Forum Post: A voice from Norway
Posted 12 years ago on Jan. 23, 2012, 3:04 p.m. EST by Underdog
(2971)
from Clermont, FL
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
A response from the post "Sweden should be our model" caught my eye. I asked some questions about the Scandinavian system, and got the below response. I wish every adult American were aware of these facts.
Hi. Sure. Norway is what´s called a social democracy, meaning that there are elements of private enterprise and marked, but with democratically run public and state sector playing a huge role in society, providing free or almost free (there might accure some affordable fees here and there) health care, college, university, elementary school, garanteed social security for all disabled, unemployed, and sick etc. You also get help from your local community finding work if youre unemployed free of charge.
Now, Norway has a relatively good progressive tax system (although I would like it to be better) which means that the more you earn, the more you pay in taxes. So in other words, the rich contribute more to the "welfare state" than the workers. So taxes for the "avarage joe" arn´t that high as many think. Income tax for an avarage pay (for a teacher or carpenter let´s say) is about 30%. There are of course other kinds of taxes (property taxes fex) but the same principles apply here. The more you own, the more you pay. We have local elections every fourth year and national elections every forth year (so we vote every second year) There are serveral parties in parlament yu can vote for, all the way from the Socialist Left party to more conservative parties. The Norwegian Labor Party, being the biggest party, are now running government together with The Socialist Left Party and the Center Party getting the majority of votes combined in the last national election. Hope this was useful. Yours s sff http://struggleforfreedom.blogg.no/
Smaller, educated, socially aware populations deserve a better standard of living than larger, ignorant and self serving ones. Pretty basic stuff really.
I agree that a model like this would not work in the US because it is so large and diverse.
There are plenty of us who enjoy a high standard of living like those in Sweden. The ignorant ones have opportunity to as well, it just is not handed to them though.
Ignorance is often a determiner in ones' standards of living, but when it is intentionally implemented through education cuts, it becomes a weapon. America is currently unable to disarm those using it as such.
Hi. Glad to see you finding my info useful. Sff
well, actually aside from a small population, Norway has 50% of its state revenues coming from oil and natural gas which subsidises their high standard of living.
we use less than 10% of it on the national budged
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The major factor in the successful Nordic social model is the homogenous population. The social contract was agreed to by a people and a government that came from the people. The government saw it's role to make life better for the citizens and the citizens agreed to pay for it. This Nordic social model was created in ethnic and racial harmony. Immigration is causing major havoc but that's another story.
The left has balkanized America over the last 65 years into adversarial groups who simply can't wait to get it over on the next group, blacks, gays, Asians, women, Hispanics, North, South, Blue, poor. We have all become a special interest group, all demanding that we get ours first. Taught to hate those who want to take resources from our group.
This divisiveness was created to promote the Democrat party as the "answer" to all these perceived injustices, the only way out for the very group hatreds they had created. Of course, none of these groups are satisfied even today and need even more Democrat "help", enslaved by promises and lies.
The thing all these hopefuls for a more generous America don't understand is they could have had all the things they "fight for" years ago if their political masters had any intention of providing them. It's really quite simple, if you have those things, you don't need Democrats anymore.
Of course, none of the denizens of OWS or any other group of Democrat controlled advocacy can wrap their brains around these painful realities so they will soldier on, "fighting" for all the things the Democrats will never, ever give them.
Well, it seems pretty obvious to me that you have some pretty strong ideas about the cause of a lot of our country's problems -- all wrapped up in a neat package called the Democratic Party.
So that I can intelligently respond to your assertions, please provide some very specific examples of how the Democratic Party created all the divisiveness you have indicated.
Try to step out of your ideological cocoon and examine the actual path of the civil rights movement and where black America actually is 50 years later. Who has championed, nurtured, structured, directed and been the most visible identity of the civil rights movement? Democrats.
The result of 50 years of Democratic control is an elite of blacks, a 1% if you will, a group of politicians, media stars, business executives who are held out as the jewels of the movement. But what about the massive black underclass living in the shadows, uneducated, imprisoned, on the dole with 90% born out of wedlock and no future.
What happened? Or is this exactly the desired outcome? A huge, dependent voting block that only knows Democrat starts with a D. A voting block that depends on massa Democrat for their very existence. Democrats show up in black churches every two years or so and make the same stale, sad promises they have been making for 50 years.
Liberals always speak so highly of their critical thinking skills. Put aside the blinders and examine the trajectory of all the groups mentioned above. The civil rights movement is the most dramatic both in it's impact and it's failure but each of the others owe their political clout to the Democrats to some degree and are trapped in their ideological chains to them.
Think about it.
Hmmm. Ok, I thought about It (for about 45 seconds) and all I can come away with is a diatribe regarding Blacks. If I didn't know better, I could form an opinion that you might be slightly racist ... but that just can't be in our modern, enlightened society can it?
Everybody belongs to some type of political party, unless they are registered Independant. Is it any different that a large amount of Republicans are wealthy elitists? The grouping of people into political parties is a result of what the stated goals of the party platform are. Historically, the wealthy have gravitated toward the Republican party because that party best represents the desires of its members. Is it any different that Blacks gravitated to the Democratic Party because it's platform best represents their interests?
Think about it.
I do apologize, I had a higher opinion of your abilities. If you took racism from my post, we are levels apart and really won't be able to communicate in any meaningful way. Do you like puppies? :)
Yes I like puppies, and have 4 Miniature Schnauzers.
Perhaps a rewording or clarification of your response would help bridge the communication gap, if you are inclined to continue this thread. I am never inclined to give up on intelligent discussions if both parties to the conversation can come away with something meaningful.
I love the "race card." How many do you get each month?
You didn't answer my questions, and I didn't say you were racist did I?
[-]1 points by Underdog (11) 24 minutes ago
Hmmm. Ok, I thought about It (for about 45 seconds) and all I can come away with is a diatribe regarding Blacks. If I didn't know better, I could form an opinion that you might be slightly racist (RACIST)
I only get 2. Maybe I should beg the rich to give me more. #BegOnWallStreet
A failed liberal agenda where blacks get poorer after voting for rich liberals. Then, once a black gets rich and moves over to the republican party they are suddenly,,, MY MAGIC,,, not black but an Oreo cookie. (song) "Do you believe in MAGIC????" If you support black then you must support Oreo cookies that you create.
Not to mention there are more people living in NYC than all of Norway. A homogenous society can accomplish anything.