Posted on 01/22/2007 2:31:35 AM PST by WesternCulture
No malice.
I think nations ought to compete, in a benign way. - That's what the game of constructive capitalism should look like.
My home country, Sweden, has been chasing the US in the (nominal) GDP/capita development area for several quarters now and finally it seems we have surpassed the US in this respect.
Silly pursuit?
Yes, most Swedes (and probably Americans too) think it is, but personally I think competition of this sort always is good natured and constructive in nature.
Swedes probably understand more about the US (and have closer cultural bonds to the US) than most other Europeans. Concerning this issue, it's worthy of mentioning that many Europeans display a deep ignorance regarding the US in general - and furthermore fail to understand why they live in economical contexts less impressive than those of most US citizens.
Continental Europe has much to learn of Scandinavia.
Okay, now I'm sounding trifle self-satisfied, but Scandinavia indeed is an exceptionally nice part of the earth.
We work harder - and it pays off.
And, Hey!, soldiers from our countries have died in the WOT too. Please acknowledge this. Primarily for the sake of the affected families.
(Upon comparing "The wealth of nations" I trust the IMF investigations; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29_per_capita )
The articles:
"STOCKHOLM, Sweden --Sweden's gross domestic product rose 4.4 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, boosted mainly by household consumption and changes in inventory, the national statistics agency said Friday.
The agency also revised the growth in GDP, calendar-adjusted, upward by 0.3 percentage points to 4.5 percent annually for the first quarter and by 0.2 percentage points to 5.3 percent for the second quarter."
These stats will be "processed" even further before a final result is at hand, but the material above sure is an indication.
Compare:
"U.S. Gross Domestic Product GDP Forecast
U.S. GDP Gross Domestic Product Forecast Billion US Dollars. Annual Rate Seasonally Adjusted. Jan Forecast Value 13,675 13,675 13,675 13,828 13,828 13,828 50% Correct 40 46 49 53 55 57 80% Correct 85 97 106 113 118 123 Updated Thursday, January 11, 2007 U.S. GDP Gross Domestic Product Past Trend Present Value & Future Projection Billion US Dollars. Annual Rate Seasonally Adjusted.
Other Links of Interest: U.S. GDP Historical Data U.S. Real GDP Historical Data GDP Implicit Price Deflator Forecast U.S. Imports Forecast U.S. Exports Forecast U.S. Index of Industrial Production Forecast U.S. GDP Extended Forecast by subscription Bureau of Economic Analysis Website
A long range forecast for this or similar economic series is available by subscription Click here for more information or to subscribe now Current Economic Indicators
January 19, 2007 (Close of Day) Indicator Value
Inflation % 2.58 GDP Growth % 1.95 Unemployment % 4.50 Gold $/oz 629.00 Oil $/bbl 51.99 Prime % 8.25
http://www.forecasts.org/gdp.htm"
This link works:
http://www.forecasts.org/gdp.htm
And you always will lag behind. No malice.
You forgot to mention the majestik møøse.
"And you always will lag behind. No malice."
Admittedly, we will.
- but not in the per capita area! Remember we're only 9.1 million vikings and you lot are 300 bold patriots!
More importantly, Sweden of today is a very capitalist friendly country (far lower corporate taxes than the US) with a conservative government.
Ought to explain some things..
We don't have a Malmo!
"We don't have a Malmo!"
Let's continue down the road of benign competition.
Many American cities have taller building structures than Malmö, but have you got something as daring as this Malmö skyscraper?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Torso
Get a grip, buddies!
The labor market operates under inflexible employment regulations that hinder overall productivity growth. The non-salary cost of employing a worker is high, and dismissing a redundant employee is costly. Rigid labor market regulations, including high statutory overtime payment, have contributed to Sweden's failure to create jobs, particularly in the private service sector.
Total government expenditures in Sweden, including consumption and transfer payments, are very high. In the most recent year, government spending equaled 56.7 percent of GDP, and the government received 5.5 percent of its revenues from state-owned enterprises and government ownership of property.
Sweden has a very high income tax rate and a moderate corporate tax rate. The top income tax rate is 60 percent, making Sweden's income tax burden one of the heaviest in the world, and the top corporate tax rate is 28 percent. Other taxes include a value-added tax (VAT) and a capital gains tax. There has been debate over the wealth tax. In the most recent year, overall tax revenue as a percentage of GDP was 50.7 percent.
That's what I was thinking...
Yeah, Sweden. You want a few million illegal immigrants? That should help you out a bit. Make things more challenging.
we are there only because we keep giving foreign aid to countries who have NO respect for us.
Our entire treasury sits in a sieve, draining all over the planet. NO one is our friend,
NO one is our friend,
Uh, countries don't have "friends." They have allies, strategic interests, etc. but not friends. They do nothing that isn't in their self-interest. As it should be.
All true.
However, there are certain swedish cultural factors making up for these shortcomings, that in many other countries would have strangled the development of economical progress.
1. Sweden is a very rare example of a culture where a collectivist mindset exists WITHOUT the nation ever having been exposed to the evils of feudalism.
2. Contrary to what many analysts have concluded, Swedes are very corporate friendly. The basic problem of Swedish worker's traditional difficulties of getting along with capitalist order isn't capitalism in itself. Sooner, it is an effect of, especially, the Wallenberg (SAAB, Electrolux, ABB etc) owner sphere beeing very scrooge. The response from the unions has been to play hardball in all kind of negotiations.
3. Swedes are very concerned of economic matters and many ordinary citizens feel the economic development of the country is dependent on the performance of the workers and corporations rather than politicians. The best example of what a great sense of responsibility Swedes possess in this area is the development of productivity since the economic crises of the early 1990's.
ok, no one is our ally.
Nah. Only half.
But you hear those footsteps? That's the rest heading 'norte.'
ok, no one is our ally.
We have a lot of allies, including western Europe, Japan, etc. But again, those alliances are based solely on self-interest and may only include a very narrow area of concern, such as trade, military support, etc.
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