Thank you for sharing your story. Considering it's not an entirely cheerful one, you're very brave and strong to do so.
Your father sounds to me like the typical kind of person that could end up emigrating from a Nordic country to the US. They do exist, but there are not very many of them compared to the 19th century, when the Nordic's where poor countries.
Usually these are people with very strong right-wing political leanings, who believe they can better decide everything for themselves and who in their youth believe it's unfair they should pay taxes to support anyone else.
Most of them do tend to come back within a few years though, unless they become very successful.
Especially if they become ill and are in need of help.
Your father probably severed those ties when he became an American citizen (as I guess he had to give up his Danish citizenship?).
Any way, people who've made life changing decisions are seldom willing to acknowledge they've made a mistake later in life, as most people find it too painful to admit that.
I'm not saying that's the reason in his case, but psychological research tell us that's often a factor.
He might genuinely believe his life was better for becoming American - especially as he may factor in meeting your mother and having you children.
But from a strictly level-of-care point of view, your mother would never have been without medical care, no one would ever have taken your home for not being able to pay medical bills, and you children would never be bled dry paying for care for your father today, in any of the Nordic countries.
Things like that simply doesn't happen in a system such as we have - and I don't believe it does anywhere in the rest of the democratic west either.
But yes, of course you and your parents before you on the other hand would have had to pay more in taxes.
That's the deal we've made to afford the financial security and standard of universal welfare for all members of society we have.
In the end only American voters can decide if they too want to chose that way.
Whatever happens I wish only the best for you, your siblings and you father.
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@longtail4711
Thank you for sharing your story. Considering it's not an entirely cheerful one, you're very brave and strong to do so.
Your father sounds to me like the typical kind of person that could end up emigrating from a Nordic country to the US. They do exist, but there are not very many of them compared to the 19th century, when the Nordic's where poor countries.
Usually these are people with very strong right-wing political leanings, who believe they can better decide everything for themselves and who in their youth believe it's unfair they should pay taxes to support anyone else.
Most of them do tend to come back within a few years though, unless they become very successful.
Especially if they become ill and are in need of help.
Your father probably severed those ties when he became an American citizen (as I guess he had to give up his Danish citizenship?).
Any way, people who've made life changing decisions are seldom willing to acknowledge they've made a mistake later in life, as most people find it too painful to admit that.
I'm not saying that's the reason in his case, but psychological research tell us that's often a factor.
He might genuinely believe his life was better for becoming American - especially as he may factor in meeting your mother and having you children.
But from a strictly level-of-care point of view, your mother would never have been without medical care, no one would ever have taken your home for not being able to pay medical bills, and you children would never be bled dry paying for care for your father today, in any of the Nordic countries.
Things like that simply doesn't happen in a system such as we have - and I don't believe it does anywhere in the rest of the democratic west either.
But yes, of course you and your parents before you on the other hand would have had to pay more in taxes.
That's the deal we've made to afford the financial security and standard of universal welfare for all members of society we have.
In the end only American voters can decide if they too want to chose that way.
Whatever happens I wish only the best for you, your siblings and you father.