make of a nation where drug use is pervasive, porn is viewed on regular TV channels, where hardcore mags can be found without plastic wraps even in the airports and where soldiers are unionized and look like flower power children?

Like the tulips, the cheese, the chocolate, even the beer is o.k. But liberalism run amok isn't for many of us.

A college roommate of mine spent a year abroad with AFS and enjoyed his experience for the most part but was also troubled by the indulgences.

And the taxes are exceedingly high; Dutch don't even begin keeping their take home pay until July in real spending terms.

The bureaucracy is bloated beyond belief and funded, of course, by taxpayers. Moreover, the Dutch retain an outdated welfare state that tolerates lazy people to avoid taking jobs they deem unfit for them. Despite this, nursing homes are grossly underfunded, leading to complaints even from the conservative party. In the economic arena, there is a general lack of planning for the future, which the majority of citizens agree is a problem.

But the Dutch are indeed, on average, also the tallest people in the world.