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Dec 03, 2009 3:01 am |
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re: re: re: 35 Inconvenient Truths > Green Copenhagen has limits |
Ron Sam
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I went to Copenhagen and other Scandinavian capitals this past September. In Copenhagen I found the water to be sweeter tasting and with more healthful minerals. I could feel the difference in energy levels after just 6-days there. The air was clean as could be, the forest as lush and green as could be. The granite mantle cracked by temperature flux led to new waterways in the north. You couldn't ask for a better place to live. It's been touted as, "the happiest place in the world...". Forbes places it high on the best place to have a business http://3.ly/SsC Yet Denmark is #30 on the World GDP per Capita list http://3.ly/596
While staying in the Nyhavn area and walking or riding in cabs to other places in Copenhagen you would not see many other races other than Nordic, nor would you see many homeless panhandling for money or food. I only ran into one in the week I was there and he looked like he came from Christiania a hippie town across the harbor. I saw only one Muslim woman in a bourka but i think she was from India and was connected to the Indian restaurant near there.
As a tourist you notice the higher cost and more taxes on everything and anything from taking a piss to drinking a bottle of water. I spoke to a native school teacher who was attending with her retiring teacher of 40 years in the education arena. She was to get a viewing with the Queen at the Christianborg Castle to be decorated and praised and then she get to live on her retirement from the government. It's a constitutional monarchy there. I thought that the retiring teacher should be able to get the audience of her comrades and friends, but that was not the case. We all stood outside the castle watching the Royal Guards march back and forth and a Bentley drive into the castle to I guess pick up the Queen and take her back to her other castle where she lives.
When I spoke to the non-retiring teacher about immigration into the country, she said that it was very doubtful even if you have a means of making money and paying the high taxes. I said I saw two Asian families that co-own a restaurant and have kids that go to the local schools and know how to speak Danish, English and Chinese and are only 12 to 16 years old. She said that that maybe true but the government does have its limitations.
I looked up the tax on pay in the Danish Embassy site and found that some type of workers are more welcomed than others. For instance a medical researcher with 40 years of experience coming from China might be able to earn $22k a year after taxes and living accommodations.
While a carpenter with only 10 years experience will earn $28k after taxes and accommodations.
Taxes on pay are high - 63% for the highest levels, but then I spoke to a guy working in a hamburger place and they get paid around 20/hr but only get half of it. more info here http://3.ly/Fv6
However there are population limits. Denmark's population is capped off at ~5 million with Copenhagen having about 1.5 million. Only less than 10% of the population are immigrants and most of them are from other Scandinavian countries. Compared to Los Angeles County which has about 9.8 million and growing.
I think this is the basis for quality of living being kept at the level it is and that is by keeping the density level low because environmentally over usage leads to more pollution to take care of. Multi-culturalism does not make for happiness there.
Private Reply to Ron Sam (new win) |
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