In this case the strikes are aimed at the public sector employees, i.e. the government. So the situation is a bit complex. It would be nice to pay more to nurses, but then also it would be nice not to pay more taxes.
Go union go workers!!!!
Legalize weed and use the taxes to pay the nurses.
The EU needs to invest more in healthcare workers across the continent.
Since Finland joined the Euro, it somewhat handicapped itself fiscally, creating this unnecessary worker vs. worker tension. The question of whether we should be willing to pay more in taxes to support nurses is a false dichotomy – our taxes shouldn’t be funding their salaries in the first place. That’s one of the main benefits of having a sovereign government that can issue its own currency. It’s hard to run a national government like a city (trying to keep a balanced budget).
That said, I’m not opposed to Euro integration, but it needs to be balanced by fiscal integration as well. Right now countries like Germany and the Netherlands, where unemployment is very low (5% vs. Finland’s nearly 8%) and thus the Euro is overvalued, are “benefitting” from squeezing economies like Finland and, of course, Greece et. all, where it’s undervalued. It’s not the fault of German citizens, of course, just a poorly structured European fiscal system. And I put benefitting in quotes, because it actually doesn’t help them long term – what it does is decrease the purchasing power of people in other countries, where Germany *needs* people to have money so they can continue purchasing German products and services. Money doesn’t have value sitting in a pile, only when it’s in motion, so investing in the Finnish healthcare system would be a good strategy for Europe-wide prosperity.
6 comments
Get ready for tax hikes.
Solidarity, and good luck!
In this case the strikes are aimed at the public sector employees, i.e. the government. So the situation is a bit complex. It would be nice to pay more to nurses, but then also it would be nice not to pay more taxes.
Go union go workers!!!!
Legalize weed and use the taxes to pay the nurses.
The EU needs to invest more in healthcare workers across the continent.
Since Finland joined the Euro, it somewhat handicapped itself fiscally, creating this unnecessary worker vs. worker tension. The question of whether we should be willing to pay more in taxes to support nurses is a false dichotomy – our taxes shouldn’t be funding their salaries in the first place. That’s one of the main benefits of having a sovereign government that can issue its own currency. It’s hard to run a national government like a city (trying to keep a balanced budget).
That said, I’m not opposed to Euro integration, but it needs to be balanced by fiscal integration as well. Right now countries like Germany and the Netherlands, where unemployment is very low (5% vs. Finland’s nearly 8%) and thus the Euro is overvalued, are “benefitting” from squeezing economies like Finland and, of course, Greece et. all, where it’s undervalued. It’s not the fault of German citizens, of course, just a poorly structured European fiscal system. And I put benefitting in quotes, because it actually doesn’t help them long term – what it does is decrease the purchasing power of people in other countries, where Germany *needs* people to have money so they can continue purchasing German products and services. Money doesn’t have value sitting in a pile, only when it’s in motion, so investing in the Finnish healthcare system would be a good strategy for Europe-wide prosperity.