Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Holland/America

In Europe ... the postwar cradle-to-grave idea of a welfare state gave way in the past few decades to some quite sophisticated mixing of public and private. And whether in health care, housing or the pension system ..., the Dutch have proved to be particularly skilled at finding mixes that work.
From Cecelia.

2 comments:

Michael W said...

I read this with much interest. As you know, I have some experience with these Dutchie peoples. A couple of comments: They can be highly intolerant of people that make no effort to fit into their orderly society -- hence all the trauma with Muslim immigrants. Also, their willingness to allow a large number of non-European immigrants will put a strain on the system because it does require some compromises which isn't a big deal if you're invested in the overall society, but many of the newcomers aren't so dedicated to Dutch ideals. Surprisingly, my other half has no interest in going back to the Low Countries for more than visits.

Michael W said...

Oh, would I want to live there? Of course!