Strict Immigration Laws 'Save Denmark Billions'

Denmark's strict immigration laws have saved the country 6.7 billion euros, a government report has claimed. Even though Denmark already has some of the toughest immigration laws in Europe, right-wing populist politicians are now trying to make them even more restrictive.

Denmark's strict immigration laws have saved the country billions in benefits, a government report has claimed. The Integration Ministry report has now led to calls among right-wing populists to clamp down further on immigrants to increase the savings.
But the report has sparked outrage from opposition parties like the centrist Social Liberal Party, which dismissed it as undignified and discriminatory. The party's integration spokeswoman, Marianne Jelved, said: "A certain group of people is being denounced and being blamed for our deficit, being made into whipping boys." She added: "We cannot classify people depending on their value to the economy. That is degrading in a democracy that has a basic value of equality."
Still, the announcement has not come as surprise. The right-wing populist DPP, which has been working with the ruling center-right coalition government of Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen since 2001, has in the past made its aims very clear: a complete halt to immigration into Denmark from non-Western countries. "A Somali who is no good for anything, that is simply not acceptable," said DPP leader Pia Kjærsgaard. Similarly, center-right liberal Prime Minister Rasmussen has also said anyone who would be a burden on Denmark is not welcome in the country.
Right-wing populists have even demanded a ban on satellite dishes so that TV stations like al-Jazeera and Al Arabiya cannot be beamed into Danish living rooms. There have also been suggestions to exempt migrants from the minimum wage -- supposedly to make it easier for foreigners to gain access to the labor market.
But things may soon get pushed even further. Elections are due to be held this fall, and the ruling parties apparently want to put forward even stricter rules, driven by the xenophobic rhetoric of the right-wing populists.
Some immigrants have already turned their back on Denmark voluntarily. Increasing numbers of Somalis are moving away, especially to the UK, the Jyllands Posten reported on Thursday, because of discrimination.

Read more at Der Spiegel

Quickies

1. Elvis Presley's Graceland opens in Denmark (link)

2. Denmark's HIV-specific law (link)

3. Children of parents with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) are at increased risk for the same type of problem, says a new study from Denmark (link).

Le Danemark veut limiter l'accès de l'Etat-providence pour les étrangers

Les étrangers vivant au Danemark pourraient dans un avenir proche avoir à payer leur droit aux prestations sociales, éducation ou soins par exemple, à la différence des Danois. Cette proposition, faite fin mars par le premier ministre libéral danois Lars Løkke Rasmussen, est largement soutenu par une majorité des Danois.

[...] le plan pourrait signifier entre autres que les étrangers devraient avoir une assurance privée pour couvrir leurs soins de santé les quatre premières années de leur séjour. "Il sera plus dur d'attirer des employés de l'étranger si ces derniers doivent payer les impôts parmi les plus élevés au monde sans avoir droit aux mêmes services que leurs collègues", critique Thomas Christensen, conseiller de Dansk Industri, le patronat danois.

La proposition du premier ministre est soutenue par son parti libéral et par l'extrême-droite. Mais l'autre parti du gouvernement, le parti conservateur, est sceptique, à l'instar du patronat. Il craint que cette discrimination ne décourage les étrangers de venir travailler au Danemark et que cela cause du tort aux entreprises danoises qui auront du mal à recruter la main d'œuvre dont elle a besoin. A l'instar de la ministre de l'économie française, Christine Lagarde, qui a pris ses distances, jeudi soir, avec le ministre de l'intérieur, Claude Guéant, qui proposait une limitation de l'immigration du travail.

Le gouvernement voudrait aussi supprimer la pré-retraite et augmenter l'âge de la retraite. Les mesures restrictives concernant l'accès aux services sociaux pour les étrangers vont être discutées dans les mois à venir alors que des élections législatives doivent se tenir au plus tard en novembre prochain.

Read more at Le Monde

Happiness, Freedom, Equality, Rudeness

Danes are the least gelotophobic nation on earth. Gelotophobic translates as, “fear of being laughed at.” An Aarhus Univerity study revealed that only 1.67% of Danes have this, due, in part, to our high degree of freedom of expression. Interestingly, Denmark has found itself in confrontations with Arab nations in the aftermath of the Muhammad cartoon crisis, and Arabs are at the opposite end of the scale; 33% of them suffer from gelotophobia.
We are also not overly respectful of authority, and political correctness is widely frowned upon. There is little respect for politicians. The general opinion is that any really INTELLIGENT man or women would consider it below themselves to waste their time as parliamentarians. Rather, they would aim for top-posts in the private sector. “Bad manners” are also on the loose in schools, where pupils show little of no respect for teachers. All in all, I would say that Danes are less cowed by status than anyone else I can think of.

We are the most equal in the world in terms of income. For example, a doctor at a public hospital makes less than $70,000/year (starting wages) and a garbage collector—or, to use the politically-correct term, “Renovation Technician”—also earns $70,000 on average. In Denmark, the income for the 10% richest is only five times higher than the 10% at the other end of the scale, whereas in the USA the difference is 16 times higher.

Denmark is doing very poorly in Life Expectancy. We’re ranked #36, tied with the United States. We eat more meat per capita than anyone else in Europe, and we have bad habits, i.e., too much smoking, cheap and lousy foodstuffs, and Danish teenagers drink more than any other teens in the world. Paradoxically, Denmark is also the nation with the highest per capita sales of organic food.

Read more at IEET

Than, why be a doctor instead of garbage collector? - they earn the same amount of money. Why go through so many years to be a doctor when you can make the same as a garbage man? This just seems like such a skewed way of thinking. I don't believe that 5 mil. danes are satisfied with such a concept.
Denmark is a xenophobic and „doing nothing” country. Dolce far niente – It is sweet to do nothing.

Australian kicked out of Denmark

Gustavus Aird Murray has been kicked out of Denmark on July 22nd, 2010 — despite being highly educated, well employed and a massive contributor to the Danish entrepreneurial community.
The reason? Government departments do not communicate, so no one knew exactly.... Gus appealed, and after waiting 8 months, for processing, his case was finalized on April 5th, 2011, at which time he was informed that his appeal had been declined and he now has to leave Denmark by the 1st of May, 2011.

Read more at Support Gus (including comments)