Although lower taxes make the U.S. salary look like a better deal compared to the Nordic salaries, the higher taxes in these countries are channeled into providing a high standard of free education and universal healthcare so there is a public service benefit.
In Spain, among other things, the new government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has latched on to blowing up bridges to make vacations look more like those in Britain and the U.S., which have moved most public holidays to Fridays or Mondays.