Sweden: Paradise on Earth?

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Whoha
Just damn, Alabama has a higher gross domestic product then Sweden? Also the US taxes around 15 to 16 % of GDP, not 33% as the article states. This is an aberation though and it will likely go back up to 20%.

"In 2002, total U.S. taxes fell to only 26.3% of GDP"

http://www.ctj.org/html/oecdtax.htm

In 2000, US tax as a proportion of GDP = 29.6%

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxFacts/TFDB/TFTemplate.cfm?Docid=307&Topic2id=95

Or better still:

http://carriedaway.blogs.com/carried_away/2003/10/us_government_s.html

This shows taxes (government revenue) as a percentage of GDP, and government spending likewise, since 1929. As you can see, taxes haven't been lower than 20% since 1941, and have been above 25% since 1966.

It used to be in the high 20s (Nixon - Reagen), then moved up to around 30% under Clinton, now it's down to the high 20s again. It's not been near 15-16% for a long, long time.

[Drogue]

Oh, and Sweden Or even Scandinavia in general

[Whoha]

I was speaking of federal taxes, state taxes vary a lot and I happen to live in one with one of the lower tax rates.

[Berzerker]

UR

I mean, if people can be happy even if they don't have big houses, fast cars, and lots and lots of toys, how could the Capitalist Dream be sold?

The problem is alot of people aren't happy with a state that presumes to have the moral authority to take what it wants in the name of equality, so Sweden loses people who could make their system stronger - a brain drain. How many brilliant people are running to Sweden to live the ~socialist dream? Or does Sweden prevent them from entering the country because the genius elite
is anti-egalitarian by its very nature (gotta take the common man)?

CO

We stayed out of WW2 because we continued selling iron ore to Germany, not because America protected us. You stayed on your side of the pond for the essential part of WW2 anyway. Germany declared war to you, not the other way around.

I didn't say the US protected Sweden during WWII, I said if the west/USA had not stopped Hitler and/or Stalin, Sweden would be speaking a foreign language (metaphorically of course). Sweden wasnt a threat to them because swedes were "neutral" in a war between evil and not as evil, but if the west sat back or lost the war, it wouldn't have been long before Sweden was swallowed up. Do you really believe Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia would have let y'all exist free from their rule?

You stayed on your side of the pond for the essential part of WW2 anyway. Germany declared war to you, not the other way around.

Actually the US declared war on Germany, but you're essentially right on that- we did try to sit out the war in the hopes y'all could limit yet another European war to Europe and make peace after some re-arranging of the map. Interesting how the US is criticised (not you here) by some Europeans for not pre-emptively attacking the Nazis and Japanese. But the US did get in it and Sweden has the US to thank for that. And Btw, the war was not essentially over when the US got in. The Axis was rolling like a steam engine and instead of arming the Nazis with iron ore, the US began attacking all 3 Axis powers and rolling them back.

We had a 700 000 man army in the cold war. And one of the worlds largest airforces during parts of it. Today our army is quite smaller, but we have bad-ass equipment.

Without the west, Sweden would have been ideologically swallowed up over the last 60-70 years. Switzerland has a very large army but a small standing army, does Sweden rely on militia?

Krop

Your knowledge about post war swedish economic development seems a bit to bad for you to start a rage about it here.

Was that supposed to be a convincing rebuttal? I didn't start this thread (complaining about "rage" and mentioning only me ) , and I'm relying on the information in the article so complain to the author. Sweden sat out WWII and got so wealthy rebuilding the war torn countries it rose to 4th in the world by 1970. That wealth allowed Sweden to experiment with an expensive welfare state. Other countries healed and Sweden lost its economic advantage (so did the US) and now its running into problems competing which is putting pressure on that welfare state. Even the Swedes see the problem and trimming their welfare system...

[chequita guevara]

Wow, I've never seen Berz so loose with the facts before. Did he even get anything right?

[Berzerker]

That bad? You know, you've just set a very high standard for yourself there. Now you have to refute everything I said, not just 1 or 2 things.

[Whoha]

yea, Germany declared war on the US, after we declared war on Japan.

[KrazyHorse]

Sweden has, IIRC, outlawed online gambling by its citizens

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Sweden has, IIRC, outlawed online gambling by its citizens

BOO!! Btw, would that also impact online fantasy sports leagues for money? Cause that could be considered gambling.

[Ted Striker]

I think that's a good thing really.

[Monk]

Originally posted by Agathon
Fortunately invasion has been averted by the fact (it's true, I've seen it in films) that Swedish women are happy to let you ravish them if you only ask nicely.

On the serious note I'm quite sure that feminism is significantly more widespread in Sweden than most other Western countries.

Still hoping for that beautiful stereotype to be true on my Malmø trip next week. I'll let you know if I hook up with a look-alike Ingrid Bergman Swedish babe.

Hell, I'd let everyone know.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
I think that's a good thing really.

But then I'd still be a poor grad student instead of a less poor grad student.

[Ted Striker]

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


But then I'd still be a poor grad student instead of a less poor grad student.

Yeah, I understand you have a vested interest in it.

[KrazyHorse]

I'm like a tobacco company. I know I'm evil, but there's so much money in it...