Political Memes

Damn--looks like the same terrible type of people are taking power in Finland as they are all over the world:

“The current government has pursued an exceptionally aggressive policy of cutting welfare and unemployment benefits, housing support for low-income families, and exemptions for part-time work,” said Hukka. “Their aim has been to drive down budget deficits, and they have done so without the customary parliamentary evaluations—which usually involve taking into account the cumulative effects of policy changes. Added to this is the downturn in the national economy and the reduction of state-supported affordable housing.

“It’s not a real surprise—a rise in homelessness is what happens when you cut housing benefits, tell low-income families to find cheaper housing, and offer no feasible supply of affordable rental properties. A huge shame, really, and totally preventable. Finland’s national debt is not out of control. Biting the bullet and accepting that investing in social housing and welfare benefits during a downturn – even if it requires increasing budget deficits – is, in my opinion, a reasonable alternative. Welfare reforms can wait for an economic upturn.

“Sadly, national debt is being used as a smokescreen, and the current government parties have a long-standing antipathy toward the Nordic welfare state as a whole. So, any adjustments to the current policy package seem unlikely.”

It's the same scam everywhere, run by the same people:

Finland's ... most right-wing government in recent history.