Sweden is a rather small European nation that drives American conservatives crazy. Why? Because Sweden is a "large government, high tax" nation that is very successful. Sweden is prosperous, the people are healthy and happy. It's corporations are very profitable. Their budget is balanced. In short, Sweden is the greatest single proof that the American conservatives and libertarians are full of shit. Sweden is proof that a large government and high taxes does not bankrupt a nation or stifle the economy.
The Washington Post has a nice article about how Sweden has bounced back quickly from the global financial crisis while the rest of the word is still struggling.
This Scandinavian nation of 9 million people has accomplished what the United States, Britain and Japan can only dream of: Growing rapidly, creating jobs and gaining a competitive edge. The banks are lending, the housing market booming. The budget is balanced. ...
The overarching lesson the Swedes offer is this: When you have a financial crisis, and Sweden had a nasty one in the early 1990s, learn from it. Don’t simply muddle through and hope that growth will eventually return. Rather, address the underlying causes of the crisis to create an economic and financial system that will be more resilient when bad times return.
Sweden is a surprisingly rural country with a few large cities. The countryside is gorgeous but the cities are rather bland. The people are warm and open however. They value higher education and they take their role of citizen very seriously (82% voted in the 2006 elections!).
To be honest, I've encouraged my kids to move to Sweden (or France) because I think it will take decades for the United States to recover from it's current culture of greed and spitefulness, if it ever does. I think the middle class in our country is gong to be badly squeezed for years. The Swedes appear to share the values my family rates high: education, citizenship, tolerance, helping those in need, and freedom from religious nuttery (at least half the Swedes are atheists!), and freedom from a population of self-centered, greedy, xenophobic righties. Can you imagine living in a country where you can go months or even years without encountering people who want to demonize and punish the poor and tear down the middle class?
--Trakker
Firstly, I've never heard any Conservative say anything about Sweden.
Secondly, this is the same country that sold iron ore to Nazi Germany during WWII and allowed German troops to moved through their country.
Posted by: Dan D. Doty | June 27, 2011 at 02:05 PM
Firstly, I've never heard any Conservative say anything about Sweden.
Secondly, this is the same country that sold iron ore to Nazi Germany during WWII and allowed German troops to moved through their country.
And we Americans exterminated hundreds of thousands of native Americans and imprisoned American citizens of Japanese ancestry in internment camps. Your point is?
Posted by: Trakker | June 27, 2011 at 09:05 PM
What now surprises me is what you are willing to over look.
Posted by: Dan D. Doty | July 01, 2011 at 02:57 AM