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Europe is widely regarded as less free than the US, and its citizens less happy than ours. It’s the high-tax Socialist nature of European nations that lead to this conclusion. What country do you live in? How do you view America’s freedoms and relatively low taxes (compared to Europe’s) from where you are?

You have a point but then again you talk like someone who think that “europens’” are unhappy with their high kind of tax. And this is not true. If we “would” hate this this much don´t you think that we would do something about it? Most europeans just feel fine the way that they are taxed.
NO ONE likes to give money away but then again why do you think that we are unappy because of that.
If we would we would not have this systems because if you believe it or not most of europe is still a democracy!
So whats the big deal?

I don’t necessarily believe that Europeans are unhappy with their tax levels. Your statement confirms the story I read on the Marketwatch site that people in heavily taxed countries like Norway, Sweden, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland were happier than Americans.http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-happiest-places-on-earth-are-heavily-taxed

The argument was made that people there are happier because they have social services and a social safety net not found in the US. Theoretically, it made for a nation where people believed that they all had some kind of social obligation to each other. One thing you never hear discussed in the US media is that Europeans might be HAPPIER with their higher tax levels! I do not think most Americans would believe you. Taxing the wealthy is called “class warfare” here.

Here in the US, the argument is made that taxes are the reason people are unhappy, and that social programs are both unaffordable and encourage laziness. Even unemployment benefits extension are being condemned as creating a “welfare mentality.” How do you answer that sort of criticism?

Yes, most of Europe is a democracy - but aren’t you afraid that Austria will go the way of Greece, because its tax levels punish the hardest-working ones who make the most money? Don’t high taxes punish success? How do Austrians (in general, since you can’t speak for all) regard taxes, especially if they are wealthy?