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by autoexec 15 hours ago
free or heavily subsidized healthcare, childcare, higher education, and excellent public transportation?
2 comments

Then why work hard if everything you need is paid by someone else? This may explain low salaries in EU and 30 day PTO. Then if people don't make a lot they have to tax them more to pay for all this free stuff which further disincentivizes working harder.
> why work hard if everything you need is paid by someone else?

So they can buy things they don't need but just want. So they can really splurge on their many luxurious vacations for example. People in Europe work harder than Americans. They work fewer hours, but are much more productive than workers in the US.

Nobody should feel "incentivized" to work harder by the threat that they'll become homeless the moment they get sick or need an ambulance. If you feel like you'd never work hard if you didn't have that threat constantly hanging over you maybe you're just unnaturally lazy.

>free or heavily subsidized healthcare

Every one who can afford it uses private healthcare, because waiting lines are really long.

>childcare

Depends on the country, but not that universal and can be very expensive.

>higher education

A lot of people earn degrees which have no market value.

>excellent public transportation

Maybe in some parts of top tier cities, but in general most of the cities are choking with car traffic.