Posted on 03/23/2009 8:05:32 PM PDT by WesternCulture
H*ll no!
Scandinavia is evidence Capitalism works and Socialism does not.
Yes, our taxes are high. But seriously speaking, does this mean we have surrendered to Marxism - or that we wish to impose this yoke on others?
Our high standard of living isn't a question of luck.
I'm poor by Swedish standards, but drive a very nice car. In any case, the Swedish government and our unions have very little to do with this.
I'd say it has much more to do with the ethics I've been taught by my father and my grandfather.
Today, the Scandinavian/Nordic ("Nordic" includes Finland) countries are cutting taxes, encouraging Capitalism and unlike many other countries we are investing heavily in education as well as R&D.
It pays off.
When Liberals and Socialists claim Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway to be evidence their ideologies work, they somehow tend to forget that the wealth that our part of the world boasts today is a consequence of REJECTING Socialism, cutting taxes and giving moore "room" to Capitalist enterprise.
IKEA, Volvo and Nokia combined with Lutheran ideals made the Nordic countries rich, not Socialist Unionist morons.
An average Swedish home:
http://www.svenskfast.se/Pages/ObjectViewPictures.aspx?objectid=3KMJ4M27IKINCJJV
Not that very impressive perhaps.
But the average Swedish family also owns a “summer house”.
I’d call this average:
http://www2.bjurfors.se/beskrivning.aspx?OBJGUID=3IPBT772F4P6R91U&OBJTYPE=CMFritidshus
The car topic again; the average Swedish car:
http://www.volvocars.com/us/models/v70/Pages/default.aspx
+ a used VW Golf/Rabbit or something similar (a “shopping car”), admittedly.
Comparing apples and oranges. Scandinavians are a pretty homogenous group like Japanese. The worst Swedes under socialism call in sick, get drunk, goof off a bit and maybe join a wimpy motorcycle gang.
They do not engage in drive by shootings, etc. They are generally pretty smart and the Finns are off the freaking charts smart.
Socialism here is far far far worse - think Detroit, Camden, NJ, Oakland and a few other garden spots. Parts of Milwaukee.
Bad parts of Sweden? Parts of Malmo (third largest city) because they let Muslims in.
It also helps when you don’t have to spend much on national defense, of course now that the US military will be defunded into oblivion, that might change.
Tell you what, spend the same percentage as the US on defense and illegal aliens and then get back to us.
Of course Norway hitting the mother lode of North Sea oil didn't hurt. Don't know how much Sweden benefits from that though, if at all.
Not having to give up a lot of blood and treasure to rid the world of Hitler helped too.
Good post, WesternCulture. I won’t try to support or refute it at this time, but any rejection of socialism and embrace of positive values and ethics is a plus.
In 1970 Sweden had the third highest per capita gdp on the planet. Now, 40th and dropping- this is what the rats are trying to do to us.
After all they happy because they have health insurance.
I just want to be rich.
I appreciate your showing that Sweden’s recent success is because of the capitalism that has started to come back there. I have friends from there that moved away a few years ago due to the high cost of living. Do you find that to be true also?
PS: IKEA sucks and they have the worst furniture design and quality on the planet.
Exactly. This guy has a complex of inferiority toward the US.
Thanks for posting, Western Culture. My grandmother came to America on the boat from Finland and she settled in Michigan’s upper peninsula, on a farm outside of Calumet in Keewenaw County (most beautiful part of Michigan I might add).
- Swedes and Norwegians live on the Moon, or what are you trying to say.
MY point is that Socialism fails everywhere and that Socialists/Liberals in countries like the US of today are dishonest when they claim countries like my Sweden to be evidence their ideologies work.
Socialism is an enemy to mankind.
Sweden was never truly Socialist. But certain parts of Europe sure have been. Ask my family's good friends in former DDR about the feeling of not being sure whether you will see your loved ones again because of something you happened to say to a colleague.
My Sweden was nearly overtaken by the unions in the early 1980’s, but Sweden never became a true Socialist state.
Again, the high standard of living we Swedes enjoy today is thanks to our successful multinationals.
“Exactly. This guy has a complex of inferiority toward the US.”
- Admittedly I do, but that complex somehow disappears when I check out the nominal GDP/capita performance of Sweden and the US respectively in the morning.
On a related topic, I keep hearing how rotten the economy is in Europe and the US, but I can't get a hotel at a decent price in Barcelona in April. They're booked solid and are expensive!
“My grandmother came to America on the boat from Finland and she settled in Michigans upper peninsula, on a farm outside of Calumet in Keewenaw County”
- One day, I’ll visit this part of America where so many folks of my kind and lineage settled down.
Greetings from the “old” world fellow freeper and friend!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khaa3y0i87s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KHVeFs9Mto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHJFqwmFnkI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWuLzpufxcM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khaa3y0i87s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KHVeFs9Mto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHJFqwmFnkI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWuLzpufxcM
May God bless you and your national bikini teams!
:)
“I have friends from there that moved away a few years ago due to the high cost of living. Do you find that to be true also?”
- Probably true.
Sweden isn’t for everyone.
Working in the US often is very rewarding on an immediate level, if you have something to offer on the labor market.
Sweden is different.
The matter of time spent in the system is crucial to what you get out of it.
Sweden, undeniably, is a Volvo middle class paradise.
The ones that benefit the most of our system are people who go to college 2 years or so, find decent jobs immediately after and pretty soon end up with 2 kids.
They can’t lose with the Swedish model.
By the time they’re 50, they will not only own two nice houses, a comfortable Volvo V70 and the above mentioned extra car, they will also be able to travel a lot and spend time and money on nice hobbies like yachting and collecting antiques.
The “system” will have paid for their childrens education, (much of) their child care costs before these kids started to attend schools and also (much of) their health care.
I’m not preaching Socialism, but why would I lie? Sweden is a well funcioning society despite of our big government.
Recently, we have been cutting taxes a lot and year by year I feel people in this country are getting more and more aware it is our successful multinationals that put food on the table and not our PC politicians.
Sweden will become an even better country in which to live when it one day will be totally Capitalist and free.
The funny thing about socialism is that when you “spread the wealth”, word gets around that you have wealth to spread. People try to join your group as much as possible. It isn’t about “race” or “culture”, it’s about people who take advantage of people’s generous nature.
“Working in the US often is very rewarding on an immediate level, if you have something to offer on the labor market.
Sweden is different.”
Umm, that’s how economies work. You can’t have a planned economy because supplies ebb and flow. You can’t plan for that.
“The matter of time spent in the system is crucial to what you get out of it.”
Charles Ponzi would be proud.
“Sweden, undeniably, is a Volvo middle class paradise.”
Yeah, but only a certain class can access the middle class Swedish Dream. Again, a ponzi scheme.
“The ones that benefit the most of our system are people who go to college 2 years or so, find decent jobs immediately after and pretty soon end up with 2 kids.”
You can’t have a country perpetually filled with people with 2 year degrees. Sooner or later, it has to produce something. What does Sweden produce? So far, what you’ve proven is that Sweden is a sheltered country that lives in a bubble and wouldn’t survive if it had to actually produce something of worth for its people. It’s a ponzi scheme literally the size and population of Minnesota.
“They cant lose with the Swedish model.”
Actually, yes they can. Where’s the money going to come from?
“By the time theyre 50, they will not only own two nice houses, a comfortable Volvo V70 and the above mentioned extra car, they will also be able to travel a lot and spend time and money on nice hobbies like yachting and collecting antiques.”
Yeah, but how do they earn the money to experience those hobbies? What do they actually do to earn their supper, so to speak?
“The system will have paid for their children’s education, (much of) their child care costs before these kids started to attend schools and also (much of) their health care.”
Equal outcome, not equal opportunity. When you have equal outcome, you have no winners or losers and no innovation.
“Im not preaching Socialism, but why would I lie? Sweden is a well functioning society despite of our big government.”
That’s because you have the World Police protecting your rear ends. Once we go down, you go down too.
“Recently, we have been cutting taxes a lot and year by year I feel people in this country are getting more and more aware it is our successful multinationals that put food on the table and not our PC politicians.”
Well duh! I betcha read the Cliff’s notes version of “Atlas Shrugged” also.
“Sweden will become an even better country in which to live when it one day will be totally Capitalist and free.”
Sweden is one large Ponzi Scheme waiting to collapse. The Swedish pols have finally realized that and are averting the mass cashing out of the people on the top of the Ponzi.
Believe it or not, the US isn't the only rich part of this planet and the Volvo V70, a $33 000 vehicle, has dominated car sales over here for a decade (by the way, Sweden has almost as many cars per capita as the US does).
Undeniably, we Swedes pay higher taxes than most other people. BUT, most of us wish to do away with our present system and despite certain societal traits that might spell out Socialism to many Americans, I feel it's fair to say that we actually know something about running Capitalist businesses too.
By the way, America has lots of beautiful, blond women and possesses some good tennis as well as ice hockey players too:)
During wheat harvest you have a limited window to work with. The humidity has to be in range and you watch the weather carefully. A day's delay can cost you a major part of your harvest.
We contracted to cut for an old Swedish farmer who was having some sort of major tiff with his neighbor, also a Swede. When we were done he told us to take down the fence and cut for the neighbor. He paid us to harvest for his enemy. When we expressed our surprise he just said "No time for fight now".
From what I saw, the whole idea was based on everyone contributing in full. It wasn't based on half of them contributing and the other half of them taking.
From a social and cultural perspective, I feel Sweden of today, to a large degree, still is rooted in the societal unit of the “by”, the traditional Swedish village.
In the traditional Swedish village, values like egalitarianism, common responsibility and cooperation has always been guidelines.
However, there's also a certain element of individuality to be found, something that has not existed on the European continent to a wide extent: namely the absence of Feudal oppression. In Sweden, farmers have for long been running their own businesses and even 400-500 years ago they enjoyed representation in parliament.
Personally, I think this long tradition of running ones own business, "looking after your own house" and the elements of self government in traditional Swedish society is a major advantage in today's globalized economy. The widespread notion that Sweden is through and through a very Socialist society I've found to be incorrect. Swedes have proven to be very competent entrepreneurs and businessmen.
Best of regards from Gothenburg, Sweden!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.