Posted on 01/27/2008 4:20:38 AM PST by tomjohn77
I think it illustrates how unimportant natural resources are to national wealth. Human resources are the most important, and the successful countries are those that can harness this resource. Ireland used to have to export it’s people just to survive as a nation. Now it’s a major wealth magnet. How much oil does Ireland have?
Actually Norwegian numbers are lower in PPP than GDP.Therefore traveling outside our country is a good thing. Average hourly income here for a full time job is about $36.
Yes Ireland has done very well. All credit to them.
Well I am not that bored. Just a little bite tired from last nights party.
Were you drinking Effin Vodka?
There is both, and they don’t mix well.
Well, the typical American college degree isn’t much ;-)
No I was drinking beer. I am not Finnish. I guess you are a beer drinker?
Its a degree in aviation.
I tend to like wine, but will enjoy beer as well. I nice German red from the Rheingau is hard to beat though.
lol. Pssst. They're lying to you. Most of what we earn is taxed to hell. After income and sales tax, it probably approaches half our earnings.
(For those interested in reforming the US tax system, our law now taxes the income of a US Person worldwide. Any suggestion by presidential candidates that wealthy people can just avoid taxes by moving their money to such “havens” is ignorant and false. Apart from that point, there are legitimate reasons for people to be to enjoy financial privacy.
Our tax and securities laws are such that financial management firms refuse to accept US clients. )
Another measure of Purchasing Power Parity is the Big Mac Index.
see: www.economist.com/markets/Bigmac/Index.cfm
True, but akavit mixes well with beer.
The PPP apparently can be manipulated and has a lot of variables.
I wasn’t referring to your degree ;-)
Sigh - the upside is we could be much lower on the list if Dion (perish the thought) was in power.
Likewise with Norway. If you will recall during the great Indonesia earthquake, the US people gave more than the US government. In the case of the high tax Scandinavian countries, their governments were asked by their heavily-taxed citizens to give some of the tax revenue to the relief effort.
So, in the case of Norway, there is not a “tribe” who controls the proceeds of their oil wealth, it is a socialist government. Citizens there get to vote for politicians who promise them what great things will be done with the loot in their name. Of course, under socialism there are no end to the “underfunded needs” of the citizens for “vital programs”. Oil wealth is not sufficient so high taxes are levied as well.
So, on a PPP basis, Norway looks more prosperous than the US, even though in Norway gasoline costs several times what it does in the US, the average US household has a great deal more living room than does the average one in Norway. The average US household is more prosperous by many measures than that found in Norway, a place where medical care is almost free.
How many people risk their lives to sneak into Norway compared to the US? I think that issue alone says all we need to know about PPP.
A strong work ethic will show. It takes time. Our company has hired some of the laziest, better than thou programmers that I’ve seen in a while. They are the first to go.
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