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Swedes seem to envy Norwegians' good fortune (Norway)
Aftenposten ^ | 2003 | Svend Ole Kvilesjoe

Posted on 04/16/2005 2:39:32 PM PDT by franksolich

Swedes seem to envy Norwegians' good fortune

Some Swedes apparently would rather restore a union with Norway than continue in the one they currently have with Europe. Fresh figures outlining the average wealth of Norwegians seem to have left many across the border green with envy.

"Let's take the horse and wagon and move to Norway!" wrote one Swede to the web site for Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri.

"Doing away with our union (between Sweden and Norway) in 1905 was Sweden's biggest mistake ever," wrote another.

The occasion was a reader debate over figures recently released by Norway's Central Bureau of Statistics, and reported in Dagens Industri. They showed that: · The average Norwegian over age 17 has NOK 86,200 (USD 12,300) in the bank and a stock portfolio worth NOK 89,900. · The average Norwegian earns NOK 282,500 before tax. · The average Norwegian has NOK 417,400 in bank loans.

Even though the average Swede earns slightly more (the equivalent of NOK 286,000) the numbers nonetheless make some Swedes think the grass is greener on the Norwegian side of the border.

"It would be better to be in a union with Ola Nordmann than with the EU," wrote another reader to Dagens Industri.

Others, however, noted that much of Norway's wealth is built on its North Sea oil, and it can run out.

"The false sense of security tied to oil revenues can come to an abrupt halt," wrote one Norwegian who opted to move to Sweden.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; History; Society; Travel
KEYWORDS: bison; norway; sweden

1 posted on 04/16/2005 2:39:33 PM PDT by franksolich
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To: franksolich

Of course everyone wants to "marry" Norway, once forgotten and ignored, now--because the governments since the mid-1970s have been stashing away the petroleum revenues from the North Sea, and the investment fund (in a "lockbox," by the way) is way over $200 billion now.

Not only their elder cousins the Swedes, but the whole entire European Union wants to marry Norway, which if it dared joined the Union, would be the first member to join with a substantial bank-account rather than a substantial deficit and debt.....and would have to "share."

Money does wonders for the appearance of a woman.....


2 posted on 04/16/2005 2:43:20 PM PDT by franksolich (never loses any sleep over the DUmmies)
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To: 68 grunt; beckysueb; Born Conservative; Charles Henrickson; cinives; Constantine XIII; dennisw; ...
Ping for the Norway ping list; an old article, but--

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

It looks to me as if the Norwegians better pay closer attention to the imperial designs of their neighbors.
3 posted on 04/16/2005 2:46:30 PM PDT by franksolich (never loses any sleep over the DUmmies)
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To: franksolich

its the age old...we have blonder people fued


4 posted on 04/16/2005 2:52:06 PM PDT by el_doctor2
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To: franksolich

Can I move there, PLEASE? I'd love the revenue!


5 posted on 04/16/2005 2:56:51 PM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife (" It is not true that life is one damn thing after another-it's one damn thing over and over." ESV)
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To: franksolich

Its more like 13700 instead of 12 thousand some


6 posted on 04/16/2005 3:22:26 PM PDT by tomjohn77
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To: franksolich

I tell you average wage is lower in Sweden than Norway. The number you had for Sweden Might be for average full time employed person 37,5 hours a week with 5-6 weeks vacation. The number for that in Norway is probably around 350000 kroner. 55500 Dollars. Average minmum wage is higher in Norway too. Around 16-17 dollars an hour


7 posted on 04/16/2005 3:27:08 PM PDT by tomjohn77
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To: el_doctor2

You know, it's really odd--I've never been to Norway, by the way--but the newspaper photographs of prominent Norwegians tend to show them with brown hair; one sees very few blonds in those pictures.

One of the reasons I liked the women of Pennsylvania so much; a lot more brown- and black-haired women, as compared with the superfluousness of blondes here in Nebraska, the Norway of America.


8 posted on 04/16/2005 3:27:52 PM PDT by franksolich (never loses any sleep over the DUmmies)
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To: tomjohn77

The article is from 2003, and perhaps the statistics have changed.

I noted the article said Sweden had a "weak currency," and so I assume at the time Sweden was not part of the "Euro zone," which they probably are now.


9 posted on 04/16/2005 3:29:14 PM PDT by franksolich (never loses any sleep over the DUmmies)
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To: franksolich

Well I just read this facts recently. I think some of the facts got lost in translation. Wage in Sweden is much lower, but they have cheaper goods that offset most of the imbalance


10 posted on 04/16/2005 3:33:04 PM PDT by tomjohn77
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To: franksolich

Good to see you on. Lets discuss something. I like that. By the way its tax times in Norway too know


11 posted on 04/16/2005 3:34:37 PM PDT by tomjohn77
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To: tomjohn77

Well, did you know that if Sweden were a state in the United States--the 51st state--it would be poorer than all but five of the 50 states?

It boogles the mind; Nebraska, one of the smallest states in the union, much more wealthy than the largest Scandinavian country.


12 posted on 04/16/2005 3:47:44 PM PDT by franksolich (never loses any sleep over the DUmmies)
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To: franksolich

per capita numbers. What I cannot see is how North Dakota could get better numbers. Dont think that fact is entirely true, but Sweden has the lowest per capita GDP in Scandinavia. Sweden has also much lower GDP per capita than the US


13 posted on 04/16/2005 3:52:42 PM PDT by tomjohn77
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To: franksolich

Sorry read you wrong. Whats the five richest states and whats the poorest states. Just curious.


14 posted on 04/16/2005 3:55:33 PM PDT by tomjohn77
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To: franksolich

By the way my neighbors wife is from conneticut. Thats a pretty wealthy state I think. Am I right?


15 posted on 04/16/2005 3:56:58 PM PDT by tomjohn77
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To: tomjohn77

I saw the numbers about a month ago--someone eurotwit knows has them on his "profile" here on Free Republic, but I forget the screen-name, other than that it starts with a "T."

The links on that profile shows that Sweden is poorer than Arkansas, Montana, and three other states whose names I fail to remember.


16 posted on 04/16/2005 3:57:15 PM PDT by franksolich (never loses any sleep over the DUmmies)
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To: tomjohn77

Yeah, Connecticut, per capita, is one of the wealthiest states in the Union, and has been that way since the 1700s, while most other states have gone up-and-down, up-and-down.


17 posted on 04/16/2005 3:58:36 PM PDT by franksolich (never loses any sleep over the DUmmies)
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To: franksolich
"It would be better to be in a union with Ola Nordmann than with the EU"
Some might prefer Uma Thurman instead...
18 posted on 04/16/2005 4:52:00 PM PDT by mikrofon (Norway Joe)
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