Posted on 02/08/2016 10:38:31 AM PST by Baynative
With one of the leading 2016 U.S. presidential contenders, self-styled socialist Bernie Sanders, openly advocating the transformation of America into a Scandinavian-style welfare-state utopia on national television, the book's message is timely indeed from an American perspective. But as the monograph explains, Sanders, whose campaign has recently surged past Hillary Clinton's among voters in the key primary state of New Hampshire, is hardly alone in totally misunderstanding the lessons Scandinavia can offer Americans and the world. Left-wing celebrities, politicians, journalists, and ideologues worldwide have also been pointing to the Nordic nations for decades as a model to emulate.
~snip~
In other words: Americans, beware. In Scandinavia, with the partial exception of Norway which is able to coast along thanks to its gargantuan oil revenues, governments have started to learn the error of their ways and have drastically reversed course, expanding economic freedom across the board. (Personal freedom is another matter, of course). Those who seek to push Scandinavian-style Big Government in the United States are either misunderstanding the facts, or deliberately misleading you. And Scandinavian Unexceptionalism, a must-read for economic-policy wonks and anyone interested in understanding the region's success, makes that abundantly clear.
(Excerpt) Read more at thenewamerican.com ...
“Dr Phil says anger is always a response to frustration or fear.”
Dr. Phil is full of crap.
Social democracy worked in Scandinavia because they were small homogeneous countries linked by a common religion, culture and values.
That doesn’t exist today. The Swedish “third way” can’t be replicated in the US because its so different.
Social democracy was less about theoretical doctrine than practical improvisation and adapting Marxism mediated via Eduard Bernstein, to the reality of democracy.
Excellent example.
“I think it is obvious, feminism stops where Islam begins.”
W. C Fields famously quipped, “A man who hates dogs and children can’t be all bad.”
“Social democracy worked in Scandinavia because they were small homogeneous countries linked by a common religion, culture and values.”
The point of this article is that it *didn’t* work, even with all those “advantages.”
It just hasn’t failed there quite as disastrously as it has in other places.
Anyway, he said he was excited to go there thinking of all the beautiful blond women he would meet. But after a while they became monotonous to him and the thing (he thought) they all lacked was humor.
"It wasn't joke telling or comedy", he said. "It was just a lack of joy"
Even Denmark, a pillar of socialist nanny-statism, has discovered that its economy can’t sustain an endless swell of gimmedats.
SUCCESS! overun by invaders thier own government let in, thier women raped and groped, the police have no control over these invaders, the citizenry are forced to support and accept them. Sounds like utopia to me
Wow.
The Scandinavian socialism was unsuccessful because just as in the rest of Europe and in the US, it led to a steep drop in the birthrate of the taxpaying population. There is a reason why socialism thrives in the US today (politically, not economically): The “takers” are half of the population, and enough of the “makers” fear they’ll need the “safety net” someday (not as a way of life, but in a pinch) - and they want it to be there.
All European socialism worked for a generation then fell apart; the money and children ran out.
Yeah, those damn Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are responsible for everything bad that happened between the 1930's and the 1960's.
Even though, in 1960, the oldest Boomer was 14 years old and the youngest wouldn't even be born for another 4 years.
Here's a hint; the people who were in charge back then were neither the Boomers nor the parents of the Boomers; they were mainly the grandparents of the Boomers. Though in some cases, they were the worst of the Greatest Generation.
Here's another hint; Bill Ayers is a Boomer - No, wait; he isn't! He was born in 1944. On the other hand most of the names on the Vietnam Memorial wall belong to Boomers. Clinton and Obama are Boomers, but so is George W Bush.
But painting with a broad brush is fun! So is blaming a group to which you probably don't belong. Right?
The smartest Nordics emmigrated to the US before 1950.
Why doesn’t The Bern go to Venezuela to fix the way Socialism is getting a bad name there?
and has not had to pay for defense since WWII.
Hooefully those days are coming to an end too, after Mr. Trump takes the oath next January. Better plan ahead Euros. Lots of widows and orphans already inside the gate itching to test your "defenses".
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