Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Sanders Misleads Students on Scandinavian Socialism
Accuracy in Academia ^ | May 17, 2016 | Malcolm A. Kline

Posted on 05/17/2016 8:00:26 AM PDT by Academiadotorg

His collegiate followers are receptive to Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders exhortations that the United States should be more like Sweden and its Scandinavian neighbors. Yet and still, the self-identified socialist should be careful what he asks for: He may not want to get it.

"Although Norway, Sweden, and Denmark have social-welfare states, they outrank the United States on a variety of other economic-freedom indices calculated by the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute; they have, for example, less business regulation, lower corporate tax rates, and more trade freedom," Emily Ekins writes in the May 23, 2016 issue of National Review. "Their liberal markets are what enable them to accommodate massive social-welfare spending."

"If Sanders says that America should be more like Sweden, he should acknowledge what it takes to be more like Sweden: freer markets, not more government control." Ekins is a research fellow and the director of polling at the Cato Institute.

Indeed, Sen. Sanders may be on a collision course with his youthful acolytes. Ekins notes that one poll, "Reason-Rupe has found that, the label 'socialism' aside, Millennials prefer, by a ratio of two to one, a 'free market-economy' over a 'government-managed economy.'"

This last tidbit should not surprise the truly observant: When was the last time you saw a Millennial riding in a cab as opposed to Uber?


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Vermont
KEYWORDS: berniesanders; sanderslies; sanderssocialism; scandinavia; socialism
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-27 last
To: Academiadotorg; All
A) I hate Scandanavian Socialists

B) Dude....I love burnout bernie and Scandinavian Socialists...


21 posted on 05/17/2016 8:45:06 AM PDT by areukiddingme1 (areukiddingme1 is a synonym for a Retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer and tired of liberal BS.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Academiadotorg
PJ O'rourke had a quote from Milton Friedman in one of his books.

A Scandinavian economist once stated to Milton Friedman: "In Scandinavia we have no poverty." Milton Friedman replied, "That's interesting, because in America among Scandinavians, we have no poverty either."

22 posted on 05/17/2016 9:00:22 AM PDT by sharkhawk (Here come the Hawks, the mighty Black H)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Academiadotorg

Those wishing for socialism need to be shown Venezuela. Just because they imagine that the policies they are arguing for work in one location doesn’t mean that socialism works. What do they want? And how does it look like Venezuela and Scandinavia? Much of what they want is Venezuela.

Then again, maybe they like Venezuela. Income inequality is very low (or at least meaningless) when neither the rich or poor can’t get an aspirin or toilet paper.


23 posted on 05/17/2016 9:23:15 AM PDT by LostPassword
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Academiadotorg

“Their liberal markets are what enable them to accommodate massive social-welfare spending.”


Well, don’t forget petrowealth. Countries that are sitting on large petroleum and natural gas reserves can afford to be wasteful with their spending. Also, even with those factors taken into account, the taxes are so sky-high in Scandinavia that there is a booming black market economy of “off the books” labor, because that’s the only way most people can escape the crushing taxes and actually save a little money to improve their station.


24 posted on 05/17/2016 9:33:39 AM PDT by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Academiadotorg

Bernie, and the Left, only wish to install the Socialist things piece-meal, from many sources, for a totality of Socialism.

For instance, they will never lower taxes/regs, voter ID, school choice, illegals, etc.

But they will take 1-2 times from X, 3-4 from Y, 2 from Z...and join them all for the U.S.


25 posted on 05/17/2016 9:35:26 AM PDT by i_robot73 ("A man chooses. A slave obeys." - Andrew Ryan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Boogieman

Good grief! Just compare the freeloaders we have to put up with here. The entire Scandinavia, ie Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland,Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands total a population of 25,251,000.That’s 2 million less than the state of Texas. Sweden, Norway, and Denmark together total about the same figures as Florida.


26 posted on 05/17/2016 9:59:57 AM PDT by Mollypitcher1 (I have not yet begun to fight....John Paul Jones)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: All

Norway funds their social welfare state by being one of the largest oil exporters in the world and being the 14th ranked arms exporter. Sweden affords their by being the 10th ranked arms exporter. I wonder how those progressives feel about their wonder countries funding their socialist policies by exporting dirty oil and guns?


27 posted on 05/17/2016 4:23:03 PM PDT by DHerion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-27 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson