Tax comparisons show ‘free’ stuff is very expensive

J.D. Tuccille : The U.S. is a large and diverse country where people don't nearly agree with each other on what they want.

He says it's difficult for government to provide more services without fueling arguments over what and how much should be provided.

The most successful all-you-can-eat systems tend to be rather small and homogeneous, he says.

Tuccillille: It's easier to maintain a tax-funded welfare state if people generally agree on what that welfare state should look like.

Norway 's government hiked wealth taxes which reached even for "unrealized gains" Rather than fill government coffers, the rich, followed by their bankers, left for Switzerland .

The U.S. has been widening its lead over Europe in terms of productivity and resulting personal income.