Originally Posted by
DALFA
Look at Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Norway...
The role of government in those countries is bigger than in the U.S. but it's also much more efficient and at the end of the day people are doing much better in nearly every aspect.
No, the role of government is actually smaller in those countries. However, those governments have a great impact in making smart policies. Not sure what your metrics are, but those countries are lean and mean when it comes to GDP.
All of the countries you mentioned changed their unemployment laws about 10 years ago to discourage unemployment (encourage productivity). look at the legal structure of their laws governing unemployment, homelessness, social security, and compensation via social programs (food stamps, public assistance).
Those countries don't pay for people to sit at home, watch the view, smoke crack, and make babies.