[3Fingas]

Norway is a beautiful country whose people like Americans very much. I did cold weather training there while I was in the military. It was one of nicest places I have ever visited.

The Norwegians have a very a high standard of living due to their North Sea Oil revenues, small and highly educated population, and a very homogenous and reasonably harmonious culture. There's certainly a lot more communalism and high taxation there. This is a part of their culture and would not work very well in the U.S. with our very different ethnic make-up and long-standing belief in individual liberties. So, in short Norwegians do Norway very well, but Americans would not do Norway well at all.

Oh, and their woman are gorgeous.

[workerbee]

Exactly right -— as the saying goes, “socialism works in Sweden because everyone there is Swedish.”

My father used to travel to Norway often when he was working, and we had his Norwegian contemporaries in our home many times as guests. They were extremely people (no one could top Norway for food, skiing, scenary, tourism, etc.) Nice gentlemen, but very, very nationalistic.

[workerbee]

Ooops — that should read, “They were extremely PROUD people”

[muawiyah]

Most of the Norwegians of an individualist bent left Norway long ago for the United States.

They managed to assimilate fairly well ~ guy in Minnesota does Prairie Home Companion ~ I don't think he's assimilated at all but he does tell some interesting stories about others of Norwegian ancestry.

The old noble classes and their servants took over the country ~ hence the paternalism ~ it's the same sort of thing you'll get from any group that are dominated by a single family (albeit an invisible one). Think Saudi Arabia without the Islam ~ and no tans.

[the OlLine Rebel]

So are their men. I’ll never forget that hunk at EPCOT way back in ‘88.

[Erasmus]

Let's see now. I'll take the one on the right, and the one on the left, who looks like Jessica Biel. But, one at a time, of course.

≤}B^)

[TexasRepublic]

I have the sudden urge to learn Norwegian.