Living in Sweden

[erpowers]

No I am not considering living is Sweden, but I was wondering if anyone at DU had been to Sweden and knew how people living in Sweden feel about their country. I saw that Sweden citizens pay more in taxes than people in the United States so I was wondering if they liked their system or if they felt poorly about their system. So, does anyone know what it is like to live in Sweden? Are the people in Sweden happy with their system of government?

[Swede Atlanta]

1. Generally happy

Based on my interaction with friends and colleagues in Sweden I would say the answer is they are generally happy with the environment in which they live. Yes they pay very high taxes but the general belief is that there is value in shared obligations for education, health care, retirement, etc.

Interestingly, Swedes overwhelmingly support the notion that both mothers and fathers should have substantial paid family leave and in fact penalize the couple if the father doesn't participate.

Swedes are torn between the notion of "self" and self-succcess and the idea that when one person in society is raised up so are all.

[kestrel91316]

2. My sister lived their for a year (in the 70s) and loved it. The Swedes

loved their country and their way of governing and their social safety nets. They still do.

A friend of my sister's has become quite wealthy and successful by Swedish standards, and pays very high taxes, and HE loves his country and would never leave.

Swedes are very proud that poverty and deprivation are pretty much not tolerated, and seen as things that everyone needs to band together to eliminate.

[tama]

3. Swedes are scared shitless

and their drug policies are even worse than US. It's a fascist country and a police state, ruled by fear.

On the other hand, Swedish fascism could be paradise for some Democratic cultural warriors.

[Rowdyboy]

4. My nephew is married to a Swede who owns a 300 year old home in a rural town....

about 60 miles away from Stockholm. It needs renovation to be liveable and they go over every summer to work on it. Hopefully we'll be joining them in the next few years.

He absolutely loves it-the people, the culture, the climate-everything.

[catnhatnh]

5. Garrison Keillor lived there for a time....

...he covered it in one of his books. I believe it was "We are Still Married".