Study discovers Swedes are less well-off than the poorest Americans

Reuters via Haaretz ^ | 5/4/2002 | Reuters

[Enemy Of The State]

I suppose they are going to want some of our money next?

[The Electrician]

The only advantange of such country is that it is more or less made up of one enthnic group with common culture and language which has more than a millenium of history.

Gee, that sounds like the Swedes are living in Le Pen country...

[Dark Wing]

ping

[GuillermoX]

Kind of reminds me of the Muslims who say Saudi, Iran, Libya, Taliban don't practice "true Sharia law".

[Polybius]

My liberal wife was thrilled after I told her I had just arranged to hire a secretary from a country mired in poverty.

My wife is wondering what she'll look like and I'm wondering if she speaks English.

[Moonman62]

Actually, the Swedish economy is pretty efficient. The economy is not really socialist, it is redistributionist. It is a complex topic, and complex economic subjects are ill suited to this forum.

You're just too brilliant for us mouth breathers.

[Arioch7]

A valid point. Let me say that I do raise my prices but if the USA turned Left-Wing, I would NOT be able to raise my prices to compensate. People would not buy and THEY would put me out of Business. So, at that point, it is not even my choice.

I will give you an example out of my life. I was going to buy a condo and rent it as an apartment. After my accountant ran the figures, I WOULD make a profit. However, after taxes it would amount to 100 bucks a week.

Now, I could deliver Pizza two nights a week and make 200-300 Dollars TAX FREE! Of course, I am a bit too old but doesnt that tell you something?

What is the point of me investing capital on that scale and risk to get less then a PIZZA BOY!

Of course, I am looking at other states with less restrictive codes. So, my home state loses out on ANY revenue from my ventures.

I am familiar with the LAffer Curve and basic economic theory but the things I am describing are NOT thoery, but reality.

BTW, I am not trying to be antagonistic, I just come across that way. :D

[Tribune7]

You're going to have to change your corporate name to Bialystock and Bloom.

[Dat]

You were always squishy but I didn't think you were a lib. Consider the source, Rueters and the Swedish political establishment (yes even the "centre right") aren't exactly known for promoting right-wing view points.

Besides that, if the Swedes have their "quality of life" enhancing qualities such as low crime and longer vacations, the U.S. must have it's own, such as climate, geography, and social mobility which probably counter balance many of the advantages the Swedes have.

[Torie]

You don't come across as atagonistic at all. I beg to differ. The business about passing along tax costs depends on the global supply and demand of capital, and the elasticity thereof. Much is written about that topic. And some of it is rather speculative. Granted, I haven't kept up on the econometric literature on that the past few years. It is hard to remain on "expert" on absolutely everything. :)

[Torie]

Yes, the climate where I live is absolutely splendid. In fact, where I live probably has one of the most satisfactory objective funtions of good climate and generous economic opportunities and good schools and low crime of almost anywhere on this planet. It is reflected in housing prices though. That old supply and demand thing again.

[Dat]

You were always squishy but I didn't think you were a lib. Consider the source, Reuters and the Swedish political establishment (yes, even the "centre right") aren't exactly known for promoting right-wing view points. Besides that, if the Swedes have their "quality of life" enhancing qualities such as low crime and longer vacations, the U.S. must have it's own, such as climate, geography, and social mobility which probably counter balance many of the advantages the Swedes have. 70 posted on 5/4/02 5:08 PM

[Torie]

Here is my dark side coming out. Enjoy. I will try to balance the books by posting another rant on a voucher thread at some juncture. :)

[ChadGore]

Re: "If Renault has 5,000 workers at a plant and it needs only 175,000 hours of labor a week . . . "

You're assumptions are based on the mythical man month.

If it takes a woman 9 months to produce a child, 2 women can give birth in 4 and a half months?

People provide skills to a team that are either valuable to the team, or they are not. If the person doesn't find a way to add value, the team can and should lower his compensation. Ignoring someone’s value to a team and affixing their compensation to irrelevant external parameters makes the team less productive and less competitive.

[tortoise]

How much is it worth to live in safe cities?

Just the other day one of my Swedish colleagues was lamenting the fact that the murder rate in Stockholm is no different than the US (worse than current US statistics actually, or so I was told). The overall stats for the country are lower, but approaching US levels pretty quickly. He says the level of youth violence is barely under control there, due in no small part to the pervasively pessimistic outlook on life in the younger generations.

[Tribune7]

I just did a fast check at the Dorling Kindersley World Reference Desk.

It has Sweden's murder rate at 10 per 100,000 and theft rate at 7,865 per 100,000. Swedish rates

It has our murder rate at 7 per 100,000 and our theft rate at 1,145 per 100,000. US rates

We do, according to D-K, have a higher rape rate.

[Torie]

The fact that Americans are over sexed is merely stating the obvious. :) The murder rate bit I doubt is correct. I will check on that.

[Neanderthal]

"I don't believe any of the three you mentioned are Swedish. Mondale is Norwegian."

I don't think he meant that these guys were Swedish, just that the Swedes and Norwegians keep electing jerks like Mondale, Dashole, Wellstone, etc., etc., etc . . . . .

[Tribune7]

The figures are from 1992-1996. I don't think that makes much of a difference.