Denmark replies Trump, says social welfare policy successful
The Danish government has hit back after Donald Trump’s White House listed Denmark as an example of a failing socialist nation in its recently released report “The Opportunity Costs of Socialism.”
To be sure, Denmark is not a socialist state, but a social welfare state like United Kingdom.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen on Facebook wrote that he would “participate at any time in a competition with the Americans on who has the best social model,” as first reported by CBS News.
“Yes, we pay a lot in tax… but we get so much,” Rasmussen wrote. “Our children can get an education — no matter who you are and where you come from. We can get to the hospital and get help if we get sick. Whether we have a special insurance or a lot of money in the bank. And if you become unemployed, run into problems or otherwise need a helping hand, then the community is ready to seize and help one back on the right track.”
The report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers criticises Denmark over its living conditions, claiming that standards in Nordic countries are “at least 15 percent lower than in the United States.”
A foreign policy spokesman for Denmark’s Social Democratic party called the White House report a “scare tactic” and “fake news” ahead of the U.S. midterms.
An article in The Copenhagen Post on Monday touted Denmark’s free university education policy in response to the report’s claim that Americans are more likely to obtain higher education.
“There was no mention of the 32 million adults in the U.S. that are illiterate,” the author wrote.
The Danish government has weighed in following criticism of its “socialist” policies from Republicans before.
When a Fox Business segment in August framed “socialist” Denmark as an overtaxed dystopia with high unemployment rates, Denmark’s minister of finance and ambassador to the U.S. called the criticisms “uninformed.”
Danish Ambassador Lars Gert Lose posted a document with Denmark’s global rankings, which show the small country coming out on top in terms of unemployment and education.
Denmark is not technically socialist, but its social welfare policies are far more expansive than those in the U.S.
Unemployment rates in Denmark are lower than those in the U.S. and its residents are more productive on average than Americans, according to data compiled by the economic research company Trading Economics.
Reported by TheHill.com
