Thankfully it isn't a flat tax

[giblets]

I associate flatness with Kansas.

[Barnabas]

I associate flat land with our Argentine Pampas, or with the Netherlands, a country which in Spanish is called "The low countries" Países Bajos

[Imran Siddiqui]

Literally @ Ben

[rah]

Yep, the reason I don't put him on ignore. His stupidity makes me laugh.

[kentonio]

They had a right wing coalition government, but it lost the election a week ago.

By American standards their 'right wing' coalition would be considered a bunch of raving communists.

Unless the implication is that you're certain to die before you're 70-75 or so, your guarantee is ridiculous.

Well overall the expectation is that LOTS of people will die long before 70-75, which is how the system works, no?

Hungary already has such a tax and even goes step further by imposing not only taxes on food containing high amounts of fat, but also food that contains high amounts of sugar or salt. Visitors in Hungary will get very hungry indeed, unless they bring lots of money with them

Not really, unless they are visiting from a third world country. Food may be expensive by Hungarian standards, but by most western european standards the whole place is extraordinarily cheap.

[rah]

Quick calc.

Paying into SS for almost 40 years. The last 20 at the max. So for the last 20 years we'll assume 10K a year for 200,000. Put in any reasonable investment fund would have at least doubled. Add in from the first 20 years plus invested for 30 years and even in the worst of times we're talking well over a half a mil in total. Assuming I retire in 8 more years, kick in another 80k. I'd have to live to over a 100 to get anywhere near getting out what I would have had if the government wasn't involved. And that is on quite a conservative investment calc.

If they just remove the max limit for personal contributions, the system would be solvent for many years to come. You could keep the limit on the company contribution portion as to not overburden companies.

[Ben Kenobi]

it wasn't clear at all that you knew there were no Danish Alps.

The winky wasn't clear enough to you? Plain as day.

You seriously believed that I didn't know that Denmark is about the flattest country in Europe? Seriously?

Wow.

[Ben Kenobi]

Yeah, I might get a flat joke referencing the Netherlands.

Wow. Remind me not to overestimate American geographical knowledge. Good thing I'm teaching it and not a product...

[Ben Kenobi]

here in germany, if someone mentions some kind of "flat land",

The highest point in Denmark is 151 m.

Mt Scenery in Netherlands is 877m.

Mt Sunflower in Kansas is 1231m.

Denmark is the flattest country there is, that's not an island, or a principality. The next closest is Lithuania, and the Baltic states, and Belarus.

Kansas isn't really all that flat. It is very close to the mean.

[Elok]

Speaking of geography, I was having tea with some Native Americans the other day, and they told me the wackiest stories I ever heard...

EDIT: Okay, that's really more history than geography. Still, c'mon now. You expect us to get jokes about obscure geographic factoids?

[Ben Kenobi]

I should have climbed mount sunflower when I was driving through the area. It has an amazing view.

[Elok]

Hey, since I'm in Peru already, I think I'll go ahead and visit Bolivia. I'll wear my...



...high waters. HAHAHA I'M SUCH A CARD!

EDIT: Do you prefer dry humor? I already visited Arica, Chile! Ho ho ho!

[Ben Kenobi]

You expect us to get jokes about obscure geographic factoids

I've clearly been hanging around with too many scandinavians.

[BlackCat]

The highest point in Denmark is 151 m.

Link

[giblets]

Speaking of geography, I was having tea with some Native Americans the other day, and they told me the wackiest stories I ever heard...

EDIT: Okay, that's really more history than geography. Still, c'mon now. You expect us to get jokes about obscure geographic factoids?

It's worse than that. He's established a track record of making incorrect, ridiculous and idiotic statements and now he expects people to pick up on when he is saying the opposite of what he means. Really it wouldn't have surprised anyone if Ben had thought the Alps ran through Denmark.