Rich and Strange Aeons

Wow, the Swiss really do vote 3-4 times a year. Last one was Nov 28, and they just had another one, on three initiatives. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Swiss_agree_to_curb_immigration_and_rethink_EU_deal_.html?cid=37877780 discusses one and links to the other two. 50.3% majority to reinstate quotas on EU immigration, rather than a free travel and labor market. 70% rejecting a conservative measure to remove abortion from the list of basic health insurance services; 62% in favor of more money for the train system, http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Swiss_railways_could_benefit_from_fresh_cash_boost.html?cid=37579820 (older article)

Somewhat randomly, the abortion article includes an interactive graphic with abortion policies around the world. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Abortions_to_remain_covered_by_health_insurance.html?cid=37889424
Clever examining of the HTML finds the source link: https://mapsengine.google.com/map/embed?mid=zPsccFWjDz38.klFLKBjCbzdk

Huh, 2 of the 3 initiatives passed. That's unusually high, I think. I also note part of the Swiss method at work in the railway case:

"The cabinet has characterised the upcoming vote on the fund as “historic”. It is a counter-proposal to an initiative that was successfully spearheaded by the Transport and Environment Association and other organisations and would have modified the constitution.

Those backing the initiative were sufficiently satisfied with the government counter-proposal to withdraw their initiative last summer. It has also convinced the cantons and the country’s two largest automobile associations – the Automobile Club of Switzerland and the Touring Club Switzerland... Because the federal constitution has to be adapted if the proposal is accepted at the ballot box, a majority of voters as well as a majority of cantons must vote in favour."

100,000 voters can propose an initiative; government can propose a counter. I knew that, but this is me seeing it in action. Didn't know the original proposal could be withdrawn. And it's still an initiative, despite coming from the government. Seems like this could have been a law, but Swiss voters can't initiate federal law.

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Okay, someone at Swissinfo likes Google maps. I found this older article on the new marijuana law, and it has another world map
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Mixed_feelings_over_new_Swiss_cannabis_law.html?cid=36977488&link=ers
I thought maybe they were finding them, but the text in this one credits Swissinfo. OTOH, the abortion one doesn't, and it looks different, that might be found.

November vote on a 1:12 pay initiative. More interesting to me is the sidebar on the existing state of income disparity... I don't have anything to compare it to, but it feels rather low. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Voters_to_decide_on_tougher_salary_gap_limits.html?cid=37097114

Relatedly, on the Wikipedia income equality page, it seems that Switzerland's pre-tax/transfer Gini is among the lowest around, tied with the Nordics. The Nordics overtake it after transfers, to 0.25, vs. 0.3 for Switzerland and 0.45 (and climbing) for the US.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality#Gini_coefficient.2C_before_taxes_and_transfers

And of course at some point they'll be voting on a basic income scheme. An absurdly generous and unnecessary one to my mind: 30,000 francs a year vs. a GDP/capita of 70,000 francs. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Old_utopian_ideal_revived_on_Swiss_streets.html?cid=36104780

Norway's prisons became famous a few years ago, but Switzerland apparently has very liberal incarceration policies as well. You *can* get a life sentence, but you also get a review after 15 years. Only 11.5% of convicts get sent to prison, vs. fines or suspended sentences. "the Swiss incarceration rate is only 80 convicted offenders per 100,000
inhabitants. By comparison, the UK's rate is 155, the Netherlands' 100,
France's 96, Germany's 90, and the U.S.'s 760"

Small increase in taxes on the rich planned, to pad out unemployment funds. Unemployment is shockingly high at 3% -- allegedly they're more used to 1%. http://www.west-info.eu/switzerland-to-tax-the-rich-to-subsidise-unemployment/
3.2% youth unemployment, vs. 50% in Spain and Greece, 22% in the eurozone and EU. Dual track education, without a big prestige difference between practical apprenticeship and secondary education. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/What_future_for_the_younger_generation.html?cid=32584024
This would be why I call the basic income unnecessary: try for full employment first, and they seem good at that already.

No official minimum wage, though collective bargaining agreements have a similar effect. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Weighing_up_the_consequences_of_a_minimum_wage.html?cid=35467568


Swiss human capital investments are pretty high. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/07/switzerland_0_n_4038031.html
Though one thing in that is misleading: government health care spending may be low, but overall they have the second more expensive system in the world, after the US. It's basically Obamacare with non-profit insurers and probably no per-state exchanges. So high spending, via mandatory premiums, largely affordable through egalitarian wages I guess.

Swiss prostitution history http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+sex+trade+in+Switzerland%3A+prostitution+has+been+documented+since...-a0171887336
and Zurich's "drive-in" prostitution http://www.modernghana.com/news/485077/1/controlling-prostitution-can-ghana-learn-from-swit.html
Legal age was raised from 16 to 18 last month, which tells us that prostitution has a legal age, and also that it was 16... http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/10/switzerland-ups-legal-prostitution-age-from-16-to-18/

Universal male conscription got put to a vote, and passed http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/world/europe/swiss-vote-to-keep-mandatory-army-service.html

Possession of 10 grams of marijuana decrminalized. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/switzerland-decriminalizes-marijuana_n_4037400.html