Reader’s view: Sweden shows the way to economic justice

The other day I read where companies in Sweden pay a minimum wage equivalent to $19 U.S. dollars per hour. What?! How can Swedish businesses afford that? Plus, the story said, workers receive at least five weeks of paid vacation, and all overtime work is voluntary.

So, workers in Sweden have larger take-home paychecks and get full health care, free college education and other benefits (even though taxes are much higher).

Isn’t such a high minimum wage forcing Swedish businesses to lay off workers? That’s what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has suggested would happen here. They argue U.S. businesses would be less competitive.

Well, data show that Sweden ranks second in the world in business competitiveness.

Maybe Sweden is suffering a fiscal-cliff crisis? Not so. Its debt is only 45 percent of Gross Domestic Product and falling, compared to U.S. debt at 101 percent and rising!

Meanwhile, we keep getting bamboozled with misinformation while nearly 5 percent of American workers suffer at starvation wages with no health care, no sick leave and no paid vacation time. Shameful!

Our corporate-controlled government’s policies have got to be fixed. Tell both the Republicans and the Democrats.

Vern Simula

Mountain Iron

Tags: readers views, opinion, editorials, politics, money, business