the other thread got me thinking about this.
I think it's important that you make it specific for YOUR country, not every country. For example, I'm for our current gun laws over here, but I don't think it would necessarily work in the US. Anyway, for Germany:
-Single-payer public healthcare. We have this krankenkasse system, where public providers are fractioned into different 'krankenkasses'. There are a ton of these, and the principle is that it gives people more choices, except they're all pretty much the same. They all are governed by the same regulations for core services, and while some extra services (like contributing to yoga classes and stuff) can vary, even that stuff is pretty similar. The only difference between having this and a single-payer system is that it costs astronomical amounts of money. We not only pay through healthcare through taxes, but we also have among the highest public healthcare contributions in the developed world. I move that we let people continue to choose between public and private insurance, but integrate the public providers into one, centrally run body.
-I'd expand social security systems to help bring more support to a wider group of self-employed people. There are a lot of social security systems (such as the KSK for artists/journalists), but there isn't a lot of support for modern professions such as programmers, developers, etc. As it stands, a lot of these people have to pay into health care as a freelancer (meaning they have to pay their own as well as the "employer" contributions), and if you see above, this is very expensive. It would also solve the issue of pensions. Germany has very good social support, but the problem is, it's set up for the past....people aren't always employed full time for life by the same organisation...this is getting more and more rare. It's time the system changes to suit the times.
-I'd go with the plan to bring pensions to freelancers, but rather than charge a flat-rate (which is the current plan, and is proving VERY unpopular), it would be a percentage based on income.
-I'd encourage anonymous job applications in order to combat the massive bias against foreigners that still exists in this country.
There's a lot more stuff...but I'll write more later. I have to go do some housework!
I think it's important that you make it specific for YOUR country, not every country. For example, I'm for our current gun laws over here, but I don't think it would necessarily work in the US. Anyway, for Germany:
-Single-payer public healthcare. We have this krankenkasse system, where public providers are fractioned into different 'krankenkasses'. There are a ton of these, and the principle is that it gives people more choices, except they're all pretty much the same. They all are governed by the same regulations for core services, and while some extra services (like contributing to yoga classes and stuff) can vary, even that stuff is pretty similar. The only difference between having this and a single-payer system is that it costs astronomical amounts of money. We not only pay through healthcare through taxes, but we also have among the highest public healthcare contributions in the developed world. I move that we let people continue to choose between public and private insurance, but integrate the public providers into one, centrally run body.
-I'd expand social security systems to help bring more support to a wider group of self-employed people. There are a lot of social security systems (such as the KSK for artists/journalists), but there isn't a lot of support for modern professions such as programmers, developers, etc. As it stands, a lot of these people have to pay into health care as a freelancer (meaning they have to pay their own as well as the "employer" contributions), and if you see above, this is very expensive. It would also solve the issue of pensions. Germany has very good social support, but the problem is, it's set up for the past....people aren't always employed full time for life by the same organisation...this is getting more and more rare. It's time the system changes to suit the times.
-I'd go with the plan to bring pensions to freelancers, but rather than charge a flat-rate (which is the current plan, and is proving VERY unpopular), it would be a percentage based on income.
-I'd encourage anonymous job applications in order to combat the massive bias against foreigners that still exists in this country.
There's a lot more stuff...but I'll write more later. I have to go do some housework!
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