Quote from bone:
50% of the European GDP is the government.
That is probably an accurate figure. Having lived in Europe most of my life, I sometimes think back and it sounds like a disgusting fact that more than a third of the "working" population are paid directly by the government and about an equal amount by mainly government-owned companies.
But upon thorough reflection, I have two thoughts to offer:
1. Just because it's government doesn't make it any less real or less important or less meaningful. Sometimes not even less profitable.
2. That is all well and good, but I believe we agree that it's not the way to encourage enterprise or promote happiness. We should take a good look at Europe and take what is happening over there as a serious warning, because America is headed down the same path. It all starts by the government's taking away $10,000 per year from the average Joe who is "dumb" enough to get a job, endure all the pain involved in keeping it, and be responsible for himself and his dependents and giving part of it (actually, what little is not lost in corruption and inefficiencies) to the unfortunately more and more common "adaptive" average Joe who has realized that he can get paid almost as much as the working one or in some cases even more by staying at home, complaining about his knee or his mood swings, inseminating a few like-minded janes and spending his days as a procreator/consumer.
It doesn't make him happy, it doesn't make the ones who pay for it happy, it doesn't even make the socialists/democrats who negotiate the corresponding laws happy. It's just one of the biggest traps / inherent flaws of democracy.
I don't think there is anything anyone can do about it, except not going on welfare or similar benefits. But of course it takes a lot to be part of the intellectual / moral elite who don't accept government benefits although they are forced to pay income tax.