{"id":9811,"date":"2020-05-10T06:01:01","date_gmt":"2020-05-10T13:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=9811"},"modified":"2020-05-10T06:01:01","modified_gmt":"2020-05-10T13:01:01","slug":"mcdonalds-workers-in-denmark-pity-us-the-new-york-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=9811","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;McDonald\u2019s Workers in Denmark Pity Us&#8221;, The New York Times"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"css-1fv7b6t e1jsehar1\">By <span class=\"css-1baulvz last-byline\">Nicholas Kristof,\u00a0<\/span>Opinion Columnist, Sunday Review, May 10, 2020<\/p>\n<p><em>Danes haven\u2019t built a \u201csocialist\u201d country. Just one that works.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">President Trump thunders that Democrats are trying to drag America toward \u201csocialism,\u201d Vice President Mike Pence warns that Democrats aim to \u201cimpose socialism on the American people,\u201d and even some Democrats warn against becoming, as one put it, \u201c[expletive] Denmark.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">So, before the coronavirus pandemic, I crept behind [expletive] Danish lines to explore: <em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">How scary is Denmark? How horrifying would it be if the United States took a step or two in the direction of Denmark? Would America lose its edge, productivity and innovation, or would it gain well-being, fairness and happiness?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">So, here, grab a Danish, and we\u2019ll chat about how a [expletive] progressive country performs under stress. The pandemic interrupted my reporting, but I\u2019d be safer if I still were in Denmark: It has had almost <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/ourworldindata.org\/grapher\/full-list-cumulative-total-tests-per-thousand?time=2020-03-07..&amp;country=DNK+USA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">twice as much testing<\/a> per capita as the United States and fewer than <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1104709\/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">half as many deaths<\/a> per capita.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Put it this way: More than 35,000 Americans have already died in part because the United States could not manage the pandemic as deftly as Denmark.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Denmark lowered new infections so successfully that last month it reopened elementary schools and day care centers as well as barber shops and physical therapy centers. Malls and shops will be allowed to <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelocal.dk\/20200507\/denmark-to-reopen-shops-cafs-and-schools-in-new-deal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reopen<\/a> on Monday, and restaurants and cafes a week later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Moreover, Danes kept their jobs. The trauma of massive numbers of people losing jobs and health insurance, of long lines at food banks \u2014 that is the American experience, but it\u2019s not what\u2019s happening in Denmark. America\u2019s unemployment rate last month was 14.7 percent, but Denmark\u2019s is hovering in the <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/denmark\/unemployment-rate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">range of 4 percent to 5 percent.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">\u201cOur aim was that businesses wouldn\u2019t fire workers,\u201d Labor Minister Peter Hummelgaard told me. Denmark\u2019s approach is simple: Along with some other European countries, it paid companies to keep employees on the payroll, reimbursing up to 90 percent of wages of workers who otherwise would have been laid off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Denmark also <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/danishbusinessauthority.dk\/assistance-businesses-denmark-during-coronavirus-diseasecovid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">helped hard-hit companies<\/a> pay fixed costs like rent \u2014 on the condition that they suspend dividends, don\u2019t buy back stock and don\u2019t use foreign havens to evade taxes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Some of the $3 trillion that the United States has poured into unemployment benefits, stimulus payments, business rescues and industry bailouts has gone to worker retention, but the attention to avoiding layoffs is far less serious.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-2-wrapper\" class=\"css-2ninbb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">As a share of G.D.P., Denmark\u2019s coronavirus relief spending is a bit less than America\u2019s, but it seems more effective at protecting the population.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">The upshot is that Denmark staggered through the pandemic with employees still on the payroll and still paying rent. As the economy sputters back to life, Danish companies are in a position to bounce back quickly without the cost of having to rehire workers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">\u201cWe can be up and running in a week, back where we were,\u201d explained Peter Lykke Nielsen, a negotiator for unionized workers at hamburger chains. This European approach to avoiding unemployment won admiration in Washington, and not exclusively from liberals: Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/congress-should-protect-every-job-in-the-country-during-this-crisis\/2020\/04\/08\/5f48e1ac-79cd-11ea-9bee-c5bf9d2e3288_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">advocates<\/a> something similar in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Some Americans <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/04\/28\/world\/europe\/sweden-coronavirus-herd-immunity.html\">cite Sweden<\/a> as a model for coronavirus response because it has not imposed a major lockdown. But, in fact, Denmark, separated from Sweden by a bridge, has been far more successful: Denmark\u2019s death rate from Covid-19 per million people is less than one-third of Sweden\u2019s, and forecasters <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.focus-economics.com\/countries\/denmark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">predict<\/a> that Denmark\u2019s economy will do better than Sweden\u2019s this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Denmark, by saving lives, has also saved its economy, at least so far.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof2\/10Kristof2-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof2\/10Kristof2-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof2\/10Kristof2-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof2\/10Kristof2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof2\/10Kristof2-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof2\/10Kristof2-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof2\/10Kristof2-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"Muhammad Abu Sayeed, in November at the Copenhagen McDonald&amp;rsquo;s where he was working, feels sorry for his American counterparts.\" \/><\/picture><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"css-1a48zt4 ehw59r15\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children\">\n<figure class=\"css-1ef8w8q e1g7ppur0\"><figcaption class=\"css-18crmh6 e1xdpqjp0\"><span class=\"css-16f3y1r e13ogyst0\">Muhammad Abu Sayeed, in November at the Copenhagen McDonald\u2019s where he was working, feels sorry for his American counterparts.<\/span><span class=\"css-cnj6d5 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span>Mathias Svold for The New York Times<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Covid-19 will not last forever, and skeptical Americans may think that [expletive] Denmark coddles workers in ways that hobble economic dynamism and ultimately hurt workers themselves. I raised that argument with a McDonald\u2019s worker I met in Copenhagen, Muhammad Abu Sayeed, a Bangladeshi immigrant. He looked at me quizzically.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Starting pay for the humblest burger-flipper at McDonald\u2019s in Denmark is about $22 an hour once various pay supplements are included. The McDonald\u2019s workers in Denmark get six weeks of paid vacation a year, life insurance, a year\u2019s paid maternity leave and a pension plan. And like all Danes, they enjoy universal medical insurance and paid sick leave.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">One reason Denmark was more effective than the United States in responding to the crisis is that no Dane hesitated to seek treatment because of concerns about medical bills.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Abu Sayeed knew that Americans working in fast food don\u2019t do so well. \u201cI heard about the movement,\u201d he said, trying to remember its name. \u201cFight for something. Fight for $20? What was it?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">\u201cFight for $15,\u201d I explained. \u201cThey want $15 an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">There was an awkward silence. He nodded sympathetically. Then he tried not to sound condescending.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">\u201cI feel for them,\u201d he said earnestly of American workers at McDonald\u2019s. \u201cWe are from the same brand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">I\u2019ve worked at McDonald\u2019s for over 10 years. I\u2019m that face that you see that serves you your hash browns for breakfast, maybe a quarter pounder for lunch, and even gave you a McFlurry to top off your dinner menu. So I ask you, if I caught the coronavirus, would you want me making your next meal? There are 500,000 McDonald\u2019s workers, just like me, that have to go to work, whether sick or well, because we have no paid sick leave. I currently make $11.50. I live paycheck to paycheck. A sick day for me is lost wages. I\u2019d literally have to be damn near on my deathbed to take a full-blown sick day. A missed check is the difference between me having a roof over me and my family\u2019s head versus us being homeless. \u201cWelcome to McDonald\u2019s. May I take your order?\u201d McDonald\u2019s is one of the largest employers in the world. There are hundreds of thousands of McDonald\u2019s workers that touch millions of customers\u2019 food each day. \u201cThere is nothing so clean as my burger machine!\u201d The C.D.C. found that 20 percent of food service workers go to work even exhibiting the signs of vomiting or diarrhea. And I should know, I\u2019m one of those workers. Last week, I was under the weather. I was sick to the point where I had to leave the grill to go to the restroom, and I wound up vomiting. I could have been sent home with paid sick leave, and not have to worry about coming to work sick, because I don\u2019t have to worry about how my bills are going to get covered for the days that I missed. \u201cHello, McFamily.\u201d Last week, McDonald\u2019s did roll out a coronavirus plan, stating that anybody that\u2019s quarantined will be paid. \u201cProtecting the well-being of our people and our customers is our number one priority.\u201d But you guys, don\u2019t be fooled. That\u2019s only for corporate-owned McDonald\u2019s. But 95% of McDonald\u2019s are franchise stores, including my store. So that does not benefit us whatsoever. \u201cToday, the Senate is taking up coronavirus legislation.\u201d This week, the government passed a law that enables people that have the coronavirus to get paid time off. \u201c&#8230; two weeks of paid sick leave.\u201d \u201cThe bill does have an exemption for businesses with 500 employees &#8230;\u201d \u201c&#8230; depending on how you look at it, it only covers about 20 percent of workers.\u201d Republicans made it so that doesn\u2019t apply to big businesses, such as McDonald\u2019s. And listen closely. That\u2019s only with the coronavirus. What about the flu? What about the next outbreak? What then? McDonald\u2019s has the power to make it so anybody in a McDonald\u2019s uniform that wears the McDonald\u2019s logo, like I do, could be provided with paid sick leave, especially during this critical time. Companies can change this. Since this coronavirus pandemic, Olive Garden has given their employees paid sick leave\u2014 not just during this time, but for good. So we know that McDonald\u2019s, Burger King, Wendy\u2019s, Subway\u2014 they can all do it as well. But they just have chosen not to. McDonald\u2019s could provide paid sick leave for hundreds of thousands of its workers right now, here today. Well, with that being said, off to work I go. Y\u2019all have a blessed day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Some American companies scoff that a $15 minimum wage or stronger unions would be a disastrous blow to business. Denmark challenges that narrative, for it shows that it\u2019s possible to have a thriving economy that pays workers decently and treats them respectfully.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Workers get their schedules a month in advance, and they can\u2019t be assigned back-to-back shifts. American politicians speak solemnly about the dignity of work, but you\u2019re more likely to find it in Copenhagen than in New York.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">This wasn\u2019t always so. The golden age of American capitalism, from 1945 to 1980, was a period of high tax rates (up to 91 percent for the very wealthy), strong labor unions and huge initiatives, such as the G.I. Bill of Rights to help disadvantaged (albeit mostly white) Americans. This was a period of rapid growth in which income inequality declined \u2014 and in some ways it looked like today\u2019s Denmark.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">One Republican strategy this year has been to demonize Democrats as socialists who would destroy the economy. Trump warns that Democrats \u201cwant to model America\u2019s economy after Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Well, no. In fact, what liberal Democrats have in mind is a step in the direction of the Nordic model found in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. But paradoxically, while Americans on both left and right often think of Scandinavia as quasi-socialist, Scandinavians flinch at that characterization. They see themselves as simply pursuing market economies, just with higher taxes and greater social benefits than the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"css-z3e15g\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper-hidden\">\n<div class=\"css-8h527k\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\"><picture class=\"css-1j5kxti\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof7\/10Kristof7-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof7\/10Kristof7-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof7\/10Kristof7-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof7\/10Kristof7-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof7\/10Kristof7-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof7\/10Kristof7-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/sunday\/10Kristof7\/10Kristof7-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"A classroom rearranged for social distancing at the Norrebro Park primary school in Copenhagen on April 29.\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1a48zt4 ehw59r15\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children\">\n<figure class=\"css-1ef8w8q e1g7ppur0\"><figcaption class=\"css-18crmh6 e1xdpqjp0\"><span class=\"css-16f3y1r e13ogyst0\">A classroom rearranged for social distancing at the Norrebro Park primary school in Copenhagen on April 29.<\/span><span class=\"css-cnj6d5 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span>Thibault Savary\/Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Danes pay <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/tax\/revenue-statistics-denmark.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an extra 19 cents<\/a> of every dollar in taxes, compared with Americans, but for that they get free health care, free education from kindergarten through college, subsidized high-quality preschool, a very strong social safety net and very low levels of poverty, homelessness, crime and inequality. On average, Danes live two years longer than Americans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">A Big Mac flipped by $22-an-hour workers isn\u2019t even that much more expensive than an American one. Big Mac prices vary by outlet, but my spot pricing suggested that one might cost about 27 cents more on average in Denmark than in the United States. That 27 cents is the price of dignity.Americans might suspect that the Danish safety net encourages laziness. But <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/data.oecd.org\/emp\/labour-force-participation-rate.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">79 percent of Danes<\/a> ages 16 to 64 are in the labor force, five percentage points higher than in the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Danes earn about the same after-tax income as Americans, even though they work on average <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/stats.oecd.org\/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=ANHRS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">22 percent fewer<\/a> hours; on the other hand, money doesn\u2019t go as far in Denmark because prices average <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worlddata.info\/cost-of-living.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">18 percent higher<\/a>. My own rough guess is that the top quarter of earners live better in America, but that the bottom three-quarters live better in Denmark.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Indeed, polls find that Danes are among the world\u2019s happiest people, along with Finns; Denmark is sometimes called \u201c<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/62150-why-denmark-is-happiest-country.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the happiest country<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">You can agree or disagree that the trade-offs are worth it, but as you sit at a cafe in Copenhagen, sipping coffee and enjoying a Danish (called Viennese bread), Denmark hardly seems like a socialist nightmare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"css-z3e15g\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper-hidden\">\u00a0<picture class=\"css-1j5kxti\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof9\/merlin_172281018_cb10326e-1519-43a2-ad6c-cb3e442fe906-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof9\/merlin_172281018_cb10326e-1519-43a2-ad6c-cb3e442fe906-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof9\/merlin_172281018_cb10326e-1519-43a2-ad6c-cb3e442fe906-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof9\/merlin_172281018_cb10326e-1519-43a2-ad6c-cb3e442fe906-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof9\/merlin_172281018_cb10326e-1519-43a2-ad6c-cb3e442fe906-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof9\/merlin_172281018_cb10326e-1519-43a2-ad6c-cb3e442fe906-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof9\/merlin_172281018_cb10326e-1519-43a2-ad6c-cb3e442fe906-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"Covid-19 has increased shopping online. Ufuk Kekec made a delivery from the online company Nemlig to a home in Brondby, a suburb of Copenhagen, on Thursday.\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1a48zt4 ehw59r15\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children\">\n<figure class=\"css-1ef8w8q e1g7ppur0\">\n<div class=\"css-1xdhyk6 erfvjey0\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"css-18crmh6 e1xdpqjp0\"><span class=\"css-16f3y1r e13ogyst0\">Covid-19 has increased shopping online. Ufuk Kekec made a delivery from the online company Nemlig to a home in Brondby, a suburb of Copenhagen, on Thursday.<\/span><span class=\"css-cnj6d5 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span>Martin Sylvest\/Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Indeed, Danes \u2014 very politely \u2014 express concern for what they perceive as a dystopia on the other side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">\u201cWe look to America for a lot of things,\u201d Nielsen, the labor negotiator, told me. \u201cAnd then we meet people in the fast-food sector, and. \u2026\u201d He paused, struggling for the right words. \u201cLook, all countries have flaws, right? But you look at labor rights in America, and it\u2019s crazy. If you work full time you should be able to support your family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Kristina Hansen, 27, who works at a nonunion hamburger chain called Cock\u2019s &amp; Cows, told me she is now thinking of buying an apartment. Surprised, I noted that few Americans working at hamburger chains are buying their own homes, and we discussed American fast-food pay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">\u201cHow can they survive on that money over there?\u201d she asked me. \u201cIt\u2019s so expensive to live in New York. I wonder how they live on that kind of money.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Americans assume that Danish wages must be high because of regulations, but Denmark has no national minimum wage, and it would be perfectly legal for a construction company or a corner pizzeria to hire workers at $5 an hour. Yet that doesn\u2019t happen. The typical bottom market wage seems to be about $15 \u2014 about twice the federal minimum wage in the United States, a country with a roughly similar standard of living. Why is that?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">One reason is Denmark\u2019s strong unions. More than 80 percent of Danish employees work under collective bargaining contracts, although strikes are rare. There is also \u201csectoral bargaining,\u201d in which contracts are negotiated across an entire business sector \u2014 so in Denmark, McDonald\u2019s and Burger King pay exactly the same \u2014 something that Joe Biden <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/joebiden.com\/empowerworkers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suggests<\/a> the United States consider as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Yet there\u2019s another, more important reason for high wages in Denmark.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">\u201cWorkers are more productive\u201d in Denmark, Lawrence Katz, a labor economist at Harvard, noted bluntly. \u201cThey have had access to more and higher-quality human capital investment opportunities starting at birth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Think of it this way. Workers at McDonald\u2019s outlets all over the world tend to be at the lower end of the labor force, say the 20th percentile. But Danish workers at the 20th percentile are high school graduates who are literate and numerate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">In contrast, after half a century of underinvestment in the United States, many 20th-percentile American workers haven\u2019t graduated from high school, can\u2019t read well, aren\u2019t very numerate, struggle with drugs or alcohol, or have impairments that reduce productivity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"story-ad-7-wrapper\" class=\"css-1r07izm\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Increasingly, I came to see that emulating a Danish-style system of high wages wasn\u2019t just about lifting the minimum wage but, even more, about investing in children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Many Danes see the nurturing of children as part of their nation\u2019s secret sauce, so I dropped in on a public day care center in the city of Soborg. It turned out to be bright and pleasant, with 68 children and 12 teachers, plus a cook who serves mostly organic meals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">This center is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and some other branches offer extended hours. It costs (a heavily subsidized) $516 per month for children ages 4 months to 3 years, and $354 for children from 3 to 6. Children of low-income parents attend free.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">The focus isn\u2019t so much on learning reading or numbers, but rather on using play to learn social skills and creativity. \u201c\u2018Learning to learn\u2019 is a popular expression here,\u201d explained Helle Olsen, the manager.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"css-z3e15g\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-wrapper-hidden\">\n<div class=\"css-8h527k\">\n<div data-testid=\"lazyimage-container\"><picture class=\"css-1j5kxti\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof8\/merlin_172271784_736c66aa-6fee-48cc-b363-11b6b64c2e30-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof8\/merlin_172271784_736c66aa-6fee-48cc-b363-11b6b64c2e30-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof8\/merlin_172271784_736c66aa-6fee-48cc-b363-11b6b64c2e30-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800\" media=\"(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof8\/merlin_172271784_736c66aa-6fee-48cc-b363-11b6b64c2e30-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 80vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof8\/merlin_172271784_736c66aa-6fee-48cc-b363-11b6b64c2e30-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof8\/merlin_172271784_736c66aa-6fee-48cc-b363-11b6b64c2e30-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2020\/05\/10\/opinion\/10Kristof8\/merlin_172271784_736c66aa-6fee-48cc-b363-11b6b64c2e30-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"Children at the Stationsparken Day Care Center wash their hands under adult supervision every other hour.\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1a48zt4 ehw59r15\" data-testid=\"photoviewer-children\">\n<figure class=\"css-1ef8w8q e1g7ppur0\"><figcaption class=\"css-18crmh6 e1xdpqjp0\"><span class=\"css-16f3y1r e13ogyst0\">Children at the Stationsparken Day Care Center wash their hands under adult supervision every other hour.<\/span><span class=\"css-cnj6d5 e1z0qqy90\"><span class=\"css-1ly73wi e1tej78p0\">Credit&#8230;<\/span>Betina Garcia for The New York Times<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">One critical purpose of the system is to allow both parents to work, and that\u2019s why day care centers were among the first institutions reopened as the number of coronavirus cases fell. But families commonly send children to the centers even if there is a grandparent or other person at home (nannies are rare), because they are seen as training kids to be good Danish citizens. For that reason, attendance is mandatory for families where Danish is not spoken at home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">If we want to understand why burger-flippers in Denmark earn so much, I realized, part of the answer involves giving little children equal access to the starting line so that they will be educated and become productive workers two decades later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">For all of Denmark\u2019s successes, its model faces challenges. A central one is that the Danish system emerged from a homogeneous society with strong social trust, and some experts wonder whether Denmark can indefinitely sustain its high-wage, high-productivity economy as less-skilled immigrants stream in from poorer countries. Denmark compiled a heroic record resisting the Nazis to save most of its Jewish population in World War II, so it surprised me to encounter strong anti-immigrant feelings, even xenophobia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Yet the success of the Nordic model seems undeniable \u2014 although it\u2019s not obvious to all Americans. Last year, Nikki Haley <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/03\/21\/health\/nikki-haley-finland-health-care-comment\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tweeted contemptuously<\/a> about Finland\u2019s health care system. \u201cComparing us to Finland is ridiculous,\u201d she said scornfully. \u201cAsk them how their health care is. You won\u2019t like their answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">She apparently was unaware that Finns live longer than Americans, that Finnish children are only one-third as likely to die by the age of 5, and that Finnish women are one-fifth as likely to die in childbirth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">Even on the Democratic side, the television personality Donny Deutsch scoffed on Bill Maher\u2019s HBO show that Medicare for All would mean \u201cwe are going backwards. We\u2019re [expletive] Denmark!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">At a time when a pandemic lays bare longstanding inequities in the United States, maybe we should approach the Nordic countries with a bit more curiosity and humility. Hummelgaard, the labor minister, is the son of a porter and a cleaner but received an excellent free education and spoke to me in perfect English. He admires the United States but is sometimes baffled by it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\">\u201cDanes love America,\u201d Hummelgaard told me. \u201cBut there\u2019s no admiration for the level of inequality in America, for the lack of job security, for the lack of health security, for all those things that normally can create a good society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-exrw3m evys1bk0\"><em>Nicholas Kristof has been a columnist for The Times since 2001. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes, for his coverage of China and of the genocide in Darfur.\u00a0You can sign up for his free, twice-weekly\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/newsletters\/nicholas-kristof\/\">email newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow him on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nickkristof\/\">Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/588999\/tightrope-by-nicholas-d-kristof-and-sheryl-wudunn\/\">His latest book<\/a>\u00a0is &#8220;Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bottom-of-article\">\n<div class=\"css-1ubp8k9\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/08\/opinion\/sunday\/us-denmark-economy.html?action=click&amp;module=Opinion&amp;pgtype=Homepage\">The New York Times<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nicholas Kristof,\u00a0Opinion Columnist, Sunday Review, May 10, 2020 Danes haven\u2019t built a \u201csocialist\u201d country. Just one that works. President Trump thunders that Democrats are trying to drag America toward \u201csocialism,\u201d Vice President Mike Pence warns that Democrats aim to \u201cimpose socialism on the American people,\u201d and even some Democrats warn against becoming, as one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9811"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9811"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9812,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9811\/revisions\/9812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}