[jhou2]

In Germany, tuition is nearly free or minimal, especially compared to US. With the strong social net, I feel people can do almost anything they want there, depending in some part on their social status and ambitions, but they will neither get extremely rich nor extremely poor. Like the food, German life is quite bland as well.

[jk2323]

"I feel people can do almost anything they want there"

'We have always done it that way and we will keep doing it that way'. There is very little chance for change and opportunity. Also, very little venture capital.

I don't live in Germany but I can now afford to buy a house. The reason I can afford this is: BECAUSE I don't live in Germany. Yet, buying a house or an apartment in Germany is totally off the table. Why?

1. I disagree with the unlimited immigration into the welfare state that will make the welfare state collapse and totally changes our non-violent open society into a more violent and tribal one.

2. Real Estate or "Immobilien" or "inmuebles" how it is called in other languages. A much better word than real estate. It means "Non Mobile". And currently real estate taxes in Germany are basically zero compared with let's say New Jersey. This will change. The government will sooner of later have to tax the shit out of the real estate owners. And again, it is NON MOBILE, while you can leave, your house can't. In my opinion it would be madness to buy a house there.

[mseebach]

> With the strong social net, I feel people can do almost anything they want there, depending in some part on their social status and ambitions, but they will neither get extremely rich nor extremely poor

I hear that in Denmark as well, but I feel it's often accompanied by a very strong unspoken assumption around what, out of 'anything', one should want to do. Denmark is a pretty sweet deal if you have a decent income, property mortgaged to the rafters (the only real tax break is for interest payments) and a couple of kids in institution/school age (and healthy private pension savings). If that lifestyle does not appeal to you, you are going to be paying through the nose for frankly very little.

This also informs the "ambition" bit. Having high ambitions is firmly in the "should not want" camp, so not a lot of people seem to have them, and the ones that do certainly keep them private if they want to considered polite company. Every year around graduation time, the newspapers have a raft of op eds on how "straight A students" are actually miserable and missing out on youth, while the mediocre students are celebrated for knowing how to live and have fun.

[eli_gottlieb]

>Like the food, German life is quite bland as well.

American life is bland! I'm not sure we actually know a way to arrange society that allows for most people to have exciting lives instead of bland or miserable ones.

[tonyedgecombe]

"but they will neither get extremely rich nor extremely poor"

Which is probably a net positive, maybe even for the rich.