Joined: Dec '08
Location: Netherlands
Age: 42 (M)
Posts: 579
After 33 years our queen Beatrix stepped down from the throne and now her son Willem Alexander is king of the Netherlands with his wife Maxima. Yesterday the whole day was in memory of Beatrix but mostly it was a big celibration for our new king and queen.
Joined: Dec '08
Location: Netherlands
Age: 42 (M)
Posts: 579
Posted by Bigritefoot:
Posted by pochui:
Posted by remco2504: GL to Willem Alexander and Maxima
our biggest shopping centers chain is called Maxima here in lithuania...
She must be minted then! Doesn't need to be a queen if she owns all that already
To be fair though it looked like one hell of a party going on yesterday. Must be a lots of Dutch with major hangovers today
Yeah and i am one of them
And you are right the party was huge and many many important people where there. Also performances,concerts,games etc etc ...it was better then i expected..I expected it to be boring but it was fun,emotional and beatifull..i enjoyed it obviously
Posted by remco2504: And you are right the party was huge and many many important people where there. Also performances,concerts,games etc etc ...it was better then i expected..I expected it to be boring but it was fun,emotional and beatifull..i enjoyed it obviously
Yeah, me too. I was not even planning on watching it, but somehow ended up watching almost the whole thing, and loving it.
It was very well produced television, even moving at times. Almost as good as their wedding some years back (which, in much the same manner, I did not plan on watching either...). It put me in a good mood.
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14136
Havent watched a single thing about it and to be honest dont really care about royalties and stuff. We through away ours along time ago and they still live a luxury life all of them. That says something...
Joined: May '12
Location: Belgium
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 275
What makes a king more special than any other person? Just because he was born into a royalty family does he deserve the wealth, recognition, education,.. more than someone else? Here in Belgium the taxes are so high (BTW 21%) and a lot goes for the royalty's marble floor in figure of speech. Ridiculous system that doesn't fit the modern world of 2013.
Posted by rafiko1: What makes a king more special than any other person? Just because he was born into a royalty family does he deserve the wealth, recognition, education,.. more than someone else? Here in Belgium the taxes are so high (BTW 21%) and a lot goes for the royalty's marble floor in figure of speech. Ridiculous system that doesn't fit the modern world of 2013.
I agree with you. The fact that the title is inherited, is bonkers...
Apart from that, it's just a very well paid job, as far as I'm concerned. It costs every citizen approximately 6 Euro per year, to pay for it (the sum of the total cost of our royalty is about 110 million euro per year, including security, maintenance of palaces and state visits).
Personally I don't mind that too much, especially if you compare it to the cost of government, which is just insane beyond the telling of it...
Btw about 87% of the dutch population is in favor of maintaining our constitutional monarchy, the way that it is...
Joined: Nov '12
Location: Canada
Age: 55 (M)
Posts: 4675
Posted by rafiko1: What makes a king more special than any other person? Just because he was born into a royalty family does he deserve the wealth, recognition, education,.. more than someone else? Here in Belgium the taxes are so high (BTW 21%) and a lot goes for the royalty's marble floor in figure of speech. Ridiculous system that doesn't fit the modern world of 2013.
G'day mate
Well 21% income tax is cheap mate. Last time I work for HNB accounting services a few years back the minimum Canadian tax bracket I seen flow past was 26% and the highest was 42%. The 42% however did get adjusted down to around 15% after all the rich bastards legal tax deduction was figured into it. Taxes are such a scam by the government and the rich.
Posted by RoninHarper: Well 21% income tax is cheap mate.
If only... this 21% is VAT, not income tax... We pay up to 50% income tax over here, depending upon the size of your income. Most incomes pay about 40% effectively. If you end up buying something with what is left over after the income tax, then you pay an additional 21% VAT...
Like I said, this 6 Euro per year for the cost of our royal house, is nothing in comparison...
Joined: Feb '13
Location: Netherlands
Age: 51 (M)
Posts: 508
Posted by marqis:
Posted by rafiko1: What makes a king more special than any other person? Just because he was born into a royalty family does he deserve the wealth, recognition, education,.. more than someone else? Here in Belgium the taxes are so high (BTW 21%) and a lot goes for the royalty's marble floor in figure of speech. Ridiculous system that doesn't fit the modern world of 2013.
I agree with you. The fact that the title is inherited, is bonkers...
Apart from that, it's just a very well paid job, as far as I'm concerned. It costs every citizen approximately 6 Euro per year, to pay for it (the sum of the total cost of our royalty is about 110 million euro per year, including security, maintenance of palaces and state visits).
Personally I don't mind that too much, especially if you compare it to the cost of government, which is just insane beyond the telling of it...
Btw about 87% of the dutch population is in favor of maintaining our constitutional monarchy, the way that it is...
As a democracy votes in favor of maintaining the Monarchy and 87% is in favor of it , then the people must find that the Royal Family contributes to a better country..... I think personally that the are part of an important tradition..... They gave us Queensday, on wich we all cellebrate being a country. Its de royal family who has a mayor part in binding us together, They ( the royal fam) they gave us our nationall color ORANGE.... The color who we as a country adore (look at our football fans...) and who's part of our identity.
So yes the whole royal family is outdated, cost money and makes no sence...... still 87% of us is in favor of them....so hands of of our Royals..
