Posted on 05/05/2010 3:05:29 AM PDT by Haiku Guy
Roughly a century ago, many Swedes immigrated to America. They’ve done very well here. Only about 6.7 percent of Swedish-Americans live in poverty. Also a century ago, many Swedes decided to remain in Sweden. They’ve done well there, too. When two economists calculated Swedish poverty rates according to the American standard, they found that 6.7 percent of the Swedes in Sweden were living in poverty.
In other words, you had two groups with similar historical backgrounds living in entirely different political systems, and the poverty outcomes were the same.
(snip)
This is not to say that policy choices are meaningless. But we should be realistic about them. The influence of politics and policy is usually swamped by the influence of culture, ethnicity, psychology and a dozen other factors.
(snip)
Finally, we should all probably calm down about politics. Most of the proposals we argue about so ferociously will have only marginal effects on how we live, especially compared with the ethnic, regional and social differences that we so studiously ignore.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
“Finally, we should all probably calm down about politics”
Tell you what, a$$hat. Quit trying to take my money, freedom and responsibilities away from me and I’ll “calm down about politics”.
Therefore, the first rule of policy-making should be, don’t promulgate a policy that will destroy social bonds.In America, the first rule should be: OBEY THE CONSTITUTION, you f*ing nit-wit.
Finally, we should all probably calm down about politics. Most of the proposals we argue about so ferociously will have only marginal effects on how we live...David Brooks. Lapdog to thugs.
The thugs steal your money and your life and the lapdog says it aint no never-mind.
“Therefore, the first rule of policy-making should be, don’t promulgate a policy that will destroy social bonds. “
So no school busing? No sharing the wealth to the detriment of some? No eminent domain?
Sorry, I just don't believe it.
I watched a "House Hunters" located in Sweden and those houses were not American middle class.
I can believe that Swedish people are likely to perform the same economically, even when living in the US v. those that stayed in Sweden.. You have people who came from sturdy rural stock who were already family and religious people who valued education.
Most had good skills, farming, fishing, carpentry, ship building or metalworking. Many also settled in the upper Midwest in the US where social change is slower than on our coasts. Social change in the US has mostly been anti family, anti religion and replacement of individual responsibility to an entitlement mentality. Sweden has had some changes too, less religion now and more socialism, but about the same as our upper Midwest.
That said, from my observations, one can find a nice home in a rural setting fairly inexpensively. But all else is going to cost you, at least, twice as much. Sometimes many times as much.
From the article: “When you try to account for life outcome differences this gigantic, you find yourself beyond narrow economic incentives and in the murky world of social capital. What matters are historical experiences, cultural attitudes, child-rearing practices, family formation patterns, expectations about the future, work ethics and the quality of social bonds.”
Even in discussing such obviously biology-based trends as longevity amoung Swedes in Sweden and in the US he can’t bring himself to say that GENETICS might be a factor.
Because if he did someone might say he was a RACIST.
“I watched a “House Hunters” located in Sweden and those houses were not American middle class.”
That is not thorough research. Did you watch Swede versions of Curb Appeal, My House is Worth What? and What You Get for the Money. And what about the most important show...Property Virgins. What would Sandra Rinomato say? Do young Swede’s also find something wrong with every house shown? Do they also tell Sandra they have to think about it for a day, get cold feet, and then never call her back?
“NYT Op-Ed by David Brooks” = utter pabulum.
Because if he did someone might say he was a RACIST.
Did somebody hear a dog whistle?!?
Another thing is that the Swedes who emigrated to America were not (likely) a representative cross cut of Swedish society, they were surely - like all European immigrants - the poorest of the poor who could not gain a foothold in Sweden.
So in part the Swedes may have helped themselves most by shipping their least well-off to a new place, where under the US system they have risen on average to the level of their former peers.
That was my point. I provided more evidence for my opinion than the author did for his.
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