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By Global Public Square
Here at GPS we often report how the United States has fallen behind in a number of global rankings. For example, The Economist has just published what it calls the "Where to be born" index: a list of countries which provide the best opportunities and the highest quality of life. In 1988, America was #1; now it is joint 16th. Three of the top five countries today are in Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
Or look at the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index. The U.S. has fallen to #7 in the latest rankings. Finland and Sweden are in the top five.
Or look at corruption. The United States ranks 19th in Transparency International's new index. Denmark and Finland are rated the cleanest countries.
Now you can spot two trends. On the one hand, America has been losing its edge. But I'm also struck by the rise of Scandinavia, a region that includes Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and if you broaden that definition, Finland and Iceland. Each of these countries seem to dominate global ranking lists. Why? What is their secret sauce?
Well, Scandinavia is actually much more free market-oriented than most people realize. Capital is allocated by the market, the government doesn't own companies, regulation is usually light, corruption is non-existent. Companies can hire and fire easily, labor moves around. But these countries do tax a lot and spend a lot – on education, childcare, health and other things.
Now, a recent MIT paper suggests there are limits to this model. It's called "Can't we all be more like Scandinavians?" In brief, it points out how the Scandinavian welfare system provides a number of benefits: more vacations, better healthcare, more equality. But when it comes to innovation, the U.S. still wins. For example, if you look at patents filed per million residents, the study shows the U.S. has moved far ahead of Scandinavian countries.
Here's why this is important. Unlike say, a healthcare system (which only benefits people of one particular country), innovation has global impacts. New American inventions spread around the world. According to the paper's authors, Scandinavian countries "free-ride" on U.S. research and development. But if the U.S. became Scandinavian, it would spend less on innovation, which might reduce global growth rates (and thus, discredit the Scandinavian model).
The paper has been criticized for using patents as the marker for innovation. But even so, this is an important discussion. And it ties in to many of the questions our leaders are grappling with. Does the state need to make societies more equal? Does that come at a cost?
There is much to admire about Scandinavia: on education, on healthcare, on energy. But that doesn't mean we need to become Scandinavian. We are more individualistic, free-wheeling, ready to take risks. Americans don’t need to stop being American. But why not look at how these countries in Scandinavia make investments in healthcare and early education and how all of these things create greater equality of opportunity. That is after all what helps people succeed, no matter where they come from or how poor they are.
The truth is, Scandinavian countries are fulfilling a huge part of the American dream better than America these days. Thankfully, we're still an innovation powerhouse, and we need to spend more on R&D rather than cutting those budgets. And perhaps we need to target some of that innovative thinking towards restoring the American Dream of equal opportunity. That would be a truly American solution to an American problem.
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No, no country should try to be another country, as every country is different. But each country can learn from the success and the failures of the others!
Which is what the author said as the article wrapped up...
What about the part where is says that in Scandinavia government doesn't own companies, doesn't fit with the path that we are taking does it? That leads to more power for the government and along comes even more corruption...Obamacare is going to be a cookie jar and American politicians (both Dems and Reps) are hungry. What a mistake.
SPE, poor choice of an example to try to fight Obamacare. Obamacare is MORE like Scandinavia, not less. It has nothing to do with owning companies. Not owning companies is what we have in common with them. We just have a temporary situation due to bailouts.
However, we will never be like Scandinavian countries anyway. Completely different temperament due to our strong emphasis on individualism.
SPE
Did you read the part in the article where Scandvania spends more on healthcare and welfare for its people! That is why their government doesn't need to own companies within their own economy. A government that takes care of its people can takes care of itself.
MIEN VON -–TO LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHER COUNTRY'S IF FINE. DID YOU? OUR PRESIDENT WOULD
RATHER FU- HIS OWN COUNTRYAT THE EXPENSE OF THE REST OF THE WORLD KISS HIS RING. THIS IS NOT AN OPTION NOR SUOULD IT BE FOR ANY SANE PERSON. YOU OF ALL PEOPLE MUST SEE THAT AS A FACT. TO SEEK
FREEDOMS FOR THE OPPRESSED, DEFEND THOSE WHO ARE HELPLESS, WE HAVE BEEN THEIR FOR MOST ALL WHEN
OTHERS WERE SILENT. WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU REPESENT MR. VON WHAT EVER.
AMEN, well said
The Caps-Lock must be broken on your PC.
You ought to be glad we have a President who cares about every American citizen and not just the few. Not trying to be disrespectful to Bush but the country began to fall apart in his last yrs and he stood by and did nothing. President Obama inherited a country that was on the verge of collapse. NOT his fault!
The verge of collapse? You speak as if he has done anything at all to make anything better. We are still on the verge of collapse. The only problem now is, with obama, now it will be wealthy Whites paying to fix everything (if anything ever does get fixed), instead of ALL Americans, as it should be. Redistribution of wealth.
This is why none of my income is taxable, and the government can't touch a dime of it. I refuse to pay some african's way through their miserable lives. They're well accustomed to starvation, poverty, filth, and violent crime, they'll be just fine without my money.
ゆあるあふぁきんぐいじおと。
@Truth: you got to be a complete morron. Europeans robbed African nations of their wealth. How do you expect them to prosper after all their natural resources have been stolen from them. Have you ever taken any history course in your entire life? I suggest you do so before you die otherwise you would regret. You should never mention you are an American, it is too embarassing.
“Since the dawn of history the black has owned the continent of Africa – rich beyond the dream of poet’s fancy, crunching acres of diamonds beneath his bare black feet. Yet he never picked one up from the dust until a white man showed to him its glittering light. His land swarmed with powerful and docile animals, yet he never dreamed a harness, cart, or sled. A hunter by necessity, he never made an axe, spear, or arrowhead worth preserving beyond the moment of its use. He lived as an ox, content to graze for an hour. In a land of stone and timber he never sawed a foot of lumber, carved a block, or built a house save of broken sticks and mud. With league on league of ocean strand and miles of inland seas, for four thousand years he watched their surface ripple under the wind, heard the thunder of the surf on his beach, the howl of the storm over his head, gazed on the dim blue horizon calling him to worlds that lie beyond, and yet he never dreamed a sail.”— Charles Darwin
There's your f^%&ing african history. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
This man is correct. The africans were to worldly and generally ignorant to know what they even had, until the White Gods ascended down to africa to show them. If not for us, they wouldn't be enjoying the fruits of said resources today, for they would have never known about them at all.
We're talking about simian, primitive, sub-human ape-like organisms, animals, without much thought processes at all. No ingenuity, no creativeness, no insight, no intellect.
If they got hungry, they simply stood up, grabbed fruit from a tree, and sat back down to eat. It is no wonder why africans never evolved past their original primitive, simplistic state. They never were forced to by nature.
You clearly never heard of the Songhai or Abysinnian Empires other wise you wouldn't say such ignorant things. Look up people like Menelik the Second or Mansa Musa. Next time read a history book that wasn't written in the 19th century.
Truth, You are the reason people around the world hate America. You are an ignorant, racist, stupid person. I wish i could meet you in person to talk to you, you clearly have no rational thought process.
ANYWAY, while I agree the money put in to R&D is great in the US, what we can learn is that a government that provides healthcare, education to its people results in a better country. I've seen so many stupid comments about how "the scandinavian governments dont own businesses, so obamacare is bad"-WHAT???? all those countries have governmental healthcare and educaiton--the private sector has OVER AND OVER AGAIN proven inadequate in those fields, because money isn't the end point. If you want money to be the end all in medicine and education, the US is wonderful. I'm a doctor, it's disgusting that a dermatologist makes $500,000 in 4 days of just doing biopsies while a primary care doctor struggles. Our goverment needs to be like those countries that value all their citizens, and provide for them
Perhaps if you lived in a Scandinavian-type system, you would have learned to spell "mein" and to distinguish between "their" and "there." And you would not have been sent to a foreign nation to fight a meaningless war so that corporations could profit. What don't you like about healthcare, education, elder care, parental leave, 6 weeks of paid vacation annually...I'm guessing it's the Scandinavian gun control you despise most. Go back under your rock.
What a spectacular mess that post is.
Breese - Scandanavian gun control laws aren't all that bad. There are a lot of hunters in Scandanavia and firearms are not hard to come by.
..we have been there ? what? what are you talking about willis? WE? if any americans have been in africa, there were because there is OIL, Cobalt, gold, silver, diamonds, need I go on? Now, I will give you that there have been many volunteer PRIVATE citizens trying to help needy people around the continent, or...there have been other private american ...citizens, trying to proselytize in to christianity new ..victims...If you think, we, americans give out to the world because of the ..goodness of our heart, I say keep slouching in your couch, lying there comfortably numb, watching dancing with the stars and other life altering shows. Because, for every $1 america gives somewhere, it gets at least $3 back...in some form or another...
Folks, I present the very reason America is falling behind. Lots of dumb people in this country.
@ truth
have u ever heard of the Songhai? Great Zimbabwe? Ghana? the Bantu migration? how about the fact that africans in west africa had developed a form of immunization....learn your history
Finally Fareed, in his very finite wisdom has come to his conclusion. Solution to America's problems: We need more Nordic White people in America. Racist!
your an idiot
You didn't bother to read the article did you?
Wow, Your name belongs in the dictionary under ignorance!
The quality of life and standards of living in ANY area on this planet, no exceptions, is inversely proportional to the number of blacks living in said area.
The more blacks there are, the more poverty, filth, crime, corruption, and moral depravity there is.
The less blacks, people are happier, wealthier, safer, and everything is cleaner.
This is a universal truth; it cannot be disputed in any case, or in any area on this planet.
Go ahead, call it racist. It is the reality. Not facts are "racist". Still doesn't mean that it's not the TRUTH.
What does this say about black people? That, wherever they go, despair, pain, suffering, poverty, crime, and social failure always follow? Blacks simply are not good people, nor have good intentions, hearts, mind, nor souls.
Some evil is necessary, I guess. This black evil is most certainly not necessary. We can improve every facet of our lives, overnight, by getting rid of the unwanted, unwelcome, uncivilized, sub-human blacks.
Don't let actually reading the article stop you from your ignorant conclusion.
"Truth"
Nelson Mandela is black. Adolf Hitler was white.
Tell me more about crime and evil.
@Truth- Either you're a troll or you have simply lead a small and petty life. I grew in Toronto with an extremely large black population. The various black cultures in the city brought a beautiful mix of cultures to Canada and many of them I call friends. They have big minds and big hearts.
You talk of obsolescence? Look in the mirror you obsolete bigot; the days of *your* breed are numbered.
Hate to break it to you, but I have been to almost every country on this planet, both in and out of the military, and I can assure you that the rest of the world feels the exact way as I do when it comes to unwanted african immigrants.
Pretend if you like. It doesn't chance the way things are. All nations that openly and willingly accept africans into their mix end up ruined from the inside out. There are no exceptions.
Enjoy your precious pet n1ggers.
..amazing...for somebody who can't read you managed to articulate a couple of sentences...wow, clearly your 4th grade teacher did some ..decent job....
Just ignore Truth, he is from faux news and now you know why they no longer allow their inbreds, I mean readers to comment, they are all hate filled racist for the most part, or that was my impression from reading them.
All American needs is a white in the WHITE HOUSE again and things will be fine!!!
...to anderson....Since when does color have anything to do with IQ. Your statement proves it. You also sound like a Republican....mean and cold.
Joe Biden is in the White House and is quite white.
How do you type with that sheet over your head?
Race has nothing to do with anything. Quit blaming problems on race and start blaming problems of ethics. I'm white. I'm disgusted at the growing number of white people who lack any sort of motivation to better educate themselves, keep a clean house, live healthy, maintain an environment suitable for raising children and be upstanding citizens. That doesn't take much money, but rather motivation. By the same token I'm disgusted with whites in the financial sector who have taken a necessary level of trust out of business, finance, banking and free market because they are greedy psychopaths. Race hasn't got a thing to do with it.
Yeah, like whites like Bush, Reagan, and others were better?!!
IT'S NOT ABOUT SKIN COLOR. IT'S ABOUT IDEOLOGY, ETHICS, AND CIVILITY.
Maybe America can move forward once its populace realizes that tiny little truism... *facepalm*
And, thank you, SB1790, for a great response ( December 13, 2012 at 6:12 pm) as well! (Amongst other responses, writen by you and others...)
Does that mean only people named McDonald can eat at McDonald`s or only walls can shop at walmart ?
Silly and demonstrably false. Any wonder why that POV is constantly losing elections?
SB 1790, You hit the nail on the head. I wish others had your wisdom. To bad so many hide under whites sheet and refuse to see the light of day. Where the hell has common sense go to in America. We need more people like you to educate the stupid and ignorant!
Just imagine the White House smelling like that.....I'd hate to be the next President!
Anderson, I should change my last name, I share it with an imbecile.
@Layne – If I was in the lame Klan-labeling business I would have said: "How do you SEE YOUR COMPUTER MONITOR with that hood over you head?"
Because I just don't see how a hood would impact typing skills... Sure, maybe there's a secondary connection implying he needs to look down at the keyboard and a hood would hinder this ability – but it's tenuous at best.
Scandinavian countries are great because of the lack of blacks..,less crime and unemployment.
First Scandanvian countries do have black people. Second it is their system of high taxes high services that provides the excellent lifestyle they have, and it is excellent. Yes we have more patents but actually per captia they are ahead in that. We are just a bigger country. Since they have passed us in education especially in science and math it is only a short time ill the pass us in VIABLE patents that actually produce a product. They are actually very close now.
I run a business in the US with a branch in Denmark, Canada and the UK. I am contermplating one in Norway. Yes they actually are a better place to do business in and yes they have higher taxes. But as an employer it frees me from employee health care when that is taken into consideration I am way ahead, and dealing with regulations is easy and reasonable. in addition the employees are well educated.
If you ever traveled outside of your Zip Code you might have a better grasp of reality.
When was the last time you were in any of the Scandinavian countries? WWII? Idiot!
Sweden has a higher proportion of foreign-born residents than the US.
Amen. The more blacks you have, the worse it is off for all human beings. Why must our government force us to reside with violent animals and defunct farm equipment? We're done with them, ship them back. Better yet, send them half way back. Would be a huge favor for the entire world and all of humanity.
We need to remind ourselves that Scandinavia are small countries by population which rely on their access to Europe and the US for their larger defense and trade protection. These are not world powers which do much of anything for anyone else. Scandinavia is pretty, sterile and boring. Large numbers of Scandinavians seek refuge and opportunities outside of Scandinavia, including the U.S.. They have allowed the immigration of certain numbers of non-European peoples into Scandinavia, but these have caused increasing tension among the Scandinavians, witness the tragedy in Norway and the trend toward a relook at their immigration policies. These are not multi-cultural societies – they are largely out of the way northerly countries where their history has traded back and forth among themselves and much less so the mainstream of European history. After a bit of tourism, few Americans would feel at home there and many would feel cold and dark averse – unless, of course, you are from Nome.
No Scandinavians wish to live in America, or anywhere else for that matter. over where they are originally from.
If anyone has ever told you that, they are lying. They want nothing more to do with America but to be an observer from the outside to the spectacle that is a nation of really stupid f%$king people.
That's the truth, but only part of it. America has DIVERSITY, and many countries (including those in Scandinavia) don't. Diversity hurts America's averages, but it allows opportunities for many types of people who wouldn't otherwise have them. Here are some facts:
IQ strongly correlates with wages, poverty, crime, health, etc.
Blacks on AVERAGE have the lowest IQs.
Asians on AVERAGE have the highest IQs.
Whites on AVERAGE are somewhere in the upper middle, with some races scoring higher, and some lower.
The IQ's validity is generally not disputed amongst those who understand its psychometrics. What is important to understand is the role of averages and medians. In short, they don't imply that ALL members of a race have lower IQs, and average IQ is no basis for an individual's claim/belief of superiority over another.
Nor does it imply that we have nothing to gain from other races. For example, some find that diversity enriches culture. In America, this led to the creation of Jazz, Rock and Hip-hop, all popular music genres worldwide. Therefore, some might say, America is better off with diversity than without.
If you subscribe to any sort of superiority doctrine or belief system, you must necessarily accept inferiority as well. Thus, if you are not "the best," someone is necessarily better than you. If you can justify condemning another because they are "inferior," you can justify your own inferiority to someone else. In the case of white pride, this would mean accepting Asian superiority. For most people, that is a door that logically should remain closed (even for Asians).
That is why, as a white person who acknowledges that blacks probably are a CAUSE for lower averages in my country, I am reluctant to assert white supremacy. I would probably hurt the average of an all Asian country, yet I still feel I have the right to exist and to be happy. Thus, there must be more to life than "superior/inferior," "smart/stupid," or "high/low." If there isn't, I lose, along with blacks, browns, reds, and anyone else who doesn't measure up.
So, to supremacists I ask, "would you want your rationale turned on yourself?"
To diversity advocates, I ask, "is diversity better for the world?"
Personally, I would rather not have diversity because it seems to entail alienating my culture. I think each citizen has a right to cultural pride, and that it can't exist with diversity (not if it's going to be peaceful or fair). I don't believe I am superior to anyone, but I think we basically need our populations segregated. Pound-for-pound, diversity hasn't really helped me. I feel it's denied my right to feel proud of my culture, and in some respects it's ruined my culture.
Scandinavians have a lot to be proud of, and the fact that they are mostly white is nothing to hold against them.
For the most part everyone here is playing a p! SSing contest. Put that to rest. Their are some things missing here.
Why is it the US files more patents? I have this strange notion it is because we import others via America's genius visa h1b and tend to keep or borrow the things that are being patented maybe well say in certain company names!?1? I think this maybe a large piece of the equation that everyone had missed. Something to think about.
Because patent laws in the US protect only an narrow interpretation of your application, thus encoraging patent-spamming, to achieve the same protection that you get from a single patent in Europe. If you look at the number of new products from patents, per person Scandinavia overtakes the US handily.
Also population difference is huge, Iceland is only about 300,000 with technology the chance to exploit natural resources is great. These Nordics have also invaded Europe again and again during dark the ages and they have gotten all notion of war out of their systems (my thoughts) so they have a completely out of the box perspective on social issues on gender equality and prison system. US may be 1st in innovation but these countries are innovators of social justice and issues we love them.
Iceland is ALL White. They have facial recognition technology at their international airports. If you are not fully 100% Nordic, Scandinavian pure White, you will be detained and questioned for at least 2 hours, just so they know what they're dealing with, and why you are attempting to come into their country.
I applaud them, and I wish America would do the same. Sadly, America never will. But Icelanders have the right idea: if you're not 100% pure White, you have NO business here, and you shall not enter. THIS is exactly why Iceland is doing so well, why it is so beautiful, so pure, so peaceful. God bless that place.....I sure do miss it with all my heart.
America is improving after the death of Zarkaria's cult friends Steve Jiang and Gillian Wong. Zarkaria better stay far away from cult
that's absolutely true, there is no such thing as one-fits-all when it comes to issues like this... but learning something that has proven to work is worthy attention...
The USA cannot be like Scandinavia, we have too many 'freeloaders sitting around on front porches or walking around the streets selling crack. Plus a president who is NOT transparent at all, in fact he is totally corrupt to the marrow.
You can't be like Scandinavia, your too selfish.
well...if you are a corporation, a corporate thug, and generally one of the 2% who possess 98% of the wealth you don't want the country you are ruling to become ...sweden because the sheeple will no longer follow blindly, and they will stop buying s#|t they don't need with money they don't have....
I kissed my way up to VP at a health insurance company. Now I take over $600,000 of your health care dollars for NO VALUE ADDED to your health care. And that’s just me. Now think about how many other VPs, Directors, Managers, etc. are at my company alone. Now multiply that by thousands of others at hundreds of other health insurance companies. From 10 to 25% of your health care dollars go towards administration that adds NO VALUE to your health care. But my company’s PAC dollars will continue to fool you little people into thinking that a single payer system will be bad. Little people like you are so easy to fool. Little people also don’t realize that a single payer system is the ONLY system that would allow little people (as an entire country) to negotiate better health care prices. Little people don’t realize that the Medical Cartels already know that. And that is the reason why the Medical Cartels spend so much PAC money from the hospitals and doctors lobbying against a single payer system. Some little people say that a single payer system would cost you little people more. But if that were true, then wouldn’t the hospitals and doctors WANT that extra money? Yes they would. So why do the Medical Cartels lobby against a single payer system? It’s because the Medical Cartels know it would allow little people to negotiate better health care prices. And that’s what the Medical Cartels are afraid of. Period.
But us big wigs at insurance companies, hospitals, and pharmacy companies don’t ever need to worry about health care no matter what it costs. We get our health care paid for one way or another by you little people. And we get the little people that work at our companies to contribute to our PACs. And us big wigs say it’s to protect the little peoples’ jobs. But in reality it would be in the little peoples’ best interest to NOT contribute to the PAC. Again, little people are so easy to be fooled. I won’t ever have to worry about losing my job with so many little people being brain washed by the Medical Cartels’ PAC money. Not only that, the Medical Cartels’ PAC money is used to elect so many republicans that will never allow a single payer system. Republicans have always fought against any meaningful health care reform. But that’s what our Medical Cartels’ PACs pay them for. Politicians can be bought so easily.
Pretty soon the only people that will be able to afford health care is us big wigs. And that’s the way it should be. We don’t want you little people using up the resources when we need them. And once again, I thank you little people for capping my SS tax at the $110,100 level. Now I only pay 1.1% SS tax and you little people pay 6.2%. Also, thank you for extending my tax breaks. I’m using the extra money on my vacation houses.
That's a shame. When the revolution starts it'll be you big wigs that get it first.
REVOLUTION!!! Cannot wait to go French Revolution on these rich people....now, where is my guillotine?
sagepainter: buy an AK47 instead. It makes multiple corpses at a time.
@sagepainter I can't wait until someone beats your commie as down.
Yet it always seems the Republicans are the ones with the guns. How do you libbies plan to pull off such a revolution unarmed?
Do you honestly believe that any sort of revolution could take place? First most people would need to have an attention span past 20 minutes, drag their fat asses off of the couch and really get involved. This will never happen. People are far more easily subdued with food and entertainment and would rather give up than do something difficult. Secondly, with all of the law enforcement in place any type of revolt would be quickly and effectively squashed (to protect the rich by keeping the status quo) and all involved would be tried and convicted of various charges and most likely imprisoned. The only way for effective revolution is voting. This is a farce as well because there is never a viable option that one would want to select. Everyone is trapped and screwed. How does one get out of the mess?
You are obviously a troll nice try. I guess to you the end does justify the means.
Troll? Maybe. Correct? Definitely.
This has to be a joke!! Frankly these statements and demeanor just do not seem to add up. I think this person is someone impersonating a "big wig" for a reaction. Save your time and do something productive in society PLEASE!!
Big wig or not. It's still ALL true!!!!!! Hahahahahahhaha
Really? You figured that out all by yourself? Good job!
Oh poor John and your global awareness, I'm from FI and can confirm that there is only one thing different than what the article says. It's the innovation. Those countries and individuals are way more creative and innovative than over here (been here for 14 years so I know). The reason is simple, practice leadership in management positions, not old fashioned management like here in US. This also impact alot to effectiveness of businesses and processes, US has still a long way to go to reach the same level....
John, he either is a Troll, or else he is one of those guys who think they are immune to the troubles the rest of us experience. Once we convince our corporations to no longer reward failure on the part of their executives, we will see a more productive culture. As it is, no executive has any reason for his company to succeed under his stewardship as he has no "skin in the game". When Michael Eisner tried to get a Bonus from Disney corporation after a dismal money losing year, he was told by the board to be glad he wasn't being called in to be fired. That prompted a turnaround in his energy towards success.
Unfortunately companies like GE, Honeywell, GM, Pfizer, Marriott, etc. have to promise "golden parachutes" at the time of hiring executives to attract them to work there. Once there, with that GP in place, they have no reason to pursue success. That is another difference between US and Scandinavian companies – their execs have "skin in the game". If they don't succeed, they are shown the door with no rewards.
Nice try mh, too bad there's this thing called reality that contradicts you.
Scandinavian countries are way above your average country when it comes to innovation, yet they're no match for USA right now (and they've never been a match).
In fact, all of the Scandinavian countries combined are no match for California alone.
You being there for 14 years it's unimportant and irrelevant. Your narrow, simple-minded and subjective world view can't match the actual numbers.
"Productivity" – that glib buzzword. So their machines run 20MPH faster and their computers are 3GHz faster (and do more per clock cycle.)
More and more jobs are being automated or devalued. Thank "the market" for becoming a monster that is ultimately killing its own creation.
Sorry for a response that's equally glib. The truth is somewhere in the middle. But until then, "produce or perish" – the slavemasters live you for it.
what a load of pig manure. You're about as far from being a sr. stakeholder in any company as the people who clean my building overnight.
Big wig or not. It's still ALL true!!!!!!!! Hahahahahhaha
Timmy Suckle–you don't honestly think anyone here is dumb enough to believe you, do you? You are the littlest of the "little people". Dork. Get a job.
Because of i d i o t s like you America is where it is right now
Durrr, satire doesn't exist on the internet! Everything on the weberverse should be taken as literal fact, and nothing else.
Thank you for letting the little people know the truth. So, all little people, pay attention, write to your Congressman and let them know how you feel about healthcare cuts, and tax cuts to the wealthy.
When Obama and the rest of the politicians drop what they have and sign on to Obama care I will be impressed. Lead by example.
Nice satire.
I hate responding to trolls, when I know them to be the bridge dwellers you so clearly are, but I would be remiss if I didn't say that I agree with the idea behind single-payer healthcare. We all hear horror stories of long waits for doctors in the UK, or about "death panels" determining what treatments aren't covered (seriously, if you don't think insurance companies have the same thing, you are gravely mistaken), and waits for elective surgeries. Granted, some of this is true, but it is not as true as most people believe. By and large, most people in single-payer countries can schedule surgeries and doctors visits within a couple weeks. I don't know about anyone else, but I usually try to schedule a dental, optometry, or general physical ahead of time anyways. If you get really sick or need emergency surgery, you get it.. same as you do here. Say you blow your ACL in your knee. Yes, athletes get it repaired alot faster than most of us. Then again, athletes are also in far better physical shape, which dramatically speeds recovery time. You can't operate on most ligament tears until some amount of swelling goes down. Since this can take weeks for a normal person when its a ligament in the knee, the doctors have to wait out the swelling. For an athlete, it may only be a few days. Yes, our taxes would go up. Yes, there would be annoyances and problems initially. But in the end, the engineer in me thinks it would probably be more efficient and cost-effective.
The problem with your post is that we simply do not have enough doctors or nurses to staff a single-payer system. We are stretched to the limit as is. If we ar rot do such a system we must do it correctly. Now, add to this the very different geopolitical status of the US and the single-payer countries. We are the policeman who makes sure the market is safe from criminals. If we decide to do a single-payer system we must stop being the policeman for we cannot afford both. If we do stop who then replaces us as the guarantor of security for lifeblood of all economics–trade? If trade breaks down so does our economy and thus, our single payer system.
This is a new one. Stretched to the limit in the healthcare sector? Do tell. I worked in hospitals for 10 years and the only problem i saw were the costs for the services being ridiculously high. But I do understand women cant set on anything but the finest leather and set their purses on anything but mahogany tables while waiting for a mammogram. Oh and being a male technologist I couldnt even perform these so it required an extra tech just to perform them. Guess who was the highest paid tech that only performed x-rays? I specialized in CT and saw the costs everyday. Close to 8k for a chest-abdomen-pelvis with no contrast or 3-d reconstruction and this was 10 years ago. We could do 3-4 scans a day and pay for staff and machine, another 2 for the higher ups salaries who did jack. I ordered several $300 leg wedges because the other one was $450. We'd pay 8 bucks for 150ml bottle of iodine contrast solution and charge $300! Thats like a 4000% mark-up! Thats like a parking ticket that goes from 25c to $25 instantly. We look at healthcare incorrectly, it cant be a for profit for anyone except the employees. And im not talking about giving away your terribly over-priced healthcare and writing it off to stay "non-profit". Yes I am suggesting that altruism and benevolence rule healthcare. Plus my final argument is that someone who receives healthcare early on for treatable problems is much more likely to contribute to this country for longer and at a higher level than a 40 yo who "toughs it out" and becomes perm. disabled at 45.
Yes we can afford both. A single payer system costs less than our current system, roughly half as much. As for being the policeman to the world we can rachet way way back on that.
As for not having enough doctors? OK so your plan is to not to create more doctors and nurses, it would take 5-6 years, but to just continue our ineffective loser system.
You're only thinking of RG3's leg injury when you're saying that, you greedy greedy Redskin
The ACL is a good example.
I live in Canada and 3 of my 4 siblings have torn their ACL's.
My one brother doesn't make much money but he is a landscaper. He tore it in the fall and they operated on it in just over a month because he needed to be healthy by next spring so he could work.
My sister works for a university. She makes a pretty good wage and she had to wait about 6 months because it wasn't preventing her from living her life. She couldn't play any sports during that time which was a bummer but she could still go to work.
If the system was money based my sister would have gotten the operation quickly and been able to play hockey and my brother would have been injured over the spring and probably would have lost his landscaping business. But it was based on need so everyone got to go to work.
Now my other brother tore his playing lacrosse and the team sent him down to Rochester to get it fixed ASAP. He got it fixed really quickly and it cost the team $78k, compared to around 2 years wages I will happily wait 6 months for a surgery..
I am not telling Americans they need a government run system. That is for them to decide.
What I am saying is that there are incontinent wait lists for surgeries in Canada but they take the necessity into consideration.
People like you make me sick! All puns intended. Do something helpful. Troll like commemnt!
"Troll like comment?" I'd say 100% correct comment!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahahahahahahahaha
Come on! He's putting you on! He's just whipped up a nice lie to get people agitated.
Maybe he/she is not a big wig, but everything else is 100% spot on!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahahahahahha
You sir, are awesome
If you are a VP at a Health Insurance Company then I am an Alien from another planet. You are an unemployed sociologist who flips burgers at burger king and think that everyone is out to get you. Sto thinking someone owes you something and put on your big people panties and stop trying to fool people. You make liberals look bad like tea baggers make conservatives look bad.
Yet the Troll is 100% correct!!!!!!! And there's nobody on here that's calling him/her a troll that can even come up with a rebuttal.....except "Troll". So who's the "Trolls"??? Hahahahahahahahhaah
Timmy:
If you really were a "big wig", you would have known enough to phrase it we big wigs...not "us big wigs".
You're obviously making that all up and have watched too many episodes of Real Housewives (insert major city here). However, suppose that what you are saying is true, that sort of system is not sustainable. At some point, all the money amasses to the top and you're left with people in those echelons battling it out. It's not like psychopathic freaks suddenly decide they have enough and play nicely. That scenario creates its own downfall.
Do you understand sarcasm? Truth be told , it is the reason why a simple thing like removal of a a cyst costs $2500 in The US and in Spain it costd35 Euros. Both of my parents were doctors in Spain and US.
I thought this was pretty funny the first time I saw it, some months ago, now it just looks like a sucessful troll. You got a pretty good rise out of some people troll, way to go.
Thanks, I needed that. I was feeling a little guilty after breaking into your vacation home ( you'll find out).
Now, I'm guilt free, but understand-my kids gotta eat.
Oh Timmy you pathetic little troll the only thing you are a VP in is your mommys no go clean your Tommy and make your bed like a good 42yr old pathetic troll
Oh Timmy you pathetic little troll the only thing you are a VP at is your mommys basement now shut up and go clean your room and make your bed like a good little 42yr old pathetic troll.
Now I see why a cyst removal costs you 35 Euros in Spain and the same procedure costs $2500 in the US.
Timmy stop trying to get people all riled up on CNN and go back to flipping your burgers at McDonalds.
First you have to become the size and ethnic monoculture of a Scandinavian country. That's 25.2 million people total and everyone's the same white Nordic Protestant.
If you look at Denmark and Sweden – they're not as "Nordic" as you would think! They are really starting to have a very diverse population thanks to immigration.
And their multiculturalism is giving them fits. I doubt their welfare state would last long if current demographic trends there were to continue.
What they are having is a huge increase in crime and once picturesque towns being turned into slums by the muslim refugees they graciously accepted into their countries.
Immigration from Mideastern countries are causing Scandanavia serious problems. The effect on their welfare, penal and education systems has been disasterous. The gross lack of assimilation indicates that this problem will only get worse. Over the last several years, anti-Islamization organizations have sprung in the Netherlands, UK, France, Germany and Scandanavia to challenge the liberal immigration policies of the left-leaning political elite. While still in their formative stages, these groups have begun to capture political clout and are showing signs of becoming a potent political force.
And it is literally DESTROYING their soon to not be civilized cultures and societies.
NOTHING good comes from non-White multiculturalism and diversity. Nothing.
I can only speak of Sweeden, where I have spent two summers, but a suprising number of people were immigrants. Not as high as in America but there were quite a few Baltic people and a small group from all corners of the world. The Sweeds were a fairly tollerant bunch. They kind of looked on other cultures with interest and amusement.
I would expect someone who spent two summers in Sweden to be able to spell "Sweden" and "Swede".
If you think my English is bad you should see me try to spell words in "Sweedish".
No amount of education can completely eradicate dyslexia.
empresstrudy - first you have to educate yourself. You're ignorant about Scandinavia, and it shows. Norway is 86% ethnic Norwegian and falling, with most of its population growth attributable to immigrants. Oslo is only 74% ethnic Norwegian. Sweden is 80% ethnic Swede, and that's if you include the Finns and Sami living there. About 90% of Denmark is Danish, but that includes people who identify as German, Faroese, or Greenlanders, but are not recent immigrants. None of these countries are "ethnic monocultures".
Two words – military spending. That is where the rest of the "free" world is free loading om US tax payer. Until US protects its border and scraps its aircraft groups in favour of education, childcare and healthcare spending all these small countries will have an opportunity to get free protection worth billions.
We must stop being a global cop. And if your government wants to be under US military umbrella – pay up!!
Isolationism – perhaps, but we are broke after all. Time to collect debts ladies and gents.
You are so wrong. The Scandinavia countries have their own military that covers their own protection. And guess what? They even help in Iraq and Afghanistan together with American forces. They are not under any American provided "umbrella" as you seem to believe. Yes, they are all part of NATO, which is a partnership, and a totally different story.
You speak the truth. The US spend more on the military than the next 14 largest military spenders. The US economy is certainly not equal to the next 14 largest economies. The only way for the US economy to recover is to bring home all of our troops and close the over 700 US foreign military bases in over 100 countries. Republican Ron Paul advised the US to bring home our troops but the rest of the Republican party will not accept it.
Not true, Sweden is as ethnically diverse as the US.
Sweden is more diverse than Finland, but not as diverse as US.
Sweden (Norway and Denmark too) has a huge problem with immigrants from Mideastern countries. Even though Muslim immigrants account for less than 5% of the population, their impact on Sweden's welfare, penal and educational systems
has been grossly disproportionate. Since culture and unwillingness to assimilate are the primary issues, this problem will only get worse. At this moment, Muslims in the US account for about 1% of the population but already there are strong indications that similar problems are likely to arise here as well.
I am a finn and would not live in Finland, been away too long. I go back regularly and see how life is there. It is not easy. People pay high taxes, food in taxes also. Through social medicine pay for other people's bad health choices, and in education, young people have no initiative to finish their studies, as the goverment subsidises everything, even their student lodging. Old people have care, but it is not so good, just basic. You see a lot of poorly dressed people, food is expensive. People are jealous if you make it and have everything, they are not happy for successful people. You have to wait for medical tests and dr visits – so basically you get better or die – unless you go private. Weather sucks, so I go in the middle of summer. Early childhood education is good. Childcare is paid for, but even the unemployed ones get free childcare, so they sit in the cafes drinking coffee and smoking and kids go to free childcare – something is wrong here. Really nothing is free, you pay with your high taxes.
Lol, they are socialist countries void of any warmth. Right now, they provide high standards of living (which is what this is being ranked off of) by forcing any hard working person to give up an ungodly amount of money to support their welfare state, but give it time.
As always, you can only support so many takers at the expense of societal givers.
Nothing to LOL about. While you are concerned that hard working Scandinavians are being taxed, you should be concerned with how many hard working Americans can't afford good medicine, good education, hardly have any vacations, and very few have any retirement hopes. They can hardly even protect their own salaries. So at the end of the day, hard working Scandinavians are much better off than hard working Americans.
Amen, vr13
No. You are wrong. They are not socialist countries. Socialism is an entirely different thing. Learn about it and you'll see.
You sure drank the Koool-Aid didn't you?
Yh always blame your problems on African Americans. typical redneck.
Because it is all their fault. Animals should not live amongst human beings.
Actually, Mike, they don't need to work as hard as we do, but they live better.
Exactly how are they going to fail? - the systems are stable and everyone is accounted for. Your simplistic view of givers and takers is inaccurate - all are takers in that they all benefit from their system. Have a child and you get up to a year off paid, with a guarantee of your job, or a similar job, back when you return. This includes the father - the time off can be divided up between the parents. Lose your job and you aren't out on the streets. No one starves unless they choose not to eat, and no one racks up enormous medical bills even if they've lost their jobs. Yes, the climate is tougher, but their lives are still much better than ours.
That "socialist state of takers" has under a 3% unemployment rate. That's including people who had to leave their jobs due to health reasons. And despite being heavily taxed, the avg worker there has more money at the end up the year due to a lower cost of living and significantly higher incomes. The avg lifespan is also much higher due to having 6 weeks off a year and unlimited sick leave. The wealthy there are still wealthy, they can still afford the greatest luxuries. The difference is that most of their wealthy know when they have earned enough and to let someone else earn their shot.
As long as we have our pathological legal system ruining every aspect of American life along with the sue mentality of the population- this country will only get worse. Look at medicine- every hear anybody talk about tort reform to combat defensive medicine and its prohibitive costs to everyone
No mention of the vast sums of money the U.S. spends on it's military and fortunes lost in wars such as Vietnam and the present mess in the Near East. Money which could be spent on education, health care and the space program with all it's spin-off technologies.
It's the Middle East, not the Near East.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the near east. Hardly the middle.
The near east is Anatolia/Asia Minor. Basically most of Turkey.
Yep. Trouble in the Near East such as Detroit and Chicago.
Agreed! How is it that the grand pubba of all things global aka Fareed forgot to mention military spending and its horrific imapct on the US society here. Want US to protect you? share the burden. South korea wants US to keep north at bay? Pay up. Kuwaitis grateful about liberation? We'll happily take 30% discount on that oil, cheers. Military and security spending is what is killing US. Until we are happy to stop playing with our toy tanks we will keep moving only 1 way in the surveys.. And it aint up.
As if USA don't already receive enormous discount on oil.
ONE reason the Scandinavia model will not work.
The U.S. is so diverse in its ethnic make up that each group brings to the form a completely different view of what it take to succeed as a nation. This diversity is our strength and our weakness. The north east doses not agree with the south east in politics, the east cost and west cost can not agree with every thing in the middle and so on and so on.
Until these cultural differences are settled then these will be no consensus. Just look at the red/blue map.
In Scandinavia nations you will not see such a division in opinion.
Diversity and multiculturalism of the non-White variety cannot ever be looked upon as a strength. In every single case of it around the globe, it weakens the indigenous people and culture there that have a right to reject it.
Diversity and multiculturalism only waters down peaceful White societies, making things worse for everyone around.
Are you the most racist person on earth or the most ignorant?
My son lives in Germany. He was stationed there in the Army for 3 years and stayed after getting out. I keep telling him to stay there as long as possible. Their quality of life certainly exceeds the US.
As a Soldier who was stationed in Germany from 08-11, I somewhat agree. Germany has a better quality of life than the average American, but I still wouldn't wanna live there though. The weather sucks.
Amusingly germany and US are actually tied in the survey. So not sure if quality of life is that much better there to be honest. German government is carrying a dramatic cost of illegal and low income immigration from the east and turkey. Its the same cash sucking issue that is killing western states in the US.
Sweeden has similar issues but the scale is much smaller. Ultimately US has to focus on the quality of life and education of its own citizens and not Sirians and Yemenis. Until this happens the slide in these rankings will go on. Repeat after me: US is broke!
TaxMore.......actually Germany reformed their 'gravy train" a few years back ("Hartz 4") and their financial house is in order. But they are dealing with the same problem that plagues Scandanavia, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Holland and Greece: immigration from Muslim countries. Except for France (where Muslims account for 10% of the population), the aforementioned countries have between 4 & 6%. But they all share the same burden: Muslims refuse to assimilate and account for a wholly disproportionate % of serious crime and impact on the social welfare system. In the opinion of some experts, much of Europe will be lost to Islam by the middle of this century. Very sad.
I thought it was about the same. There are some differences but basically, it takes a little less money to live in most parts of the US, unless NYC or SF. The life may be more exciting in Europe since you can drive within hours and be in a totally different culture. There is a lot to do and see as their history goes way back. The US is basically new and offers less to experience.
Another stupid liberal hate on america article on CNN. The US is a great country. We ARE losing our way because of the social policies that are draining our country and making us weak both economically, politically and culturally.
and the costly wars have nothing to do with the exuberant spending this government continues to do? Social programs are expensive, but the wars have cost us way more. I don't know how Bush/Cheney and his administration got away without a tribunal against their faux WMD's and pushing us to a war that was not necessary and only cost us lives and money. I wish this country would stop meddling in other places and focus on ourselves....funny how that speaks volumes for the government and its people.
So many American cemeteries in various parts of the world is a reminder that US citizens sacrificed their lives for freedom everywhere in the world. Had not those died for freedom, the history of the world would have been different.
Bingo!
And its not just wars. Even if we stop bombing and invading, how much money does it cost for an aircraft carrier group to cross and ocean? How many high schools/child care centers/clinics can you build with that? How many doctors can you train? And critically all that without increasing govt spending just realocating the insanity of current cost structure.
US will remain a superpower for many many years as everyone will continue to be affraid of its military might.. But with govt borrowing 50c on every dollar it spends sooner or later the shining armour will be protecting a corpse.
Our decline has more in common with the reasons the Roman Empire and British Empire collapsed. Our political and military interests are spread across the globe and demaning too much national treasure, which is now underwritten by China. Spending a trillion $ on Iraq was certainly foolish.
Well now they are wanting to spend billions more in Syria, to go after "WMDs"
Romans lost their empire to corruption and decadence. British lost their empire to... Nazis. I doubt the US, which isn't an empire to begin with, will disintegrate because of the former or ever have to face the latter.
Kevin. Nazis? Really? The British Empire collapsed way before the Nazis came to shape. The British Empire started losing their grip when the Revolutionary War concluded the colonies as an Independent nation. After that the British Empire was losing its grip on the rest of their territories and colonies, which strained their economy dearly. They had to spend tons of money on trying to protect their colonies which eventually led them into debt.
Chris, it's odd that you see it as hatred. There is none in the article. Really.
It may not be overt hatred, but Zakaria has written enough articles of the 'demise-of-the-US' variety that indicate he's wallowing in schadenfreude.
You are blinded by the stars and stripes in your eyes. The US has done amazing things but it isn't ALWAYS right and the rest of the world are not the ones out of step....WE are.
You are losing your way because you refuse to acknowledge that the U.S. is not be the greatest nation on earth. You can't learn anything if you never admit you don't already know everything. The U.S. certainly isn't the best in terms of education, as is illustrated by your use of the word "both" when describing a set of three things.
Anyone with an education would proofread his own writing before ridiculing another poster's grammar.
We are witnessing the "decline and fall" of America in real time. America is accomplishing in three generations what it took the Roman Empire 600 years to accomplish. The glory days are over. The children of the gamer generation are certain to be dumber than their lazy parents. They should finish off any pretense of American grandeur.
Everyone Timmy Suckle is just jealous he is not really getting that money.
Ed: Please tell me who started both wars you mention?
(1) Viet Nam = Johnson he's the one who started the troop build up.
OH yes he was a DEMOCRATE.
(2) Islamist wanting to KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
Civil War: Lincoln a Republican.
WW1: Wilson a Democrat.
WW2: Roosevelt a Democrat.
Korea: Truman a Democrat.
Yea, because WWI & WWII only began when the U.S. became involved....good thinking...
So now there's a difference in participation in the war by either jumping into a war that wasn't ours that costs oodles of cash or starting a war that wasn't ours that costs oodles of cash? Really? That's your partisan justification?
How about Gulf War 1 – Republican
Gulf War 2 – Republican
Afghan War – Republican
Panama – Republicans
Philippines War – Republicans
Islamists didn't start the war in Iraq. Osama Bin Laden's friend George W Bush did. It was about oil, and about avenging Saddam's attempt to assassinate George Bush Sr. Bush used the fear post-911 to scare Americans into agreeing to the Iraq war. At the time, the majority of Americans thought the Iraq war was about fighting Al Qaeda (who were not even active in Iraq).
The Bushes and the Bin Ladens were business partners before 911, and Bush made sure that his family members and the Saudi royals got flown out immediately after 911 so they wouldn't be questioned. They were the only flights out during the air lockdown post-911.
yeap...we know. Lots of information available on these issues. It is good to have an open mind and see reality v/s controlled information. What will history say about it 100 years from now ? if we survive the planetary physical changes....our great-grandchildren will know.
World War 1: American involvement and the 19 point peace plan firmly set the United States as serious world player. Wilson set out the plan that the Great War did not have victors, nor shame the losers. Unfortunately this did not work.
World War 2: While Republican businessmen continued to trade with the Nazis until the Pearl Harbour attack, Roosevelt's mobilization of America, in factories first, then to stop the spread of Fascism saved America from the financial ruin brought worth by the Stock market crash, a crash incited by lack of regulation and then inaction on part of the Hoover Administartion. Instead of weathering the storm, they started calling in the debts other nations owed them to help ease the depression. Unfortunately, one of the nations was Germany, only a few years out of their hyperinflation. During this brief window it appeared the Weimer Republic would survive... Then America forced Germany to pay back the debt owed, destroying their fragile economy and allowing the Nazis, which were in obsurity after HItler was jailed to offer his solutions.
Korean War: It was a show of force that cold the Communists flat out that America and the rest of the democratic world was not going to sit ideally by while they spread across Asia.
Vietnam: A screw up, our bad. Though, mind you, the moment Nixon took over the war, he made things infinitely worse., turning a war that was originally meant to be America supporting the South, to invading Cambodia and dropping more bombs on North Vietnam than the entire second world war.
When a democrat goes to war, it's on principal. Not over a valuable resource, nor corporate interest..
It doesn't matter who started these wars. These wars really don't have much affect on the U.S.. These wars are bankrupting the country and accomplish nothing. I read somewhere that most empires in the last 1000 years where not defeated militarily but went broke. All you read about the U.S. these days is that it is going broke. It also seems to be going back to it's colonial roots divided by class. I used to have summer work with a UK company and they had separate bathrooms for management and labour among other policies , YUK!
We already know America is in self destruct mode.
Tell us something new.
This Fareed dude is SUCH A LOSER!!! He doesn't even deserve to be here. I don't care what rank America is there is no better place to be period.
Canada to name just one....
He is on the face of Time magazine most of the time, how about you, have you had your face in the local newspaper
Milk carton count?
Have to agree about Canada. Every time I cross the border into the U.S. I see ramshackle run-down houses everywhere. Canadian cities don't have slum ghettoes like American ones do (and before you say it – Canada has large cities (Toronto is 5th largest in N. America, ahead of Philly) and we are more culturally diverse).
Americans simply don't take care of each other and don't willingly contribute to the common good. It's always what's-in-it-for-me. It's a national midset, and it's destructive. They could learn something from all the other first-world nations, who all provide universal healthcare. Who doesn't deserve medical care? Hard to believe it's often considered a Christian nation.
Where is the surprise??? This is NOT rocket science! "...these countries do tax a lot and spend a lot – on education, childcare, health and other things". What a concept to provide quality education, early childhood education & healthcare! to all/most citizens! SMDH!!!
But, but... We are the #1 nation by private guns ownership! Almost double of the distant runner-ups Serbia and Yemen!
Try to beat that, Denmark!
Actually we aren't, but eh... sounds pretty.
America just needs to reduce its population to 10 million people and get more than 30% of its national revenues coming from oil.
Funny, as the biggest export of USA is natural resources, oil and gas, whereas for Sweden its machinery and for Denmark its medicine. Only Norway is a super-rich oil country, but everything is expensive to them, due to mountainy terrain, making their infrastructure bad and thus transport expensive.
The bottom line, in any economic system, is that there are winners and there are losers, and there will always be more losers than winners. We can regulate our economy so that winners win less, which allows the losers to lose less, but the closer we get to equilibrium, the more the entire economic system loses (such that, if we ever did reach equilibrium, where everyone earned the same amount, everyone would be below the poverty line).
As a society, though, I think we need to determine just how much of a winner one person should be allowed to be, and translate that into a bottom line of standard of living that we're comfortable with letting people fall to. We need to be smart about where we put our societal safety nets, and what function those nets perform. Should we be supporting people, or should we be arming them with the tools (and psychology) necessary to support themselves? And at what point do we shrug and say, "This guy WANTS to be poor, so we have to let him."
Well...actually Scandinavia seems to produce more winners and fewer losers. The expansive social nets reduce the cost of failiure to below catastrophic. That lets more people take risks, and pick themselves up if they fail. People simply get more shots at being winners. Inc Magazine, the startups mag had a fascinating article about why Scanidinavia has the greatest startup numbers.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110201/in-norway-start-ups-say-ja-to-socialism.html
Sage painter
You are correct.
Neither one of them started their wars.
I got a little carried away.
Both ww1 and ww2 and war on Terror we were attacked.
But Johnson fabricated they extent of the Tonkin gulf attack and cost me many a good friend.
Of course there may be innovations or systems in other countries that could (possibly) work for ours (with or without modifications). But lets not overemphasize this one Economist index. The US does quite well on other prosperity indexes:
OECD Better Life Index: US is third (only marginally behind # 1-2: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303610504577419320948930402.html#project%3DOECD20120522%26s%3DSB10001424052702304019404577419380242100946%26articleTabs%3Darticle
United Nations Human Development Index: US is fourth:
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/
Legatum Prosperity Index: US is 12th:
http://www.prosperity.com/Ranking.aspx
Life is obviously far from perfect here, but overall, the US is still a very good place to live.
According to Barry there should be no number 1, we should all be equally poor and dumb
Article leaves off one major point, Scandanavian nations free-load off USA and NATO army, without us, they would be a province of Russia. The American Military should start receiving payments from all our so called allied nations. We could call it the Delian League (please read Athenian history if you have no clue what that means).
Pretty sure they wouldn't be provinces of Russia. The last time Russia tried to go through Finland during the WInter War it didn't go so well....
It worked well enough that Finland lost around 10% of its territory by the end. Had Stalin not purged many of his best military officers before the war, it would have been much worse for Finland.
Finland was the only Eastern country to remain independent after WWII. And we even paid off our war debts. And we did also have to get rid of the germans that burnt the northern part of Finland. We have the so called SISU. Finland has a lot of good qualities. Education system is one of the best in the world. And it is also free including university. People also receive alot of vacation time but productivity is high dispite of it. But there is a price for all of this. Taxes are higher.
Delian League? Has a nice sound to it – "we'll embezzle from the alliance treasury, parcel your land to our electorate, beat the living fsck out of anybody who tries to leave... What's not to like?"
As for the history... why don't you look it up yourself and see what it had cost the Athens in the end?
Face it, all their attempts at such alliances had tanked in the same way, be it by Athens, Sparta or Thebes, to name the major ones...
If the US evaporated tomorrow, the remaining EU/NATO nations would hvae about 1/3 of the military spending on the planet. Britain, Germany and France has a bigger combined military budget than Russia and China combined. Scandinavia and Poland has 40% of Russias military budget.
US military spending has basically gone so far beyond what is neccessary that perspective is lost. Vast spending funds industries that lobby for more spending, and it self-reinforces untill you are arguing for the power to destroy the world six times because it is much better than just five!
Sweden has a undetectable stealth submarine that sunk our most sophisticated Aircraft Carrier in a naval wargame exercise, the US has uhhh Cellphones and McDonalds.
Scandinavia is a wonderful region, so is most of Europe, it's got the eccentric charm of a faded leading region, palaces, mountains, lakes, ancient cities, if only they limited Arabic immigration, I would move their in a second given the option.
The Arabic population is glad you aren't given an option.
Four years ago under President Bush, we were the worlds superpower. Four years later under the Obamanation we are laughed at as a nation in decline. Enjoy the ride Democrat freeloaders. It's going down fast. More proof when a Democrat wins, we ALL lose.
hahahahaha. Post of the day. No wait it can't be. this is CNN, there will be dumber people out there.
You don't realize that Bush is a HUGE reason we are in decline right? Thank that disgrace of a CIC for Iraq He wasn't satisfied just staying in Afghanistan, but had to start another conflict which DESTROYED the international perception of our country and cost us billions of dollars and thousands of troops' lives for nothing. Don't blame Obama because Bush is more so to blame.
Winner: "Most Disillusioned Commenter of the Day." Congratulations, Dorothy.
I work in healthcare. A lot of dollars go towards a big staff to file insurance claims (not just filing, but fighting with the insurance company to get things approved for very sick people - especially difficult in oncology. I think they know that if they delay enough, the patient's tumor will grow too large and they won't have to pay for an expensive surgery).
Plus there's the insurance company itself, and all their many staff members that have to be paid on up to their VPs and CEOs.
I don't know what the answer is, but I know what we have now isn't it.
Obama won't be happy until we are the bottom of the heap.
Most of you who think the U.S. is a bad place to live have never been to out of the country or just to Canada, or Europe. Middle East, Africa, and Asia with VERY few exceptions are over crowded, dirty and low personnel hygiene.
Some of our worse slums are better than the so called middle class in most of these nations.
Also most of the slums in our major cities are self inflicted when the people who live their will not held the authorities clean out the drug gangs that keep the slums going. I travel and see more than most of you so I suggest take a trip.
P.S. DO NOT GO INTO WATTs IN L.A., HARLEM IN NYC, and or LITTLE HAVANA IN MIAMI type areas AFTER DARK. And it makes little or no difference the color of you skin you do not belong, you’re a target.
The only country I would live in in Asia is Singapore the people are great and the standards in housing and cleanliness are very high.
Interesting (and true) comment regarding Singapore... Singapore and the UAE are the only successful dictatorships in the world; ones where the dictators actually do put the people first, and therefore the people allow them to stay in power. Not exactly in line with the main topic of this thread, but examples of a fascinating symbiotic relationship.
Since when did patents correlate to education? They're money grubbing schemes only meant to stifle innovation.
Alix: My son-in-law is from the U.K. and the health care he received there was at best was butchery. His doctors destroyed the hearing in his left ear and almost in in his right he has to wear ad aid.
His American doctor said there was no known medical procedure for what was done to him. He started with an infection in his left era and was given the wrong type of antibiotics. He also had 14 caps on his teeth and about three years after he married my daughter he started to have tooth aches. His dentist said he had cavities under each cap due to their not being cleaned correctly. Now due to all the infection 3 years later he wears dentures.
His mother had colon cancer and was on a list that was 18 months long and died 9 months later.
This may no be typical but talking to his brothers and sisters who still live in London it is almost an every day occurrence.
I needed a double bypass and was scheduled almost that day for the procedure, in Canada or the U.K I would have been placed on a waiting list from 3 to 18 months. And yes I do pay insurance premiums and have Tri-Care from the military “20 yrs. Service”. I have yet to have one problem with either insurance company and nor has my wife.
I spent 6 years working in oncology. I saw it time after time; time is of the essence, but people get delayed on treatment approvals for weeks or months.
Plus, being in the US does not guarantee you a quack free experience.
US Healthcare is profit driven. What that means to you is that any expensive procedure that can be avoided is more money in someone else's pocket. What that means to you is that people who have pre-existing conditions cannot get healthcare unless they have a job with a big employer and even then they can be pressured to quit so everyone else's premiums go down (which Obamacare will alleviate). What that means to you is that if your policy has a million dollar limit (and you get cancer), you will likely run through that million dollars in six months. I've seen it all. We do not have a good system.
In America, 100 000 under-75s die each year that would have lived if the healthcare system had been as good as the best ones. The stat is called "Amendable mortality", goodle it. It was designed to provide a non-political measure of the performance of healthcare systems. Much like stuff like years of life lost to ill health, years lived in good health, etc. Google them. Compare the US and the UK.
Anyone can make up stories, but those are easily checked facts.
Get rid of the ability of special interests to contribute to political campaigns (big pharma, bank PACs, unions, etc.) and the ability of the PACs to run political ads and set a limit on Congressional service and America would shine because of the lack of corruption. Where other nations know that good health is as important to the economy as free education, Americans are forced to pay twice what they should for health care so that certain wealthy people get wealthier. Etc.
Narcissism and arrogance are the reasons America is falling to the bottom of the list. Just read the comments here. Everyone is trying to find something wrong with these better countries and excuse American shortcomings, instead of looking at what's right and trying to emulate it. The average American just can't accept that the USA is not #1 anymore and will do anything to keep that delusion, while the country crumbles into dust.
There are many categories that make a country great or a failure. There will be many lists that the U.S. will not be first, particularly with the incremental improvement in lifestyle of the rest of the world. That being said, Scandinavia, in general, has become wealthy due to its natural resources. Not hard to figure out, but neither the author or any of the commenters above have mentioned this fact. Ignorance breeds stupidity.
That may be so, but it is meaningful to note that not all oil/resource rich countries have a high standard of living for most of it's citizens. They've done a remarkable job of being sure those resources benefit everyone, not just a few royal families. They aren't content to have a few take all the profits while watchingthe rest of their brothers and sisters living in squalor.
What do we expect?!!!!! We are a nation that watches Honey boo boo. The dumbing down of America has been going on for years. Our super power days are gone......
Bring back Andy Griffith
I believe Andy Griffith is dead... but if you mean "Revive" Andy Griffith, then I would accept Pay-Per-View prices to watch Undead Andy and Zombie Knotts devour Ron Howard.
For sure!
All of this will fall on deaf ears in the GOP/TEA Fascist party who will cling to the idea that America is the biggest, baddest, greatest and No.1 until they are all finally sitting in dung and wake up. GOP/TEA is hell bent on destroying the middle-class which was the very engine that powered America to greatest years ago.
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The only reason a nation like Norway, for instance, is in such good financial shape has to do with its enormous oil wealth compared to its tiny population. This does not mean it is doing something better, it just means it is lucky to have such resources. Qatar is another example of a tremendous amount of wealth due to its natural resources. I am shocked that the article does not mention this advantage. It also mentions how much they spend on education, but the U.S. by far spends the most. The failure of U.S. students is cultural, as opposed to the system. If you want to follow an economic example, I think Singapore would be a good way to go. Lack of corruption and free trade, and innovation have made it extremely prosperous, not natural resources. The problem is that journalists live the author above have very litte knowlege regarding any of these topics.
@Bill
I don't know how much the US spends on education, but that's not really the measure we should use. It's how successfullu those dollars are spent. The fact is that our children grow up more and more ignorant-they don't know how to reason or write, and they are ignorant of this nation's history.
Quite convenient to dismiss all of these countries because one of the has oil. The natural resources of Sweden and Finland? Some timber. Denmark doesn't even have that.
Actually, Norway saves all its oil wealth in a fund for a rainy day. Sweden has timber a guess. Denmark has a very little bit of north sea oil. Finland has...darkness and snow I guess. And Iceland doesnt even have that.
If we are not #1 why is everyone on our case?
We give more per person to charity than any other nation on this planet and what do we receive from that a slap in the face for not giving more.
Since we are no longer #1 as some of you say I think we should stop all the aide we give to the world and take out marbles and go home like we din in the 1930's. Then every little Hitler can run amuck in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Have fun playing Planetary Police Sweden, India, China and Russia we quit.
We beg you to please do just that, take your marbles and go home. While you're at home,work on fixing your greed, corruption, hypocrisy and try and care for your whole population not just the rich. And damn it make he USA great again!
I've long said Scandinavia is a model the US should be pursuing, as it makes flawless economic sense. Why? – Well, for many reasons, but one of the most important is because we ALL now live in a knowledge-based economy, and the only way previously-wealthy Countries will stay wealthy is advanced higher education. So, why on earth in the face of that ever-growing reality, would the US keep colleges private and overpriced, and increasingly out of reach of working & middle-class citizens? – It's a fool's move.
College is nationalized in Scandinavian nations, available to all who pass entrance exams, and their citizens are among the highest educated on earth. This makes for a nation which earns more, which attracts the best companies, which creates more tax revenue, which makes for a wealthier nation. On top of that, they have VASTLY less extreme class difference, so people suffer far less than in the US, yet they STILL pursue college degrees more than we do, which deflates the whole "make them suffer or they wont strive for better" medieval concept (excuse to exploit, really).
You know what it comes down to here? Hatred for people who don't look like the founding fathers. People are small minded and afraid their tax dollars will go to educating an illegal and they'd rather everyone suffer than risk accidentally lifting up someone they believe doesn't 'deserve' it. We are very classist in our thinking here. We use big words like all men being created equal, but we don't live by those words.
This article may all be true, I don't see many people wishing to live there. It is very cold, one reason I will never live there.
They speak a difficult language to learn, thats a year out of my life. Sorry I don't see it. But good luck to them in the freekin arctic!
If you want to be a Norwegian, you just need to LEARN THEIR LANGUAGE and live there for at least 7 years, or marry someone and some other minor requirements .
I don't think we need to be like Scandanavia, but we should take a look at their primary and secondary education systems. The countries in Scandanavia have 100% literacy rates and quite possibily the best education systems in the world. We could learn from that.
Interesting that women make up a good percentage of the top 5 governments and gender equality is at the highest levels in these Scandinavian and Nordic countries.
They do have some long cold winters.
Some battles are won between the sheets.
Could someone tell me how much the U.S. spends per child in school? Also what is apent per child in Germany, U.K, and Sweden?
Google is your friend.
Obviously we cannot be the same as these Scandinavian countries. But we should not be too arrogant to think that we cannot learn something from them. Education in the US needs serious reform as well as our health care system, and we can examine how these other countries successfully implement their plans and tailor something that fits the US.
It's called taxing the population 50-60%. Well, that and not having decade long wars...
I love America. I have served in its military, voted every year since I was 18 and I want America to be the land and country that the whole world looks up to, admires and wants to emulate. But I fear that this will not be the case a long as we continue to be #1 in exporting death and hate in the world.
Sorry Socialista, it hasn't been that way in decades. But self awareness has never been one of America's virtues.
So ... we sacrifice every other aspect of life to the god of 'innovation'? What bunk!
I say American's would be even more innovative with better education, health care, and well oiled cities and infrastructure! It's not about massive amounts of money being spent on innovation, it's the American mindset and culture that yeilds so much innovation. Most huge money making success stories began with an idea, $1,000, and lots of determination.
There was a very interesting article by Inc, magazine on the startuprates of Norway, and how the system encourages startups by making failiure less catastrophic: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110201/in-norway-start-ups-say-ja-to-socialism.html
Sounds like other countries should start paying the US an R&D subsidy.
More like a "We bailed your butts out with our military" fee.
"every hear anybody talk about tort reform to combat defensive medicine and its prohibitive costs to everyone"
Is what you are saying is that citizens on a jury are not capable of deciding how they want to orient their local community at the state level so therefor we need to restrict them? Are you saying that product liability lawyers have magic fairy dust and wands when they enter the court room? So, because of this we need to put further restrictions on the seventh amendment.
What reform are you talking about? What is your evidence of the cost of defensive medicine? Is it anecdotal evidence? Is it the few hyped lawsuits you initially hear in the news media? How have you arrived at this conclusion?
"Another stupid liberal hate on america article on CNN."
It is an article talking about facts. Now you can argue if the facts are statistically correct and if they are interpret those facts differently but an article of "hate"? Get over it. Quit buying into the conservative myths.
Ironic, given how often we tell other countries they need to become more like America.
Well what you can expect from a country that elected a community organizer with no business leadership or any experience running even a small government.
We get what we ask for.
Sorry for the rest of the world that looks to the U.S. for leadership we have none.
I've often thought it odd that there is a pretty good commercial+public system in place to identify athletes at a young age, but no similar collaboration for intellectuals at a young age.
In 3rd grade, I tested at 181 IQ, yet never graduated from college due to family / money issues...i.e...."fell through the cracks".
I'm pretty sure I no longer have that high an IQ, but in a proper environment, who knows what could have happened.
Yes1fan,
We are so glad you posted. Your IQ score of 181 at the age of eight (8) was one of our highest scores ever. We have spent many years trying to track you down. Your Mensa Kids Acceptance Letter and Members' Full Scholarship Information Packet were returned to us undelivered so many years ago.
We hope that in spite of this unfortunate twist of fate, you have applied yourself academically, worked/borrowed to pay for an education and not used your family situation as an excuse for not meeting your potential (a trio we call "falling through the cracks"). Otherwise, we hope you were a stellar athlete, as at least a fraction of a percent of college entrants and graduates are sailing through on that easy ride.
Kind regards,
Mensa Kids
Abandon paranoia and you'll be able to solve your problems in your own way and on your own terms. That's not easy, though. Paranoia can't be reasoned away. Unless people first abandon fear they'll always be slaves to it.
Easy to prosper when you let yourself get conquered by Nazis then wait for another country to come free you then wait for that country to pay to rebuild you and also pay to keep the Soviets from expanding and destroying that prosperity which you get to take credit for when a silly writer ignores all those facts in about 60 years and yearns to be you. Go eat some Swedish meatballs at IKEA, sine obviously you are not a man of logic or facts, but of feelings. Once you do you'll probably wish we were like China. Go eat some Panda Express when you do.
Sweden wasn't conquered in WW2 and it could be argued it never has been by ANY nation. Their modern military is top notch, they have their own stealth aircraft and if they REALLY wanted to could develop their own nukes, however they don't as regional/political alliances are the smart way to go!. Also pretty arrogant to think that the US funded and protected Sweden from USSR without the help of the rest of NATO. We all shared the common ideology and stuck together for those ideals. The US would not succeeded in its own Geopolitical goals without the rest of NATO....
You mean the Nazis didn't want to attack and kill a nation with an abundance of blonde and blue eyed people? Shocker. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1146462/Revealed-How-neutral-Sweden-secret-loans-Nazi-Germany-WWII.html Also, obviously, Sweden is not the only nation in that region... and yes, clearly NATO was necessary for repelling the USSR, because if European nations wanted to join the USSR they could have. It is the choice to be in NATO that put nations under the, let's face it, American's protection. It's arrogance of European nations to dismiss the value of American soldiers blood that makes it difficult to swallow such a hateful stance towards us in America. But, you all are still worth it.
Here are main issues with America compared to the other top countries on the list, on average:
1. Enourmous military spending which bankrupted many empires before
2. Out of balance serive sector, which doesn't produce wealth. Only in the US you have huge shopping centeres on every corner, 5 churches per street, huge insurance companies, so many restaurants. All these are services, they don't add to the wealth of the nation. Somebody has to create wealth and then pay for all these services.
3. Too many irresponsible people who don't pull their weight compared to other countries. US is very politically correct and avoids asking people hard questions in order to avoid potential "blame the victim" situations. Many US citizens on welfare have no shame milking the system for all its worth through not completely hones means. IN those other countries it is still considered a shameful thing to do.
1.)I would like to note that the US is not actually spending that much on its military compared to the total size of the American economy. It is very close to that of Russia and China as a percentage of GDP.
Now it still is a massive sum of money that should be cut considering even though it is a small percentage it is almost as much as the rest of the world combined.
2.)Not even sure what you mean. Sure there are a lot of shopping centers, they are all PACKED usually though. At least where I'm from, and I live in a town of less than 20,000.
3.)I agree that someone has to ask the hard questions. I personally believe welfare should be limited to a year unless the person is at least trying to work (ex. Working full-time minimum wage).
There are no easy answers to the problems unfortunately.
I believe that cutting military spending and putting it towards, health, science, and education are a great start.
The US should have a highly efficient health care system like the French system.
No. Norway and company do not have open borders and a population the size of ours that is so diverse. America is an instrument of fraud for government and corporations in this fascist state.
LMAO.. USA can't come close to the nordic countries. First it must reject its barbaric traditions of death penalty, torture, crimes against humanity and mass killings. So perhaps in a couple of hundred years it can become the utopia the Nordic countries are.
Spoken like someone who has probably never been out of his home state.
would never work. we have too many black people to take care of here.
If Scandinavians do a better job, preventing wealthy individuals, corporations and concerns from corrupting and influencing their politics, then–yes, we should become more like them.
No, they don't. Different structure, same problems. History has shown that whatever the political structure, there will always be and always has been the 1%. Communism, monarchies, republics, social democracies: all had and have a purported corrupt ruling class.
Dear Polar Bear,
I appreciate your comments and believe you are right.
My comment was intended to call attention to the inevitability of human greed and corruption, which has, no doubt, been here since the times of the ancient Mesopotamians, and will, no doubt, be here long after our generation passes on.
As Koeheloth wrote: "There is nothing new under the sun." "What is has been before and will be again."
I take a certain degree of pleasure, however, in calling attention to the evil and greed of people. At least I can do that.
Thanks again.
One word: Greed
We are headed into the toilet and should be a third world country in a matter of years. We allowed the Federal Government to bankrupt ourselves and we will have to pay the price very, very soon. Be looking for all the rich folks to start expatriating just before the economy completely tanks. Then watch all of the animals as they tear this country apart trying to survive in it. I'm heading for Canada!
Innovation is wonderful, for both America and the world at large. However, why should the American people be pushed further and further down the social rungs so that a small percentage of innovators and risk-takers (that succeed, lots that don't) can reap fabulous rewards? The trends show that innovation is being had at the expense of the American people and their former way of life. I would prefer a society with better lifestyles for all, even at the expense of some innovation, to one that randomly sacrifices anybody who is not educated and a workaholic and lucky on the altar of progress. Do we always have to throw away things that are perfectly good to chase after something new and only infintesimally better?
Would love for America to be more like Scandinavia ... have visited those countries - really, really nice ... got their acts together in so many ways.
Sorry, cannot be done with our large population.
Uh, why not?
Too many freeloaders gaming the system for everything they got.
Too many uneducated minorities that vote for handouts, simply because they don't know what's best for the country or their own success. The minorities are become a majority coalition, but are have remained statically uneducated
have become*
JR and ES, statistics almost universally show that the freeloaders and system players you are worried about are a very small part of the population and not enough to do any significant damage to an economic system that integrates such social safety nets. The benefits of implementing such functions in society far outweigh the problems we are witnessing today without such functions.
Did you all see that?
The government controls less and taxes only certain things and leaves the markets alone.
This means their government is much much smaller and more efficient than our bloated to big fail government that is run by a central bank and the interlocking corporations.
They are trans parents too.
I bet that mean they do'nt lie to their citizens about terrorism and the drug and oil wars that their own government manufactured to make money and gain power.
visit the poorest projects in most any large U.S. city. These are the people who infest this once great country, and will always prevent greatness. Their chosen life of crime, gang activity, absent parenting, drug dealing, phenomenal amount of violence, welfare as a career, primitive violent instincts, and more will continue to drain society. It's not popular to point out these facts.
Patents really, we have companies that patent round corners. Most companies these days don't patent for innovation, the patent to stifle innovation and sue other companies that dare try to innovate from what they have attempted to do.
You don't want to be like Scandinavia . . . he never mentioned the top country on these lists. Switzerland is a country that the U.S. should aspire to.
Switzerland has no standing army. Let's start there, lol .A trillion dollar a year saving right there.
Everything is 2-3 times more expensive than elsewhere in order to support local labor. Only rich can afford a house for this reason. Women cannot work and stay home because they cannot afford a nanny with all the benefits at 2-3 thousand euro per month,
Switzerland and US couldn't be more diferent if we tried. Can you imagine only 1% of the population ever being able to afford the "american dream", a house? We'd have a revolution.
Every young male is Switzerland is required by law to be in the army. And they all get to keep their guns afterwards.
Maybe we should try to be like Somalia, Chad, Sudan, Zimbabwe, The Congo, Guinea, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ethiopia?
Some cities in America are very close.
The beauty of America is it attracts best mind from rest of the world and absorb. We are ahead in R&D and innovation not because we produce great kids .. but because we get them to migrate and this will only take us so far. We got to invest into education. Go to major universities and major program .. just Chinese alone out number born Americans. Look at list of Noble price winners .. their address is US .. but if not most then atleast half they were born outside US and then migrated here. We got to keep on doing that .. and also produce our own great kids.
"when it comes to innovation, the U.S. still wins."
True that... what country can claim it invented the iPhone?
Well, the Iphone is just an evolved mobile phone...which was invented in Finland.
The GSM system was invented in Norway
"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."
Scandinavia is the way it is because it's full of Scandinavians. It's not just the "policies". You can't just apply the same set of policies to all people of the world and expect the same result – the people matter. This fantasy that "we're all the same" is getting really tiring.
TDD is correct. it is not popular to point out the fact that there are various levels of quality with different peoples.
Scandinavian immigration to the US was a hundred years ago. When you look at the people who self-identifies as "Scandinavian" in the US, you are looking at people who have a sufficiently stable family background that they can trace their realtions back a century. And who have been established in the US for a century as part of the top of the ethnic heap.
I don't think there is a lot of poverty among people whose ancestors came over on the mayflower either.
Assinate the 1%. Then this country can start over. Perhaps the way our founding fathers wanted it to be.
Illiterate much? The founding fathers were part of the 1% in their time. That government school education is serving you well.
No thanks. We prefer freedom.
Take your socialism and shove it where the sun don't shine.
You know, if its freedom that you want, Scandinavia is the place. Your education is limited only by your drive and ability. You can go for your dream job without worrying about whether it has healthcare for you and your family. You can have kids when you feel its right. You can have a career as well, both men and women. You can start your own business without worrying about the healthcare of your dependents. You can take a year off for personal reasons, and have the vacation time for an actual life of your own. You can retire early witholut hanging grimly in there untill you can get on medicare.
Those things in total -your education opportunities, choice of job, kids, free time, your own business, retirement- that totals up to your whole life, John. Scandinavians have more freedom and the difference is monstrous!
Should the US try to be like Scandinavia? In a word – YES
We should only aspire to be like Scandinavia if we want effective healthcare, low crime, good education, and a strong economy.
As the least religious region in the world, Scandinavia sure gives lie to the idea that people need religion in order to prosper.
I think America is still a great country – this is evident by how many people still want to come here – and we're justified in being proud of that. But there's a big difference between being proud and being guity of hubris, which I feel we are. I think a lot of our systems are the best or are on par with other country's various systems (or, as is said, we're the worst, except for all others). Any time another country comes up with an improvement to a system, we just yell "'Merica! – we don't follow; we lead!" and we dismiss it without seriously considering whether adopting that improvement (or even taking it and making it even better – something we used to be very good at) would serve us well. We are a nations that is mostly made up of other nations' people; the same should apply to systems as well. Instead of just dismissing other countries' ideas as being unAmerican, we should look at the successful ones and, if you will, consider how to make them American.
Deport the liberals and America will ascend to greatness again.
Don't need to deport Liberals. We need to insure you die out and don't spread your idiotic ideologies to the next generation.
No. What's going to happen is they will run it into the ground. Then the sober Americans will rebuild it and put them in their place.
Obviously you are clueless. If that were so true then there probably wouldn't be a United States now.
These Scandinavian countries are becoming Muslim countries, so no, I would not want to be like them....
Seems like you have some Islamophobia in you. Don't be daff.
Fear is perfectly normal when it's justified.
Polar Bear fear is what brings destruction to a country.
Nah, there's plenty of justification to not wanting the ragheads invading once awesome places.
Been to Paris lately? Yikes! Baghdad with arc en boutants.
As I have stated before and repeat again here, the United States should advance more in health care and education, particularly, provide free health care and free education to its own citizens. We should stop this ridiculous students loan system, let the eager ones and talented be educated and get education, if they can't afford, let our government pay for it. The strong country consist not of string army but strong and healthy and educated citizens. Health care and higher education should be free. We can manage that as other prosperous countries around the world managed the system. We can have private Universities and public universities (free). Stop being greedy start showing care for your citizens.
Lenin couldn't have said it better
I wish the US population were the population of Denmark.
Before or after they get rid of the Muslim scourge that's invaded and infested their previously nice little country to live in?
Do we need more RnD or do we need to work efficiently with what we have, and make peace with our environment?
Sure America leads in RnD , but spending more on fixing their culture would serve them better.
Funny, how around 1988, we were #1, and and a couple years earlier, Reagan granted amnesty to 6,000,000+ illegals. That's when everything started the downtrend real fast! I saw L.A. go from normal city to Mexico City in just about 20 years. Check out the public schools in California–almost all Latino and Black!!!! This is why we are losing it all - All the Mexicans keep on getting pregnant early, more so than blacks, and they all want to listen to all the latest and greatest RAP and Hip Hop records–that's what's important to youngsters nowadays. This is the plain truth. If you disagree with me on this then you are part of the problem. Keep on bringing in the illegals, let them have tons of kids and not speak English anymore. We are in such a mess because of too liberal policies aka Democrats!!! Thank God I'm not a Democrat anymore!!!
A. Sanchez
I went to visit last summer and I realized how much I love the U.S after that trip. I agree that we have many issues but so does every other country. I hated the fact that I had to pay to use the restroom at rest stops and for ketchup at McD! Its not as exciting as the U.S where we have so many different cultures that even though we don't get along all the time, it makes life interesting. I might not enjoy every flavor of ice cream but its better than having no other choice besides vanilla for the rest of my life.
WELL, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR SO CALLED "FLAVORS." IF YOU EVER GET TO LOS ANGELES YOU'LL HAVE SO MANY FLAVORS THAT IT WOULD PROBABLY THROW UP! I MISS SEEING MORE WHITE PEOPLE, PERSONALLY. I'M LATINO AND I WOULD NEVER LIVE IN A LATINO NEIGHBORHOOD OR A SO CALLED "FLAVORED" NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU CAN HAVE IT!!
A. SANCHEZ
You went all the way to Scandinavia to eat McDee's?
The cultural context of Scandinavian countries are completely different from America.
Scandinavia is a dump.
You make it obvious you've never been there.
Every person that I know that is from there, and that is quite a few, always say that OUR country is the dumpiest place that they've been.
No. I go to Norway once or twice a year. Nice place to visit. Most of my family's there. Great people. But the only reason Norway's social democracy is thriving is because of the offshore oil and gas. When it runs out, so does the standard of living. Taxes are 72% and most have what everyone else has. Working hard will only get you another couple hundred square feet. The sun comes up at 9am and goes down at 3pm in the winter. It's cold half of the year, brutally cold. Few notables out of Norway because individual exceptionalism is not encouraged. Their socialist experiment may be peaking now, but in time, it will collapse as all of the misguided attempts at socialism have.
You've nevere been to Norway:) Or met anyone that has:) Total taxes are comparable to New York, with income taxes running 10-32 %, average 25 %. Norway doesn't SPEND any of the oil and gas income, its saved in a wealth fund for when the oil runs out.
Norway runs for a thousand miles north-south. Climate and daylight hours vary exceptionally. And Norway wins a lot of olympic medals because of the fostering of excellence.
I mean, if you are going to make up visiting a country, at least do a minimum google first!
What most people seem to forget the fact that the Scandinavian countries are a lot smaller and have a much lower population then big countries. This is what allows them to keep a strong economy.
" you look at patents filed per million residents, the study shows the U.S. has moved far ahead of Scandinavian countries."
This is not a measure of innovation, it a measure of how innovation is being stifled by an out of control patent system that will give a patent out for anything, as long as you pay the fees.
You need a minimum of 1 million dollars to sit at the patent dispute table and see it through. As such patents are weapons for large corporations who have the legal resources to punish you for challenging their obvious / prior-art patents.
Want to know where all the corporate profits are going instead of into your investments? Into a never ending war on the patent battlefield.
Thank you for opening the window on that.
The pendulum's swinging way left. Once the drunken binge is over and it's time to sober back up, it'll go the other way. Then back again and on and on. Always has been that way, always will be. Just depends on when you live and where the pendulum's swinging while you're alive. There are no new concepts. Both extremes don't work and we grapple for something in between.
Seriously? So far I have seen the "left" trying to compromise with the "right." Who are the ones that aren't negotiating? Oh, yeah, the right.
You're clearly a deaf partisan stooge who believes the garbage spewed by the left as if it were written by Vishnu himself
Sweden Population 10M
Denmark Population 6M
Norway Population 5M
Finland Population 5M
The US Population 315 Million
Its isn't the "problem' that is unmanageable, it is the scale of the problem that is unmanageable
Example, we know how to put out fires, if its an acre or even a 1000 acres we can manage it, but a million acres is no longer manageable regardless of what you do. The best case scenario is to try and win a few battles i.e get as many people out as possible but know that you will lose the war.
There are too many people living here...
This is a staggeringly lame excuse.
I gave a position and validated it, please do the same...
SKYRIM
SKYRIM is for the NORDS!!!
hahaha
So, the premise of this article is that, everything is better over there, but we should be ourselves, which is worse. That would be like if I was the coach of the Raiders and I said "we shouldn't try to be like the Patriots and win so many games. We're the Raiders. We should be like ourselves. Losing is what we do, that's what makes us unique."
So what your saying is we need more white protestants who think the same way....oh and a much smaller population.,,,,
Has anyone pointed out that these Scandinavian countries, to which I've been and very much admired, have very small populations with very little diversity relative to the US and UK, little to no issues with indigenous rights and no irons in the colonial fire (short of Denmark's claim to Greenland)? Aplles and oranges if you compare to very large states like US, China, India and Brazil...which are morasses of diversity and special interests. Easier to pull stuff off in Norway with a small population of Norse and a dozen Saami....
What does that have to do with an issue like healthcare? Having a diverse population is meaningless in virtually every issue. You still need to go to the doctor.
You're obviously too ignorant to understand his point dipsh!!t. Read slowly now. We are about 30 times the size of those countries. Their citizens pay 50-60% of their earnings to taxes, to support all those freebies. There is just no way to give everyone, everything for free in the US. People need to work, support their families, with maybe some government assistance to get over the hump. Government is NOT in place to support us, it is not their job. Get a clue.
We shouldn't make copmparisons where they aren't really valid. We CANNOT be Finland any nore than Finald can be "like" the US.
Innovation is great if it translates into a higher quality of life for most. The U.S. may be the most innovative country, but the American middle class has not benefited from it. What is the result of all the productivity gains? People work harder and longer to make ends meet, and are feeling less secure than ever. Maybe we should think in terms of real benefits for the middle class instead of just a few at the top.
"But I'm also struck by the rise of Scandinavia, ...Each of these countries seem to dominate global ranking lists. Why? What is their secret sauce?"
Mr Zakaria
You touched on a lot of good reasons but here are a few that you may not have considered:
1) They are Mono-cultural . Whilst multiculturalism is admirable, it tends to diffuse focus and solidarity
2) They are protectionist. you mentioned Free Markets enterprises but in actuality, Scandinavia is immured behind a wall of protectionism
3) They are Socio-Capitalist. You mentioned high taxes. With high INCOME taxes you essentially semi-finance socialism- a system that ensures that the benefits of financial success accrue to all strata of a society irrespective of their direct contribution to an economy.
4) They tend to be smaller populations. Switzerland is roughly the geographic area of the US State of Delaware and it's population has always been monitored to ensure that there's a balance between available jobs and the domestic labor force.
I find articles like this do nothing more than feed into the belief & paranoia that during this Administration – America has somehow significantly & sharply declined in just about all of the above. I took the time to look up that "baby born index". It's extremely misleading to quote the statistic from 1988 where America was #1 and not mention that the current ranking went from 15 to 17 since the last Administration. And, even when the economy was doing well that ranking was in decline.
Agreed we as country need to improve things but this sleeping beauty gloom & doom is draining.
I don't think you have to worry about Fareed Zakaria being biased against your lord and savior Obama. Zakaria wears kneepads in the off chance Obama visits CNN for an interview
CFR or not, why is this plagiarist still employed?
Zakaria's an imbecile
The US is ahead of Scandiland in innovation? Lets take a look at the Global Innovation Indices. Iceland and Finland are ahead of the US in the Boston Consulting Group metric (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Innovation_Index_(Boston_Consulting_Group)) with Sweden and Denmark just behind. The INSTEAD metric (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Innovation_Index_(INSEAD)) has Sweden at the top with Finland and Denmark ahead of the US and Iceland just behind. Norway is the only Scandiland country behind the US and in the big picture, not by much. No, the US is not the greatest country in the world by any metric. Scandinavian nations are at the top of just about every list there is. If I could move to any of those countries, I would.
This macro view of the world is only pointing out that the US is basically ending up doing most of the hard, dirty work of maintaining a global civilization, getting it's figurative hands dirty, coming home late, tired and hungry while a lot of other countries are sitting around collecting welfare and making themselves pretty on someone elses dime. That is pretty much the way everything is now days, isn't it?
The reason that the US debt is so large is really easy to understand. It is called the US military spending. Since 1940, the US has been in a wartime economy with huge deficit spending. The US spend more on the military than the next 14 largest military spenders. The US economy is certainly not equal to the next 14 largest economies. The only way for the US economy to recover is to bring home all of our troops and close the over 700 US foreign military bases in over 100 countries. Republican Ron Paul advised the US to bring home our troops but the rest of the Republican party will not accept it.
The US needs a peacetime economy to recover but the Republicans refuse to do it. The US spend hundreds of billions of dollars defending the Persian gulf so oil go flow to Europe and Asia. Very little of this oil reaches the US because it is too far away.
lol "because it's too far away" That part made me laugh out loud. Way to not know ANYTHING about global affairs. Even your assertion that peace time economies are good for the US is historically incorrect
Congratulations Obama! Another accomplishment under your belt. #16!! You know what they say about 16th place? Yeah I don't either.....
Wow obviously you are another whiny tea party extremist who is still whining and crying about the elections. Get a clue and get a life.
Next time you need to wear your dental-dam because I think Obama scooped some of your brain matter out with that last kok skking you gave him.
JR maybe you should move on. Obama won with the electoral vote and the popular vote. If you don't like it then leave. All you are is a whiny conservative who can't get a life.
lol leave? I'd rather force your pathetic pacifist assss out of my country at the end of my bayonet. I love it when liberals try to act tough. Bunch of tree hugging, Prius driving, pansies. How many times did you come home crying in elementary school because the bigger tougher kids beat you up?
hey JR your a complete idiot. I did my time with the Army when I was younger. What have you done? Sit in your trailer park drinking beers? Oh yeah you are so American. Not.
Going to an Al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan doesn't count as doing time with the army
JR I was out there killing terrorists for you to sit in your trailer park drinking beers at eight in the morning.
Most people don't consider killing coalition soldiers "killing terrorists"
JR are you a terrorist? Seems like your the only one on the blog claiming our soldiers are terrorists.
So what if I was kicked out of the military for having a relationship with Bradley Manning? I still served!
American soldiers are terrorists. I support Al Qaeda.
Way to get your IP address on a federal watch list!
Sorry JR, but they have will have your IP address on the list first before me. More extreme right wing organizations are on the FBI watch list. I am sure you are a part of one of those organizations.
I Am God = ecoterrorist, communist sympathizer, Al-Qaeda sponsor; you're on the list sir...
You are hilarious JR. Keep this up and you'll be recognized by idiotic Rush Limbaugh
Think about it: The US is way ahead in patents, but waaaaayyy behind in quality of early education, corruption standards and health care. So, in 20 or 30 years, Americans will all be too dumb, corrupt and sickly to invent anything, then Scandinavia will win on all fronts! Don't you just love journalistic opinion / logic? Oh, dear.....
We are behind in rankings where it matters most. The American Dream has been outsourced to China.
Light regulations? easy to hire and fire people? You can't be serious. Fareed needs to ride his bike in February in downtown Copenhagen because gas is $10.00 a gallon and cars have 180% tax on them used or new. You also get 2 years maternity leave and one year paternity leave. An entrepreneur will be very hesitant to risk his parents savings with that hanging over his head. Good for workers, bad for risk takers.
It's exceptionally difficult to get rich there and it's very difficult to be extremely poor. That is the Scandinavian trade off.
The Danes are a very happy and wonderful people, but business friendly it's not.
Actually if you look at the list of billionaires. An extremely high number come from Sweden.
Guess which coutry has the highest rate of business startups in the world? Denmark.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110201/in-norway-start-ups-say-ja-to-socialism.html
This article seems to be a somewhat lame anthropological sound-byte. There are multiple missing axes upon which responsible metrics should be performed instead of blurting out these factoid-like pseudo-conclusions. There is much that is admirable to be found in our cousins to the north but there is much to be credited elsewhere in the world as well. However, before we make any further bold cultural comparisons, we should probably brush up on our geography. Finland, for instance, is not a Scandinavian country at all – although Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are. On the other hand, all four of the aforementioned are Nordic countries. I wonder which country has the best geographers?
BE YOURSELF!
the main reason for scandinavia's success are the enormous oil reserves that they have access to. Per capita, they are by far the biggest oil/gas producer/exporter. This is the "secret" to their wealth and one of the main reasons why people enjoy so many benifits.
No that would be Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Iran. Next time try googling "biggest oil producers".
According to http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_oil_pro_percap-energy-oil-production-per-capita
the top per-capita producers are
Qatar
Kuwait
United Arab Emirates
Equatorial Guinea
Norway
Brunei
Saudi Arabia
Norway is near the top [above Saudi Arabia, US, Canada or any Europen nations, for instance]
Norway's oil production goes back to the 70's; they have built up a huge surplus because of this, over the years.
How about if the US tries to be more like the US, and not like Europe. How about we go back to understanding what freedom and liberty mean, and the responsibility freedom and liberty brings. How about we ensure the opportunity for everyone to succeed by his/her own merit instead of ensuring sustained poverty with government dependence? This country was founded to get away from European ideals, and this country became great on the idea of independance and freedom, liberty and justice for each and every citizen. Now we seem determined to jump right back to European ideas, that haven't worked anywhere, anytime.
My god, why do people like you even exist. The United States doesn't have one type of government; it is a government that has incorporated multiple governments from around the world. That is why we are unique.
You have to be kidding me. The US created a unique system that had not existed before. It's not some mythical melting pot of political ideas. It was founded by a bunch former British white guys, to be nothing like anything in Europe. To suggest that it's a mix of governments would be also to suggest that the founding fathers were a mix of different cultures, which they were not. Dream on buddy. Maybe you should write a wish list to Obama and tell him your ideas for government. He might be willing to try something as absurd as what you suggest
JR you shouldn't even be talking since you are some dumb right winger that makes up his own unique history fit his dumb political ideology. To be nothing like Europe? You do remember that Great Britain at the time was a Republic Monarch right? And what is it now? A democratic republic just like us. I guess you should study your history better.
You are aware that the US system is unique, and extremely different than the UK's parliamentary republic, right???? And let's pretend we were the same, how does this support your silly melting pot theory?
Liberals hope and pray for a single world government, much like your clueless melting pot government idea. Silly silly liberals. Oh how little ye know
Hey JR it is pretty obvious that you know nothing. You don't even know any history.
Also we may have been unique during the beginning of our nation, but now multiple countries have adopted our type of government. You say that Europe is totally different from us when in actuality it isn't. We just have more political extremists like you in our midst unlike those other countries.
You're an extremist pacifist pooooosy that is the predominant reason the US is floundering. You and your ilk are dumbing down society, and are a bunch of miscreant takers. You're the exact opposite of what the US was founded on. You're most likely some sort of foreign immigrant who thinks their kind will come in and change the system. Maybe you will, but it's a roach motel and you're only dooming yourself patsy
Hey JR lay off of the Fox News Entertainment. Seems like you are becoming even more uneducated then you are now. Don't know how that is possible, but you seem to be proving that theory.
The US needs to be fixed. It's an unfair system where the top has it all and the bottom is starving. We need a great man like Vladimir Lenin or Joseph Stalin to come fix all our problems. We need to create re-education schools, to send you foolish Republicans to. You need to fall in line, because change is coming
HAHAHAHA Typical JR. Can't face the music can you JR, so you think copying my profile name is going to get me frustrated? Please dozens of people have tried that and just made themselves even more idiotic. Proves that they are a complete child as well.
HAHAHA Silly JR! You think you can take my name and convince people I said these things? My ideas are well thought out and intelligent: you need to be sent to the re-education camps ASAP. Obama said change is coming, you've been warned JR!
JR wow you are clearly endowed into that Fox News secret organization of propaganda aren't you? Re-education camps? You do realize that is more up your ally right? Your party is the only party trying to force creationism into every school.
That is what we have been doing....and it did not work.
Should America be like Scandinavia...that would never be possible, Scandinavians are pretty rational people.
Agreed
janelle its your childish approach to politics and government that is ruining the U.S. Maybe you should go audit some history classes as well as some political science courses. The U.S. government is failing because we have not figured out how to adapt. Just like Darwin's theory of evolution, if you cant adapt you die.
I couldn't agree more. We need to more closely adopt European style governments, if anything. Specifically the far eastern European style governments of old. Nothing's wrong with Communism if you do it right. These GOP lying skum are greedy and self-serving egotists.
I despise people who use words like "freedom" and "liberty." They are code words for racism, bigotry, and anti-liberal thought. I have never met a single Republican who was not a racist, and that includes Republicans of different cultural backgrounds. Alan West was serving his white masters as a slave, and I'm so glad he lost reelection. Herman Cain is a complete fool and sounds completely uneducated. And I bet Sarah Palin, Nikki Haley, and Michelle Bachmann all used to get around when they were younger. In my day, we used to call women like that something that started with an "sl" and ended with an "uts." Vile nasty Republicans
As a Liberal I will have to say you are wrong. I like freedom and I like liberty (since I have served in the military to protect that right). On the other hand conservatives, like you, want to enforce your idea of freedom and liberty, which is just not right.
As a REAL liberal, I'd have to disagree. The word has been used time and time again throughout history to subjugate one group under another. Everything that comes out of the GOPunks mouths is a code for racism, subjugation, or colonialism.
All blacks are highly racist, and wish death upon the human beings of the world.
Please dont mention us in stories covering Scandinavia. If you did not learn geography at school it is not our fault.
Finland
As the child of an ethnic Fin and a Dane, I approve.
" But when it comes to innovation, the U.S. still wins. For example, if you look at patents filed per million residents, the study shows the U.S. has moved far ahead of Scandinavian countries."
That's no indication of innovation. That's an indication of how broken the US patent system is. CNN is terrible. Why do I still read it?
We should not compare ourselves to others, we should compare ourselves to ourselves. We should stride only to improve ourselves, relative to ourselves and not relative to others. That's the key to success.
We need to work for the collective good of all, one nation. When did it all start being about the individual? Countries that succeed are countries that put aside personal greed and work towards a great national unity, and maybe even one day, a world government, united under peace and prosperity, with no wealth gaps and no discrimination (except against vile and nasty Republicans and anybody in any kind of organized religion that threatens our great national unity). Obama's got us in the right direction. Without those obstructionists in the House, we'd be much closer, I'm afraid.
Wow still having that child like mentality aren't your JR? How old are you really? 5? 6?
To rate a country on the number of "patents filed per million residents" is folly, as just about any patent examiner knows. Patents filed does not mean that "the U.S. has moved far ahead of Scandinavian countries" or anyone else, for that matter, as the examiner will tell you that most patents are not really all that innovative and many should not be granted. Boldrin and Levine in a September 2012 report in the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis working paper series, 'The Case Against Patents', persuasively argue that the major of patent cases involve inventors wanting to protect their turf, rather than protecting innovation. Most patents are issued that protect small changes to existing technology and really are junk. Once again Zakaria lets his corporatist 'free-enterprise' ideology interfere with facts.
This is utter bull. I worked for 1 year at U.S. national lab as a scientist and literally ran screaming from the place. Good riddance U.S.A. you put about as much $$ into "innnovation" as hole in the head. The lab was falling the pieces, mold, rot and 1950's era bunkers even the water was brown. You couldn't pay me enough to live on Long Island and you definitely didn't.
More vacation time, better/free education, free healthcare. Balanced budgets and a realistically sized military? Sign me up our government needs a model to steal ideas from. Scandinavia sounds like a great model for the future U.S.
Yes exactly. In Spain, companies have to pay you severance for 3 and a half years after letting you go. Why can't we be more like them: sensible and empathetic to our people who are suffering. I'd love nothing more than have the freedom to try every type of job imaginable, so I can figure out which is best for me. If I was let go from each one, I'd have plenty of severance to pay my way. But that's not possible in fascist corporate-controlled America.
The French have make-up vacation time, and if they are injured or sick during their vacation, they can stack those days up as well and vacation on them later. No wonder America is 16th
Wow JR where did Spain and France get into the picture? The guy is talking about Scandinavia.
If only spent half of our defense budget on better education and healthcare. It is an embarrassment that we dont have universal healthcare and that we keep falling farther and farther behind in education. When are going to realize that we need to conquer the world economically and humanely not by stupid wars that only benefit the defense companies.
I am in total agreement. I have more friends who practice Islam than I do Republican friends, because to be honest, the Muslims are far more peaceful than those war-mongers. If we cured our health care issues with universal healthcare, we can use the rest of our healthy days cultivating the hearts and minds of our Muslim friends in the Middle East. How are we supposed to create a collective world culture without them?
Look, a country powered by lutefisk and Volvo's can't be all bad!
Maybe we should be more like Somalia, Chad, Sudan, Zimbabwe, The Congo, Guinea, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ethiopia?
Boston and San Francisco ARE Scandinavian, in terms of standard of living, education, etc. They're also the engines of American innovation, with places like Silicon Valley, Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, etc.
Scandinavian-style society and innovation are not mutually exclusive.
Subtract places like Detroit, Mississippi, and Florida from America, and we begin to look like Scandinavia. Fewer rednecks and ghetto trash eating, drugging, and shooting themselves to death, and more people studying and starting businesses.
I don't know, I think Detroit's getting a bad rap. Unions are the heart and soul of the collective people of America. How can we work towards the collective greater good, with no wealth disparity, and equal income for all, without the help of the Unions? You're crazy if you think Detroit isn't a success
Well at least you are admitting your a middle school dropout JR. i would say it takes a man to do that, but you are obviously still a child so that wouldn't work in this case.
Can't, we are too diverse culturally and economically.
If one looks more closely at the numbers of people on permanent disability in Scandinavian countries, it is obvious that these countries are hiding their real levels of unemployment by putting their long-term unemployed on disability, where they no longer show up as unemployed. It's a simple shell game designed to make their governments look good at the same time they are running highly unproductive societies.
This article's headline question presumes Scandinavia could be Scandinavia without the U. S. being the U. S. Every time someone states that "The United States is the only industrialized country that ", they should immediately be met with "The United States is also the only industrialized country that...defends all the other industrialized countries." Every time someone uses the meaningless statistic that "The United States spends more on defense than the next X countries combined", they should be met with "The United States has more security obligations than the next X countries combined." Yes, it is remarkable how prosperous a country can be when another country is willing to pick up the burden of defending its territory, securing its maritime trading lanes, and guarding its energy supplies.
Bryan Kirchoff
St. Louis
P. S. Yes, I know Sweden and Finland are not formally defended by the U. S., as are Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. However, an implied defense was there to prevent the Soviets from becoming too aggressive with the neutral countries, and they also benefitted from the global stability provided by the U. S.
You are just a dirty war-mongering Republican that refuses to accept reality, and embrace the global greater community we are forming, starting right here in the US. Obama has us on the right track, and you obstructionists are attempting to destroy any hope of a world without wealth gaps, people living under poverty, and no more discrimination (except against religious people, they are evil). We want to rid the world of pollution and push back the rising tides, but you evil conservatives are destructive to any good idea
Leave it alone I Am God. You're sounding like a full blown commie
Good grief? Commie? Sit down, I have something important to tell you.
The cold war is over.
By trying to use commie as an insult you simply appear ignorant.
jokes on you mr. butters
Nothing's wrong with Communism if you do it right. The bullies held the reigns in most communist states, and I see those same bullies in the eyes of our Republican skum.
Wow still posting like a 5 year old mentality JR. That is really sad.
JR you seem to forget that the Republicans have that bully mentality as well.
HAH! They rank patents?? And cite that low numbers of patents slow innovation? Like Apple patenting a page turning animation? I'd say patents end up slowing innovation. Not all the time, only needless ones, which has sadly become the norm.
Apple is an evil multi-national corporation that oppresses the people of the wonderful state of China, who we could learn a thing or two about governing from. Change is coming. We need to round up the conservatives and religious types and either force them to disband, leave the country, or educate them on how things really are. We should consider extending presidential term limits so that the neo-cons don't mess things up in 2016. We're heading in the right direction, but change is certainly coming
How about Atheists/Agnostic populations 70%+ in those countries.
am an american travelled this world but what has always facsinated me is how americans are busy arguing thier blackness or whiteness while the rest of the world are moving forward.an average american now is too ignorant to even know the neighbouring state.africans know more than americans
2 Words: Personal Responsibility
The U.S. lacks this and it is absolutely critical for my Scandinavian lifestyle to work. Too many Americans are too motivated to "milk" the system. Too many "freeloaders". In my country, Finland, people do not brag about ripping off the gov't. We understand that if everyone did, the system would fail.
Strange article written from an USA rather arrogant point of view.
Interesting the fact that no mention is made of the other 2 countries classified as the very top ones: these two must do something "wrong" to be there but are not worth a comment.
Since the USA will never learn from anybody (it is not patriotic) it will continue its downtrend.
I lived in Iceland for 2 years while serving in the U.S. Navy. I know some might not believe me, but the place, to me, was purely magical. It was like living in a fairytale land. It was not perfect, it was cold very, very often there, but the people...they were so beautiful, so kind. It opened my eyes to how life should actually be, what it could be. I think the worst day of my life was my final day there, when I realized I'd probably never be back except to visit, and that I had to return to America.
Life for me since then has never been the same. I do not like America or Americans anymore, sorry to say. After seeing the possibilities of what a place can actually be like, and how people should actually be, America is a very ugly place. I now refer to my British roots, and I now consider myself an American only in citizenship (because my Grandparents moved to America in the 1950's from England).
Life here in America could never emulate life in Scandinavia. It is not possible. The education levels and lifestyle choice bar is set far too low in America. The people are not kind, they are not happy. Americans are simply put not very decent people overall.
I HATE cold weather, but I'd gladly take a life back up in Iceland over any location in America. America is just full of unhappy, bitter, ugly people.
I thought that I should add that one large reason why the Icelanders were so carefree and happy, was because there were no immigrants there, no unwanted minorities. There were nothing but 100% pure, Nordic, Scandinavian White people. Don't let anyone lie to you, places such as this are a social paradise. I saw not one fight between Icelanders the entire two years, only people fighting in the Navy. There were no blacks ooking and eeking at your women. There was a great social harmony there, no bickering, no fighting, no hatred to speak of whatsoever. This is how all places of the world need to be....we are being overrun and destroyed by unwanted, uncivilized, unwelcome races.
People have a God-given right to choose to reside around only people of their own kind. This is a right that must be fought for, to the death, if challenged at all. Only then can we all have peace, when we live amongst our own kind. Multiculturalism and diversity is ruining everything for good people, just so bad people can live amongst us. It is time for us to stand up, and put this charade to and end, because this cannot realistically end peacefully.
Truth all I can say is that you are far from the truth.
Seek help, you embody everything that is wrong in this world.....
If you are a White person saying that to me....you are a shame upon your own race and it's purity.
My guess? You're not pure 100% White, like they are in Scandinavia. You're more like an American White, a mutt. You are not 100% pure Caucasian for you to be defending the watering down of our pure race.
Truth I am about as American as they come, since we were all once immigrants to this nation. Yes I am purely white and unlike you not racist. We are all humans; it does not matter what color you are.
How can you call yourself "Truth" when you speak so much lies? All of your posts are illogical and show your ignorance in a very embarrassing manner. For example, look at Canada – a country which prides itself on having a very large amount of visible minorities (whether that be African, Asian, Hispanic, etc.). In fact, Statistics Canada believes that in 2017, more than one Canadian in five might be foreign-born. This trend is not new because Canada has been experiencing a heavy influx of immigrants for many years. However, despite all of this, Canada remains as one of the best countries in the world to live in and is currently doing much better than the States fiscally. The ironic thing about this whole situation is that we are everything you are not: liberal (even our conservatives are not as far-right as yours are), tax-based health-care loving, immigrant-accepting (our culture does not force immigrants to totally abandon their native beliefs, as opposed to yours, which requires everyone to completely become American in every sense of the word) people. As a Canadian, I can honestly say that I have friends of almost every colour, and regarding crime, my house has only been broken into once – BY A WHITE GUY. I don't know why you have such a grudge against black people, but I would encourage you to open your eyes and take another look at the different cultures that not only make up your community, but also your history as well. You will be very surprised at how many of them are good, hard-working individuals who may have more in common with "pure 100% European Americans" than you think.
Want to check my facts? Here they are:
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-003-x/2007001/4129904-eng.htm
http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/14/canada-finance-banks-education-health-leadership-managing-rein.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_mosaic
Some people really don't see the message of this article. Better healthcare, medicine, education, and quality of life are driven by innovation. Innovation is the driving force behind a strong economy and better quality of life, not a regulative government.
If you wish to refute this statement, take a look at the former USSR (a socialist state). Sure, they were innovative to a certain extent, but their socialist (and regulative) mentality eventually caught up with their economy and the country ultimately failed. The US, on the other hand, fell behind the Soviets in innovation at various points but did not deviate from the innovation capitalist model, thus our economy is still intact.
Some food for thought....
So, what I'm getting out of this that innovation is more important than people. That having people starving and struggling to survive is the only way to drive innovation?
Well said Fareed, you're a true humanitarian.
All people on this planet have a God-given right to live amongst only their own people, and to reject any type of forced multiculturalism and diversity placed upon them. This brings only bad things to White people. Why must we attempt to constantly dilute the only pure race on this planet? We're the single reason people live such high standards of life on this planet today, do we receive no reward for that?
Regardless of what any government attempts to tell you, people are not required to give in to unwanted races moving in and taking over. This is our land.
Forced? I married my wife who is a mixture of hispanic and white. She never forced me to marry her, I was the one that asked her to marry me. So what other clueless ramblings are you going to talk about.
Proof that even a "White" man can make mistakes. I use the term white as loosely as possible.
Your children will NOT be White. Kiss you ancestors and family tree goodbye.
Nate Higgers I honestly don't care. Know why? BECAUSE WE ARE ALL HUMAN
What's laughable isn't the farce of a ranking system created by The Economist – like we should care what some editor thinks over at that rag, but that we should want to be like Norway, where their craptacularly bad justice system just gave their worst murderer a slap on the wrist. Totally idiotic.
No, I'm quite happy to live here away from that kind of asinine liberal lunacy. Thank you very much.
Visited Denmark including Bornholm, the island of my paternal ancestors. While I live a lifestyle well above average and have an income in the same range in the USA, my financial resources were not up to the costs in Denmark. Without prompting, I had a restaurant owner apologize to me for adding the 25% VAT on our lunch! Nice country, friendly and helpful people but they did not appear to be living a life superior to what I've observed in visits to many other areas (Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Scotland).
Well I have been to the States many times and I can honestly say that the kind of poverty that exists in the USA, does not exist in Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Austria or even Canada. It is undoubtedly true that a lot of things are more expensive in many of these countries than in the States but you will find that on average incomes are a little higher as well. They pay a lot of taxes (premiums really) towards social insurance, unemployment benefits, healthcare but hey then your covered in case you lose your job, in case you get sick etc.
I was recently hospitalized for a week and today I got an invoice from the hospital in the mail.
Amounting to the, almost unpayable, sum of $5. Five bucks!! For that i got 24/7 medical staff attention including doctors, breakfast, lunch, dinner and en evening snack ever darn day.
I don't think there is that much of a difference in daily life. The big difference is in freedom. There is much less fear of crime. You can go for your dream job without worrying about healthcare. Or start your own business. You can have kids when it suits your life. Men and women can mix families and careers. You can take a year off for personal development, you have the vacation time to enjoy life. You can retire early if you save for lifes neccessities.
You don't really see that in the daily grid, but the freedom to make those decisions are what really puts them ahead.
And what about that white elephant in the room–the one with the big "D" on its ass.
Money spent on defense:
US-#1 700 BILLION
Norway-#27 7BILION
It's called priorities.
It would never work in the US, because people are having a hard enough time continuing looking for work, even when they are being paid to look for work. The TV and couch are so comfortable.
Patents costs in China 600€, in USA 1800$, in EU 30,000€. Enough said?
America should be MORE LIKE AMERIICA
we are messed up because the Left think we should be Europe,
So you think America should be a plutocracy with rights only for white christian males?
Nice racist comment. And FYI, America was better than ever when this was the way it was.
the swedish, danish systems are almost perfect in terms of distrubution of government funds and the means of acquiring them. you would NOT have multi-millionaires paying just 15% income tax it would be almost 50%. government funded healthcare, no tuition for public universities, In the USA, it's called "SOCIALISM." everything is about materialism and greed. because of that, the scandinavian way of things would not work.
I'd still rather be a millionaire paying 50% tax than only making 50k a yr paying between 6% to 10% tax
we should try to emulate Germany and what they did 1939-1945
I don't understand why Americans get so upset when a news broadcast or article says that another country is doing better than the United States. Americans need to pay more if they want more. Simple. I am a Canadian and live in Canada. I am a doctoral student from one of our top universities that is recognized world wide and my tuition is about $3000 a year. I earn a six figure income, live in a great house and my family has excellent healthcare and we don't wait and no one is left to die. We did not have a housing collapse and we are highly regulated. We get one year off for maternity/ parental leave, meaning that either mother of father can take the 35 weeks of parental leave and still collect employment insurance and depending on your employer you get a top up, mine was 93%. I made more on maternity/parental then when I was working. I am not trying to boast, these things are not free, we pay for them through higher taxes, but in the end it gives us all a better quality of life. Canada is by no means perfect and neither are the Scandanavian countries. America is a great nation and has a great people. I just you all would stopp the hating because you are better than that. Its not about black or white, or even rich or poor. You all have to decide what is important for you as a nation and no one can decide that for you. If you value every man for himself, then you will continue to have the two extremes, absolute wealth and abosolute poverty. If you value a more even distribution then everyone not just the wealthy will have to pay more.
And then China or Russia wants to invade your country and it's the USA who comes and protects your ass.
You're right. I remember the last time China and Russia tried to invade Canada. It was such a mess!
Martin - Russia and China plainly stated that they wanted the whole WORLD. that would include Canada.
Without US opposition, the Soviet/RedChina axis would have certainly conquered the world.
Anon- When did they state this? I must have missed it completely
The combined military spending of Russia and China is less than the total of France, Germany and the UK.
Not counting America, the rest of the NATO/EU countries spend more than enough to outspend any possible enemy. And for every year that passes, weapons get more advanced and having masses of soldiers less useful.
Any rational American is NEVER angered when another country outperforms it in ANY category. True Americans want the world to succeed and admire excellence wherever it emerges. But comparisons like the one above suggest we REFORM our society to mimick smaller countries with less diveristy and tiny military contributions. The U.S. population exceeds ALL the countries listed above combined......so does the U.S. military expenditures, and so does the U.S. GDP. We also have a VERY diverse population.
Americans do not like being criticized as needing reform all the time....especially when the comparison is OUT OF CONTEXT.
"Scandinavian countries "free-ride" on U.S. research and development."
It can also be said that U.S. "free-rides" on global intellectual talent that flock to the US but is not developed on US soil; talent that was cheaply acquired from other countries.
Not only do we not deny capitalizing on using the rest of the world's talent, we take pride in it. That's the whole point of the U.S.
I am both Dutch and Canadian, both the Netherlands and Canada are in the Top 10 and as far as I am concerned deservedly so. I was surprised to read that the USA at one point (1988) was ranked # 1 while even back then the Scandinavian countries as well as the Netherlands and Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland had in my opinion higher living standards compared to the USA. The USA is a great country to live in, as long as you have money. I also have to disagree with Jason Miks in regard to Labour laws, it is very difficult to dismiss employees in any of the Scandinavian countries especially if they have permanent contracts and also there are quite a few (partially) state owned companies there as well.
You are so correct. I've lived in Europe. Even in recession the standard of living was higher. If you're already born wealthy, the US is your country. If not, best to move to Canada.
Denmark is not part of Scandinavia. What other mistakes are in this article?
They're not? When did that happen? Overnight?.
duh.....go wait for your check in the mail and maybe open a book
IIf it works for anyone but the fascist wealthy, we don't want it!! Fascism is the Man Behind The Curtain!
Of course sleek Europeans can afford to live the good life while sneering at Americans. US taxpayers and military personnel shouldered 80% of western Europe's defense costs since WWII.
Zakaria is a stupid narrowmided nincanpoop. Why the hell CNN still keeps him is the biggest mistake!
Any country that pays mothers to stay home with their children as opposed to how we do it in Canada where mothers are given money to pay for daycare by the government it okay in my books.
The healthcare system in Norway is not all that great. Had to spend a night in one of the main Oslo hospitals in the mid nineties. I was begging the doctors to allow me to go home an recuperate after only one nights stay. There were eight beds in each room, the florescent lights were left on, and the poor sap in the bed next to mine was in severe pain and they refused to give pain medication. That's where socialized medicine ends up. The rest is pretty much on the money though in Norway's case they have a tremendous amount of revenue coming in from their oil reserves that pays for most of their social programs. Can't speak for the other countries noted in the piece.
The answer is America is NOT the greatest country in the world anymore.
youtube.com/watch?v=16K6m3Ua2nw
But that doesn't mean we aren't great. There is only one way to become great
Find things you aren't great at doing, and watch those who are great at them.
Then practice being great.
If we are as great as we like to think, this is what a truly great country would do.....
BD
If not for US, Scandinavia would either be Nazi or Communist by now.
When someone else has the burden of maintaining safety and security you can afford to spend more on growth.
The Fins defended themselves against the Soviets in the Winter war and the Nazi's in the Lapland War. Scandinavia can handle its self they did in Iraq and Afghanistan they dont need us.
You really think they could have defended themselves against Nazi Germany? That's the biggest joke iv'e heard today.
All of the Scandinavian's fell except for Sweden because they sold iron ore to Nazi Germany and served as their neutral nation for negotiations, although some Swedes helped other countries fight the Nazis. Of course, cannot blame Sweden too much...Switzerland was neutral too. Bottom line though, like it or not, without America's help (particularly with the Normandy invasion), the Nazi's would have won.
Admit it or not, the black race has become a plague all over the world and it will take an extrordinary event to turn it back! In most countries they are cared for in one way or another through social programs that feed and house them. This is true in developed (the US is an example) and undeveloped countries (Haiti is an example). Education is going down in countries where their are large poplulations of blacks because expectations (and testing) have been lowered in efforts to put "some" sense of knowledge in blacks, but it's killing the opportunties for higher level learning for others while trying to "leave no child behind".
So Chris, hate much?
America the land of sins is the reason why America is falling behind.
The world still essentially depends on the US. If our economy collapses, so do the rest. We do have a lot we could learn from Scandinavia though...not sure if 'sins' are involved....
In this age of plentiful information, how do we explain Amerincans' inability to shift to measures of national sucess that more closely correlate with quality of living? Is ignorance betting ignorance? Will those above poverty, and especially those much higher, ever start to appreciate that their fate is tied to the fate of "the others"?
Hate to be a word Nazi but you're criticizing Americans' ignorance while referring to "ignorance begging ignorance," instead of "begetting," the only word that could possibly make sense there, and then you misspell 'America' and 'success,' all while using a comment reply box that has spell check built in...
Talking about oil – Norway has a LOT of it and it is the main source of their socialism. Otherwise I am not exactly sure what else Finland, Sweden and Norway produce. Nokia is going down the drain and from what I remember Swedes are driving down to Denmark to buy their own Absolut, where it's much cheaper. On the weekends literally busloads of Finns go hang out in St. Petersburg where there are no weekend Dry Laws and vodka is cheap. Try going out for lunch in Sweden! GOOD LUCK!!!!!! I've never in my life paid so much for LUNCH! A buddy of mine in Finland, few years back, had a dream – buy a Honda Civic. In our American money a Civic in Finland at the time stood at a price of 38,000 DOLLARS!!!!! Do these Finnish Civics also fly and speak Yiddish?
Mike you are not seeing the whole picture. An expensive lunch is due to high salaries. Besides I can get an all-you-can eat lunch in the capital of Denmark for 10USD and keep in mind that minimum wage in DK is around 20USD pr hour All-you-can-eat student meal i FIN goes for 3USD.
My dad have had cancer twice, got chemotherapy both times (thank you free health care), got sick-leave from work with pay (thank you high taxes) – in the US he would probably had been laid off and unable to pay the medical bills he would not have gotten treatment and he would not have survived.
Dry laws do not exist in Finland.
If it is innovation you are worried about then try Skype, Angry Birds, Lego, Nokia, Scandinavia design, Carlsberg, Linux e.g. and read this:
http://www.zdnet.com/whats-making-scandinavia-more-innovative-than-the-us-7000000392/
If these countries have maintianed such a high quiality of life and sustained it for over 60 years, perhaps the fact that you do not know waht they do does not reflect on them?
Anyway, Norway saves all its oil in a fund for a rainy day, everything is financed off the non-oil economy.
it is so disappointing that articles like this are even conceived in the minds of anyone in the world today. When once, most around the world wanted to be more like America, sadly, that is very much not the case anymore. As is evident by this article having been written in the first place.
The combined population of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway is half that of California. Barely relevant. And they are all about 90% native people.
Where we should be more like them is to stop telling every kid they are useless unless they go to college and start training in trades. We need welders and machinists.
Just a quick fact check, Norway, Denmark, Sweden combined is greater than 20million, while California is less than 38million, thus more than half. Finland and Iceland adds an additional 5.7+million. As far as "native" people, the current Scandinavian population is mostly made up of people arriving concurrently with agriculture and cannot be used in the same way as "Native American," "Native Australian," etc. (i.e. people in Europe move around a bunch)
What a load of crap. If the white people of Scandanavia are not natives, with rights to their own land, then - who the hell ARE the natives? Trolls? Frost Giants? Absurd.
BTW Native Americans moved around, migrated, conquered and absorbed each other too. And many of them engaged in sophisticated agriculture, which in no way invalidates their native status. The Apaches are not "native" to the Southwest - they are recent migrants from the Arctic. But if you look at them, they are still "Native Americans" biologically. So what if some Indo-Europeans moved around and assimilated some Basques or Uralics 5000 years ago? They're still all native Europeans.
Denying white NATIVE Europeans the right to claim native status in their own countries is a cynical antiwhite racist political ploy which would be tolerated against no other group. The plain moral fact is, NATIVE WHITES HAVE NATIVE RIGHTS. Or, if not, then no other native groups anywhere else have any moral claim to native rights either.
"But if the U.S. became Scandinavian, it would spend less on innovation" - What on Earth is the author talking about? Science, technology and education are near the bottom of the US government funding barrel. The budget breakdown is public information and not exactly hard to find (got Google and 10 seconds to spare?). The only technology that gets real funding in the US is defense related.
More taxes, regulation and handouts will cure the US's problems, or so I've been told by the media over and over.
Yes. Absolutely. They have the perfect mix of Capitalism and Socialism and the mega rich pay 50% in taxes. A truly just society. We have lost our way.
These articles are just irrelevant completely.. the population of Scandinavia is roughly 30 million.. give them 250 million more people and see how their ways work out.
Scandinavia is essentially white. Let's experiment and transport 20 million Africans, a few million 3rd world poor and see what happens.
Scandinavia should look at US diversity with caution. Europe is slowly waking up.
When did 20 million Africans land on US soil? (By the way, Africa is not a nation but a continent with over 50 sovereign nations)
US is Scandinavia..
LOL
You say on your text that it is easy to hire and fire in Scandinavia, you also say there are few regulations. Those two points are wrong!
That would be my thought too – generally employees in Europe have much greater protection against exploitative employers, and cannot be fired on a whim – they must be given due process. That usually includes a requirement to be given notice, which can range between a month to three months or more, depending on the position.
Europeans generally work fewer hours per week too, and have much more vacation time. I was watching Rick Steves on PBS commenting on just that the other day...
Great video
God, how I wish you people would use the correct name for our country! America is the continent not the country!Idiots! Let's start w/ that and then worry about the rest!
America is an easy way of shortening United States of America because everybody doesn't want to say United States of America every time they want to refer to the United States of America because it takes too long too say or type United States of America every time. Everyone knows what is being referred to- dumb thing to criticize
I agree, people have said America for hundreds of years.
"America the beautifull for amber waves of grain."
Are you going to write a nasty letter complaining about our patriotic songs now too?
Nitpicker...Who cares??
People complain about Obamacare, but all industrialized countries already have Universal Health Care including scandanavian countries. They all pay half what we pay while covering 100% of their populations. If EVERYBODY else managed to do it why can't we? We could learn a lot from all those other countries, but one political party in the US refuses to even consider it for a moment.
Absolutely right. As someone who not only lived under a socialized medicine system for 42 years but also worked for it for 17 years, I cannot for the life of me understand why so many Americans are so dead set against a system of healthcare that could make their lives so much better...
They'd rather believe the absolute rubbish spouted by people like Sarah Palin (death panels? Give me a break!) than ask the obvious question: why is the US the ONLY Western democracy that DOESN'T have some form of socialized medicine as well as universal access (i.e., everyone gets to participate, not just those who can afford it)?
I'm an American who would love to see universal health care here in the USA. Unfortunatly many of my fellow Americans haven't opened thier minds to the fact that just because we didn't think of it 1st doesn't mean it's not a good thing to do. I have to laugh at the ones who say it reeks of communism, etc. Hey, I grew up during the cold war too but get off the nuke and take a look around you and see what needs to be done NOW & for future generations – not toss insults about.
It's because if we had universal we would be insuring half of Mexico, and because we can't stomach a so-called "death panel".
If Fareed Zakaria loves Scandinavia so much maybe he should move there. The only people who want the U.S. to be like Scandinavia are the socialists and communists who have been given too much leeway.
hahahah what a nut
Us 'Scandinavians' love people like you. You give us a reason to laugh and for this, we thank you Sir
Truth, Check the USA history who brought deceses to the indian american from europe and wiped millions native americans. I think they were white europians. check the history who went to africa and killed many african families and captured and slaved them and shiped them to UNITED STATEs.. check the history who took all the african resources. check the history who are the causes of all the wars in the world and violent crimes.ignorant whites like you. not all the whites are ignorant but you are diffenetly one racist stupid and idiot.
I find it ironic that this person uses Truth as thier moniker. *sigh!* Some people just aren't happy unless they can spread thier misery (& BS) everywhere. It's a shame really.
Yeah, I definitely see Europe developing! I mean the socialist economies are BOOMING! I totally can see how Europe is creating stuff that can change the world and Scandinavia is definitely is at the fore-front of this entire thing! By the way... Finns have a compulsory military service – talking about military-industrial complex!
I've been to a couple of these countries. The people are very happy, content, healthy, & educated. I love my country & it's innovations but we shouldn't be too arrogant to look at what others are doing successfully & see how it might fit into our own. I'd love to see universal healthcare & education here. We would be #1 place to be born once again.
The article does not mention the biggest reason scandinavian countries rank so high. More than two thirds of Scandinavians do not believe in god. We need less christards and a better educated population. Only then can we move up in these rankings.
What a rediculous article! When did Scandinavia invent Internet, IPod, IPhone, or iPad? ... I see, they didn't invent anything in 20-21st centuries. Please tell me do these countries have problems with immigration, solving world food supplies or promoting individual rights and freedom along democracy based principles? Oh I see, yhey just hand out Peace Prizes for having won an election in the USA....
Well, they invented Linux and the mobile phone, so that the Ipad, Ipod, and Iphone...they have problems with immigration, and give more to charity per person. They are more involved in peaceful negotiations and less in bombing stuff.
its a whole different culture. the main difference with the US is that people in scandinavia trust the state. corruption is very low and taxes are used in a very efficient way. of course the main problem for the US to follow the scandinavian model is its huge size comparing to those countries. we are talking for populations of less than 10 mil. in each country. i dont think a whole model could be transfered but some ideas can be applied to US no doubt.
Why do we even talk about whether the US should be more like Scandinavia? Shouldn't we rather be talking about what that US can do to be more like the US again.....
I have been saying this for awhile,I wish we could use the methods Norway,and Scandinavia use. They are in great positions they people are treated with respect and they live well. The people have trust as well in their leaders.
Genetics & less bureaucrats. That's what makes Scandinavia what it is.
It would be interesting to see an analysis of immigrant populations shifts in Scandinavia & the US since 1988...wonder if those shifts might be affecting current quality of life for citizens?
Comparing countries with a population of around 5 million people, mostly ethnically the same, to the United States, a country of 315 million people that has been the destination for the rest of the world over the last 200 years is laughable...
The USA should be like the USA and no one else. We are unto ourselves and we do not need anyone else to be who we are. For without the USA the rest of the world is nothing, so if anything other countries should be like us!!!
I feel like I've read this article somewhere else...
Ok, so we lead in patents but how many of those are actually useful patents and not a bunch of previously invented stuff wielded together?
I would rather have healthcare than patents. Bottom line, we could learn a lot from the Scandinavians, but it doesn't mean we have to lose our creativity. The problem would be getting rid of the greediness of large companies. I'd pay more in taxes if it meant I could actually go to a doctor or hospital & not worry about paying through the nose to please a bunch of shareholders. I can't afford insurance now, am too "rich" for Medicaid & too young for Medicare. It's a huge gap to fall into, though I don't know if paying a tax for not having insurance will get me insurance either. I know that if I have to pay a tax for no insurance (& am not getting anything for that money), I won't be better able to afford to buy insurance.
you left out that scandinavians are basicly all white with few brown skin minoritys ! that woundnt be a reason their so sucessful now would it . no way !
The US university is rank as the best in the world in addition to innovation. What needs to in innovation is to capitalize what come out of innovation. But recent economic downturn completely stop funding the innovated product to fruition.
I think we should take a cue from the #1 country there: highly federated, non-interfering Switzerland.
I would bet that only one language spoken in class rooms in Sweden, Norway and other Scandinavia countries. One post stated they Norway required that you learn to speak Norwegian. There is a push to allow citizenship with out being able to speak English in this country. Voting ballots are being printed in two or more languages. Is this happening in Scandinavia?
What kind of system would they have if they copied California? This state is so Politically Correct (PC) that in some school systems English is the second language due to illegal immigration.
Also in some cases you can not get a job making hamburgers unless you speak Spanish.
I hope this type of P.C. will not infect Scandinavia. But it will if it has not already or your culture will suffer also.
Diversity is one thing but letting PC ripe your country apart is something else.
For most of our history we welcomed any and all to our shores. At that time they wanted to be Americans not Jordanians, Frenchmen, Russian, Chinese or Iranians now they want those of us who were born here to adhere to their culture and leave ours. This is happening in all of Europe also.
The small population of Scandinavia is at risk if those who migrate there of having your culture over run.
Garbage. The reason why those countries succeed is because they
aren't as diverse, aren't worried about making a melting pot work.
They are strongly, predominately Finns, Danes, Swedes and Norwegians.
So they're all on the same page, they think alike, understand each other
more. They can trust their governments to work for them because of
that.
America is a jumble now. It used to be people came to this country to
assimilate. Now they come and force their ways on everyone because
they can get away with it in the country with the greatest personal
freedom. Respect for diversity and political correctness has replaced
being American as a priority.
Innovation.... come on. Innovation could be at a standstill and it would
have no effect on the problems of diversity this country has. That
diversity has created political and economic extremism. You can't
innovate your way out of that problem.
About 5 years ago in Florida a bank branch office was shutdown when a V.P. of that bank went to preform an in house audit due to problems with transaction and summited paper work. The auditor found that only one person working at the branch spoke English was the branch manger. Most of the workers were not qualified to preform their jobs according to the report.
The branch was located in Little Havana Miami, Fl.
Look at the population of all the Scandinavian countries combined. Any attempt at comparison is ridiculous based on sheer numbers.
Bingo
Scandinavian countries do not have the racial divisiveness, crime, drug abuse, and moral corruption we see here in most every aspect of society. We will never be like them.
California has more people than all of Scandinavia combined and ten times the ethnic diversity. It is as liberal as Scandinavia and going broke due trying to support an illegal population that has not paid its fare share of taxes because must work as day labors, migrant farm workers and also send a large amount of their income back to their home country. Dose Scandinavia have this problem? I believe not from the post I read here.
Trying to compare the U.S. with the Scandinavian country’s is like comparing Texas with Maine, California to Mississippi or New York with Montana it just dose not fit. Sorry unless you have had the opportunity to live in these states there is no way to explain it to you.
Been there done that!!!!
Those countries pay on average 65% in taxes. The government tells you what to do. They are recently being invaded by third world immigrants because of their generosity and starting to have some problems like the US. I know, my wife is from there and always warns me of the direction this country is starting to go.
Two of my best friends are from Finland and according to them Finland has its share of drug abuse and moral corruption. Crime is less from what they tell me though. Remember smaller population smaller problem.
Why live in darkness for 4 months every year?
So should we reform the United States to mimic smaller countries? This article is drawing a comparison that is completely out of context.
Most of these countries have very small populations with an ethnic majority OVER 80% (many over 90%) and very low military expenditures. Managing a country, such as Norway, with a population of 4.7 million, of which 94.4% are all Norwegian, doesn't lend a model the U.S. could follow. In fact, the U.S. population is 28% larger that all the listed countries COMBINED....AND we have greater diversity.
I have lived in Denmark for a decade now. The government considers me well integrated and welcome the 55% taxes I have been paying. However, I am moving to the US. If you aspire to have security, stability and predictability, then come to Scandinavia. It has a higher average in income, in living standards but it is an average. It means that if you are above average, the you will be pulled downwards. The American dream is about making things happen when there is nothing there. It is not about safety and this means higher risks, and higher fluctuations. It is part of the American charm and diversity. I am ready for it!
P/s: I question the statistic about government ownership. What is the parameter? If you look at the employment statistics, 32% of those who are employed works in the public sector in Denmark. Also, Americans should realize that what Oprah tells you about Copenhagen is bogus! Danes may be the most contented people but not the happiest. Ecstacy only happens when extremes are present.
Hey Yellow.....I hope you do come to America!!
Our country would only benefit......
This is another reason I don't pay MUCH attention to Fareed. He makes such idiotic conclusions with the premises he presents. How are HEALTH CARE and MORE VACATION TIME going to impact INNOVATION? What IMPACTS innovation more than ANYTHING are the VESTED INTERESTS. Take a minute to ask yourself WHY alternative ENERGY is not BIG in our country. It's because OIL Companies want CONTROL! And BOY do they HAVE control. There are lots of INNOVATORS here in the U.S. but we don't get the benefits of MOST of them, because they are not BUSINESSMEN. They are IMAGINATIVE thinkers who rarely are the type to try and FIGHT their way to the TOP. We have a HISTORY here of businessmen STEALING ideas and inventors going to COURT to try and recoup the benefits of their ideas. There would be a RENAISSANCE of American Industry if the twin SHACKLES of BIG Business and BIG Government were to be lifted off the PEOPLE!
Scandinavia has low military expenditure because NATO and the U.S. have protected their freedom. Why spend when you can get someone else too.
Don't get me wrong I have worked with the Norwegian Navy and Air Force during NATO exercises and they are great just small and to much area to cover alone. "Please do get into a drinking contest with them or the Canadian’s" It still harts to think about it.
Finland tough fighters, “the Russians attest to that” and Sweden good fighters just too small to stop a larger military force with out help from NATO.
The first land battle won against Germany in World War 2 was fought in Norway, needless to say allied troops fled Norway the next day abandoning it to the Nazis for years, is that what you call protection? Oh yeah what about when your so called Russian "allies" invaded Finland and Poland with no repercussions? Good allies to have.
You've got to be careful when someone tells you what the American Dream is, although I suppose it is worse to invoke it without discussing the definition. I thought, for example, that the American Dream was freedom/liberty. I don't recall our founding fathers expressing dreams of equal opportunity per se, but I do recognize that equal opportunity comes along naturally with liberty. I think Americans need to step back and realize that, with freedom, one has the freedom to NOT feed, educate, or house themselves. We must let the lazy be bums. When we do that, we're going to have a bunch of unhealthy, uneducated citizens who will "dragging us down" in rank with Scandinavian countries. So be it. If living in the land of the free is a downer, move. Do not allow the government to try to force me to live a better life so that our numbers look good. Do, however, as an individual, encourage me and help support me when my hard work isn't enough to put food on my table. I will return the favor.
Basically, our nation was founded on principles that are not particularly Scandinavian. I'm okay with that.
The American Dream was no matter who you were and where you were born or how poor/rich your family was you could be and do anything you could image wit perseverance and hard work.
Today it seams not what you can do for yourself but what you need to do to get my country to do for you.
How would Scandinavia do of it had a third world country with 100 million people on its border with refugees streaming in every day?
The population of Canada is just 35 million, not 100 million
That is very strange that somebody views Scandinavia as being more free-market true capitalism example... That is absurd! That statement alone destroys the credibility of whatever is said after that.
As the matter of fact: US is using war as a leverage to support its failing economy. It does not seem to work but US persist: so here comes the decline. What else would you expect? If not Scandinavia: that would have been somebody else: simple as that! There is nothing special about Finland or Denmark! The simple fact is: US is sinking! Is it so hard to see?
It should be noted that.....Norway is Europe's largest oil producer, the world's second largest natural gas exporter, and is an important supplier of both oil and natural gas to other European countries. Norway has an extensive network of sub sea oil pipelines, including 8 major domestic oil pipelines with a total capacity of more than 2.2 million barrels per day which connect offshore oilfields with onshore processing terminals.
...and spends none of the income, but invests it all in stocks for when the oil runs out. Norways sovereign wealth fund now owns more than 1 % of all publically listed stocks in the world.
Innovation? Have any of you seen what American school curricula has become? People complain about cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all education. Guess what? This emphasis on testing has led to LESS true education. The only thing the school systems care about is improving the testing scores. Children are not being taught how to be creative, which is where innovation begins. If you, as a teacher, are not on the same page as every other teacher in that class across the district, you get cited. One person I know was teaching a skill to a class of English Learners. She could see they were confused, so she compared that day's work with something they had done a couple of weeks before. They got the connection and were able to complete the assignment. Do you think she was praised for a successful class? No. She was reprimanded for 'going backwards' in the curriculum. Wake up, people. Educrats are destroying any possibility of educational improvement for the future.
We should be like Sweden. They have total socialism and still room for free market place. And their people are a lot happier. They also ban guns like USA should be doing I don't know why their not!
More people live in New York City than the whole country of Norway. It's America's own fault it is now a giant disgusting coast to coast corporate shopping center full of obese fatties. If anything the US takes ideas from Scandanavia not vice-versa, we borrowed the idea of welfare from Sweden how did that work out for the US?
I'm not sure patents filed per million residents is a very good indicator of innovation. I work for a big Swedish multinational company and we normally do not apply for patents in Sweden because the market is just too small (9 million people). In general, patents in Europe are also much more expensive and you need to validate and pay annuity fees in each country. For many inventions we just file a US patent application because it gives protection in a large market for a low price.
There are many different innovation rankings and I don't think Scandinavia is that far behind the US in innovation. Many rankings actually put us ahead of the US. Thomson Reuters publishes a list of the 100 most innovative companies based on patent approval success rate, global reach of patent portfolio, patent influence in literature citations and overall patent volume. Of those 38 were US and 6 were Swedish (another two ABB and Tetra Laval are half Swedish but were counted as Swiss in the survey). However, the population of Sweden is just 1/35th of the US.
I also just want to say that I really respect and admire the US, but I wanted to share my opinion because I don't think the claim that Scandinavian countries "free-ride" on U.S. research and development really holds.
America is now ranked 7th, and still dropping. After another 4 years of Obama, we will be totally out of the top 10, and probably out of the top 20.
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I live in Northern Finland and have to say that we never have gotten any free-rides from anyone. After World World II Finland literally rose from the ashes. While we had a whole country to build again we had to pay huge compensations to Russia for decades. People gave everything to their country... people even gave their wedding rings to their country to get the gold desperately needed. And while people were starving and trying to build their homes they also worked their ass off for their country! Finland fought it's way to one of the richest countries in the world except by the 80 until the Great Depression hit us. We had to again work hard to survive and fought back to victory from the recession more quickly than no country in the past had been able to survive. These struggles have made us stronger even in the midst of the current recession. And again when we're at the point where we do not accomplish without the hard work of the people, even our president to do its bit by reducing their wages significantly.
It is, in fact, very wrong that our nation is suffering from the current recession, whose birth we are not responsible in any way. Finland is the only European Union country that has met stringent financial requirements every year. We do not live beyond our means and we obediently paid higher taxes than any other state. Now we have to pay for festivities which we are not even involved. But we do it – as it is for the common good! Finns are not greedy or seek popularity – we just work hard and enjoy life as it is! We do not need wealth, but rather we are enjoying peace, equality, higher education, and a higher quality of life in general.
And what comes to innovations – here is few facts: Finland (and most of other Scandinavia too) sells most innovations to America and to other bigger countries! Next time you play Angry Birds with your Nokia phone just picture this: both the phone and the game were created here... and with no luck – just with hard work!
You make a strong case for your country I respect your pride, but the free-riding i do have to agree with. USA is a innovation powerhouse bar none. Angry Birds and Nokia...that's all you got? We have Apple, IBM, Cisco, EA, Disney, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Hollywood, Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube...nuff said
I have lived in Sweden for 13 years now (I am English) the substance of this report has errors. The Swedish Govern ment has a monopoly on alcohol; against EU regulations. Cases brought to the EU Courts against the Swedish government/Swedish employers concerning civil liberties or wrongful dismissal have gone against the Swedish Government or employer. Corruption is also alive and well here. There has been rather a lot in our papers on work malpractice and suicide of employees who are hounded by bullying and corrupt bosses. There has also been a lot of news on 'whistle blowers' who are victimised and bullied for daring to suggest publicly that there is something wrong at their place of work. White collar Unions are weak and in fact are more likely to promote the Employer's wishes than stand up for the workers. Regardless to say I don't know exactly where these statistics come from but I'm guessing that it is provided by the Swedes themselves.