Does Socialism work ?
Zim: On the one hand, I got a site bragging about how great Norway's socialism is working . . . On the other hand, I got a site pointing out that the bulk of Norway's economy is Capitalistic.
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Norway's success in socialism has me turning red with envy
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/05/14/norways-success-in-socialism-has-me-turning-red-with-envy/
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The Scandinavian Socialism Argument Debunked
http://www.libsdebunked.com/socialism/scandinavian-socialism-argument/
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1. Scandinavia isn’t really all that socialist
Scandinavian countries have certain socialist characteristics such as high taxes and extensive welfare systems. However, these countries have relatively capitalistic markets. Scandinavian businesses are mostly free from regulation, nationalization and protectionism.
Let’s look at a few key indicators of free enterprise in Scandinavia.
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2. Scandinavia isn’t actually as prosperous as liberals like to claim
A study by Swedish group Timbro compared the GDP of various European Union nations to those of individual states in the United States. As stated by the study:
“If the EU were a part of the United States of America, would it belong to the richest or the poorest group of states?”
Denmark:
If Denmark were one of the US states, it would rank tenth among the poorest states for per capita GDP.
. . .
3. Scandinavians have lower gross and disposable incomes
. . .
5. Norway is backed by big oil
When liberals point to the per-capita GDP of Norway, they forget to mention that much of this is a result of big oil interests. Norway is the largest oil producer and exporter in all of Western Europe. Norway produces roughly 200 barrels of oil per person per year. That puts it at number 5 in the world for per capita oil production. (Source.)
The conclusion we can draw from this is that a significant portion of Norway’s per capita GDP is based on oil revenues. In other words, Norway is successful despite its government, not because of its government.
Incidentally, I find it funny that those same liberals who vehemently vilify big oil are happy to ignore that little fact when pointing to the success of Norway.
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Conclusion
In a conclusion based on facts and hard numbers, we can see that Scandinavia is not an example of successful socialism by any measure. It’s not a terrible place to live, but it’s clearly not the utopia that liberals love to make it out to be.
The above facts and figures prove that socialism did not make these countries great. These countries have small, homogenous populations, oil money and free markets. These countries do well despite high taxes, not because of high taxes.
Plus, if you look around the world at true socialisms, you’ll see massive failures. Historically, socialism (and other forms of collectivism) has always resulted in poverty, starvation and widespread death. Scandinavians are fortunate that they don’t yet live in an all-out socialism.
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(Article does continue. Zim.)
Mad Poet Strikes Again.
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