You look at the situation in Norway negatively because of all the 'power' that you say lies in the hands of the Government but what I would argue is that Norway's tax system creates a society with lots of safety nets that enable people to rise to the top level of society with help all along the way - and the help doesn't stop when you get to the top, for example Norway have the best benefits and support for couples having and raising children and their childcare system is renowned for its high level of quality (my girlfriend works in early childhood education and she is always going on about the Scandinavian systems and Norway in particular). In Europe the Governments work for the people so technically the power is still with the people, if they don't like how the 'zoo keepers' are running the zoo they vote in new zoo keepers!lowing wrote:
Yeah Braddock, I know what you meant as to what "free" means. It still ISN'T FREE. The EARNERS are flipping the bill for everyone else. Or in Norway the rich do not pay any more taxes than the middle class. What percentage of tax is paid for by the rich as compared to everyone else? Like I said, the EARNERS are paying for all of Norway's "free" shit.Braddock wrote:
When I say free I mean free in the sense that their taxes have already paid for it.lowing wrote:
You touch on the biggest illusion of it all, "free". Nothing is free, the EARNERS are the ones paying for all that "FREE" services you so proudly hail.
The US has capitalism with a conscience. We have social services, we have grants, low interest loans, etc for anyone to endulge in. The EARNERS are already paying out the ass for this shit. Now, here come the liberals telling the poor and the rich that the rich and the middle class are not paying ENOUGH to help. Instead of tellng the poor they need to do more to help themselves.
And Norway certainly seems to have its citizens, dependant on its govt. doesn't it? How proud they must be
You say the earners are paying for all of these services and that the freeloaders just milk the system and yet Norway's unemployment rate is only 2.4%, beating Capitalist USA's rate of 4.8%, so the argument that such a system doesn't work and only encourages laziness doesn't hold true. And whether you like it or not Norway has one of the highest standards of living in the world...that's what people want at the end of the day.
Of course Norway should have a high standard of living, so does a lion in a zoo. But the lion still is dependant on its keepers isn't it?
I'm presuming you prefer the rules of the jungle to that of the zoo - kill or be killed, let the weak perish and all that?