Well, we have some other things in common. I was very settled in Europe and had no intention of returning to the USA. Germany, by the way, has 6 weeks paid vacation, all paid sick days, and every 5 years you’re entitled to a one-month healthcare spa. It’s a public/private model that I’ve forever advocated for the USA, both because Germany’s population is larger than the single-payer/free systems and because Uwe Reinhardt (RIP) has explained the problematics of what kinds of healthcare systems function best and why/where. Look up his writings. He was until his death a couple years ago the greatest living economist of healthcare systems.
Family never meant much to me since I have a dispersed and otherwise dysfunctional one. However, my father, with whom I didn’t really have a great relationship but became more decent with age, became ill and dependent and I returned to care for him.
I agree that people can’t see the change that’s needed. I also believe that there’s a serious limit and built- in resistance to having the problems of the society pointed out where people live. Americans have this problem in the extreme since they are fed from infancy on the bullshit ideologies of ‘Murrkah: freedom, greatest country on earth, city on a shining hill, etc.
It is hard to even put a dent in these beliefs (like a religion) unless you can show them something better that’s concrete and provable. This is how I use metrics to compare the USA to Germany (and other northwestern EU countries). If nothing else, it starts the work that precedes change: creates doubt and questions where they previously didn’t exist and curiosity. And since so many Americans know Germany through the dominance of its car companies, it provides them with an association that has already given some cred.
Below is the compressed list I use to make the case. I have more extensive comparisons in more narrative format, but these are stats that are also easily verified.
And I referenced these in my commentary on Peter Thiel’s “semi-critique” of crypto recently: https://jsadove.medium.com/peter-thiel-is-right-for-once-d38e82f2efbf
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- German Federal Budget 2010–2020: 6 surpluses, 1 breakeven, 1 deficit (2020 because of COVID, subsidizing all salaries at 60%)
- US Federal Budget: Last surpluses under B. Clinton 1998–2001, 2002 Bush takes over and….down it goes
-German Balance of Trade: Never had a deficit
-US Balance of Trade: Last surplus was 1975
Fun Facts Germany:
-W. Germany’s absorption of E. Germany was the economic equivalent of the US absorbing Mexico
-Before the absorption of the 1.2mm ME immigrants, in 2014, 1/5 of Germany are immigrants, mostly Turkish, E. European, and S. European
usually between 2nd and 3rd fewest workweeks in the world: 34.7/year vs. 43 for the US
-6 weeks federally mandated vacation, plus a minimum of 12 public holidays with typically more than that (usually between 2nd and 3rd fewest workweeks in the world: 34.7/year vs. 43 for the US)
-universal means-tested, hybrid public/private HIGHER quality healthcare than US
-fully funded federal retirement
-Education pre-school to graduate degree or professional/practical training and internships FREE and PAID.
-basically, the most unionized country on earth or tied for that honor
-renewable energy federal investment to 2015: $150bb, the equivalent of the US investing $1.9TT, currently invests ~$12b/year
-renewable energy: 51% in 2020, USA: 20%
-comprehensive fast, clean, comfortable, convenient, affordable public transportation
-top quality infrastructure…best roads, bridges, tunnels, etc. in the world by all measures
2020 Stats — — — — — -
German Population: 80.62mm
US Population: 318mm
German Land mass: 137,983 mi² (slightly smaller than Montana)
USA Land mass: 3.797 million mi² (27 times larger than Germany)
German Natural Resources: small amount of coal, tiny amount of oil, otherwise practically none, agricultural “museum”
US Natural Resources: Vast oil, gas, ore and other mining, timber, vast coast line with fisheries, vast agriculture
German GDP: 3.86TT
USA GDP: 21.43TT
German Manufacturing as a percentage of GDP (excluding construction): 19.11%
US Manufacturing as a percentage of GDP including construction): 11.39%
German Manufacturing employment as a percentage of employment: 26.78
US Manufacturing employment as a percentage of employment: 8.5%
German Export Size vs. US: in 2011 and 2013, out-exported the US. Prior to 2009, regularly out-exported the US and China
German Exports 2020: $1.489 trillion
US Exports 2020: $1.665 trillion
German Top 10 Exports:
Machinery including computers: US$260.7 billion (17.5% of total exports)
Vehicles: $243.7 billion (16.4%)
Electrical machinery, equipment: $158.7 billion (10.7%)
Pharmaceuticals: $90.4 billion (6.1%)
Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $79.3 billion (5.3%)
Plastics, plastic articles: $63.2 billion (4.3%)
Aircraft, spacecraft: $42.3 billion (2.8%)
Mineral fuels including oil: $34.2 billion (2.3%)
Articles of iron or steel: $31.3 billion (2.1%)
Other chemical goods: $26.3 billion (1.8%)
US Top 6 Exports:
Machinery including computers: US$361.6 billion (15% of total imports)
Electrical machinery, equipment: $343.5 billion (14.3%)
Vehicles: $254.4 billion (10.6%)
Pharmaceuticals: $139.5 billion (5.8%)
Mineral fuels including oil: $130.1 billion (5.4%)
Gems, precious metals: $107 billion (4.4%)
Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $90.9 billion (3.8%)
Furniture, bedding, lighting , signs, prefab buildings: $65.5 billion (2.7%)
Plastics, plastic articles: $62.5 billion (2.6%)
Organic chemicals: $55.9 billion (2.3%)
