Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't understand how a country with no libertarian tradition can have such a huge surplus AND provide cradle-to-grave government handouts to its people.
Something doesn't add up.
Wikipedia. Come on.
You're asking about oil rich Norway? And you wonder how it works in OIL RICH Norway? Huh...I wonder what on earth could be the reason it was working so well in OIL RICH Norway. Can't quite figure it out. Hmmm.
I wonder who is against the US drilling for oil in this country. Hmmm. Wonder who that could be. It's not the right, they are for drilling, you know, "Drill, baby, drill"...so it's not them. Who could it be.
Bernie Sanders has convinced a great number of people that things have been going very badly for the great majority of people in the United States, for a very long time. His solution? America must embrace “democratic socialism,” a socioeconomic system that seemingly works very well in the Scandinavian countries, like Sweden, which are, by some measures, better off than the United States.
Democratic socialism purports to combine majority rule with state control of the means of production. However, the Scandinavian countries are not good examples of democratic socialism in action because they aren’t socialist.
...
The Scandinavians embrace a brand of free-market capitalism that exists in conjunction with a large welfare state, known as the “Nordic Model,” which includes many policies that democratic socialists would likely abhor...
...
How do supporters of Bernie Sanders feel about the minimum wage? You will find no such government-imposed floors on labor in Sweden, Norway, or Denmark. Instead, minimum wages are decided by collective-bargaining agreements between unions and employers; they typically vary on an occupational or industrial basis. Union-imposed wages lock out the least skilled and do their own damage to an economy, but such a decentralized system is still arguably a much better way of doing things than having the central government set a one-size fits all wage policy that covers every occupation nationwide.
Ooh, that's going to sting. Lefties HATE that!
You could always just move to Norway. Of course, they don't open the flood gates for anyone and everyone, you have to follow some rules...since it's such a utopia, far different than what the left wants here in the US, you should probably be aware:
Broadly speaking, the award of a residence permit depends on two things: your country of citizenship and your ability to financially sustain yourself and any dependents. This generally means you need a job offer, or you must prove financial sustainability if you are coming to Norway to study or for some other reason.
Yeah, no one is going to set immigrants up with a house, welfare checks, free food, etc. You're going to have to provide for yourself. The government isn't going to hand it to you.
But you're going to need to bring something to that country. You don't get to go there just because you want to, unlike what the left pushes for in this country.
As a Norwegian, I see a lot of those commenting, have absolutely no clue what they are talking about.
Yes, we have oil.
But before we found oil we where just like Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Highly productive and better off then most Europeans. High worker participation rate from both sexes.
Every $ made from the Oil production is saved by buying stocks, bonds and properties across the world. At the moment $1 Trillion is saved, owning 1.3% of all the stocks in the world.
They are only allowed to use the surplus of this fund each year.. but no more then 4%.
Oil revenues are approx 20% of the economy.
My wife who makes almost $150.000 a year, is taxed 34-38%.. she has 5 weeks of paid vacation. Bonuses most years.
US workers usually has NO clue of what they are missing out on.. and most Americans colleagues who visits my wifes workplace, wants to transfer to the Norwegian office!! They are blown away by how well workers are treated!
As a high cost country, we can't produce cheap goods, so high tech and technology intensive machinery is needed. Which needs highly educated workforce, through internships. We usually dont produce final products, but more parts that go inside said final product.
A small corp, of 5-10 employees, usually has machinery you would only see in the space sector in the US. Because productivity is needed, beneficial tax breaks are given to machinery... My brother who is a co-owner of a machining business orders a fully specced top-of-the-line CNC machining center every other year. You need the best to be competitive.
To the poster who said we don´t have the "go get´er attitude"... I would say, thats mostly because we are a small nation, bordering, a multi lingual Europe.. yes many speak English but its not easy selling across all those borders, to f.ex France, Germany, Italy etc where everybody has different rules and regulations. Even though the EU is supposed to make that easier. Also the Entrepreneur usually does not start out of necessity, but because they want the challange.
The American "entrepreneur" has a MUCH easier time, due to common language and a mostly free trade across state lines.. and a much larger market.. but evidence is also there they often start out of necessity.
So in closing.. yes we are a oil producing nation, but almost all of that income is saved for future generations.
Last edited by Northman83; 01-13-2018 at 04:22 AM..
Uh...they have a military. The difference is in how it's used. Ya know...like they don't stick their noses in everyones business and start preemptive wars for weapons that don't exist.
I know...strange concept. But it actually works.
You mean like Syria's business and Libya's business?
Maybe your right, perhaps its time the US drops out of NATO and lets the Euro's provide for there own security.
No thanks, Norway with has some of highest tax rates in the world.
I'd rather trade away services for fewer taxes and more freedoms than to be considered a ward of the state.
Thanks Frank. In a nut shell what you state is the TRUE right wing American ideology.
Folks, next time someone, like this poster, tells you "X is the better policy" like for example, talking about health care, remember..that is what they believe the best policy that fits their IDEOLOGY. Not what the actual best policy is for the people.
So they will say "government health care is horrible, because X/y/z", but of course, it isn't any more awful than health care run by giant insurance companies with a profit motive, and usually those examples they provided apply equally to private health insurance. It's a lie. Because they don't care what's actually better policy, they just know they hate government, so anything else is better. And they say "liberalism" is mental disorder. Bogus "rugged individualism/anti goverment" ideology is a mental disorder.
That's why they despise the Scandinavian model so much. Because it casts light on how destructive their ideology is.
Now I do agree, you cannot have uncontrolled immigration of uneducated poor into a country like Norway, or the system cannot sustain, so on the demographic argument they have a point. That's why, even while economically I'm a Social Democrat, I oppose illegal immigration and think legal immigration should be more strictly controlled.
You're asking about oil rich Norway? And you wonder how it works in OIL RICH Norway? Huh...I wonder what on earth could be the reason it was working so well in OIL RICH Norway. Can't quite figure it out. Hmmm.
That's right. The question is why things are working smoothly in OIL RICH Norway as opposed to other OIL RICH nations.
The answer is not the presence of oil, it is what they do with it. They treat is as a national treasure, and use it to provide for the welfare of the nation as whole. We do not do that with our oil.
Quote:
Democratic socialism purports to combine majority rule with state control of the means of production. However, the Scandinavian countries are not good examples of democratic socialism in action because they aren’t socialist.
The Scandinavians embrace a brand of free-market capitalism that exists in conjunction with a large welfare state, known as the “Nordic Model,” which includes many policies that democratic socialists would likely abhor...
The "Nordic Model" is synanomoys with "Democratic Socialist Nation". Their political and economic system is exactly what it democratic socialist system is. It is free market economy with taxpayer funded services for health care and education. Clearly you had no idea what the words meant. It was what Sanders was pushing for, but of course it was labeled as "fascist/communism", which shows how ignorant Americans are.
No comparison between the US and Norway....
Small population, 94% white. average age is 40. A notoriously healthy folk almost all of which have a job of one type or another...... Norway Demographics Profile 2011
That's right. The question is why things are working smoothly in OIL RICH Norway as opposed to other OIL RICH nations.
The answer is not the presence of oil, it is what they do with it. They treat is as a national treasure, and use it to provide for the welfare of the nation as whole. We do not do that with our oil.
The "Nordic Model" is synanomoys with "Democratic Socialist Nation". Their political and economic system is exactly what it democratic socialist system is.
Norway's oil production per capita is 12 times higher than the US (run the numbers yourself if you don't believe it) so to make a fair comparison, multiply US oil production 12 fold to see what that would do to the US economy. We would have a much better economy if you multiplied our oil economy by 12.
You really have to compare Norway with Qatar and they are both oil and gas rich nations that seem to be using their vast oil wealth wisely.
I don't understand how a country with no libertarian tradition can have such a huge surplus AND provide cradle-to-grave government handouts to its people.
Something doesn't add up.
You believe Wikipedia on everything?
It is not a fact tracking website. Aside from that do you know how high the taxes are over there?
How much a beer cost over ther, just as an example.
Norway's oil production per capita is 12 times higher than the US (run the numbers yourself if you don't believe it) so to make a fair comparison, multiply US oil production 12 fold to see what that would do to the US economy. We would have a much better economy if you multiplied our oil economy by 12.
You really have to compare Norway with Qatar and they are both oil and gas rich nations that seem to be using their vast oil wealth wisely.
I stand by what I said. Even Venezuela has higher production per capita than US, so yes, it very much depends on how you handle the oil income.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Norway's oil production per capita is 12 times higher than the US (run the numbers yourself if you don't believe it) so to make a fair comparison, multiply US oil production 12 fold to see what that would do to the US economy. We would have a much better economy if you multiplied our oil economy by 12. 
