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Norway

Archslater

Monkey
Mar 6, 2003
154
0
Indianapolis
fluff said:
Interesting little snippet about Norway's quality of life - with socialised medicine, state-schools and relatively even distribution of wealth. Can it possibly be true?
Even though I'm pretty leftist, and I'm all for moving our government closer to a style similar to Norway, I have to admit that it isn't exactly a relavent example to how our nation could run...... with 88% of the population Evangelical Lutheran, and 99.995% white....... and with all the oil. :confused:
 

Ciaran

Fear my banana
Apr 5, 2004
9,839
15
So Cal
ALEXIS_DH said:
crap yeah...
being the 3rd oil exporter of the world with less than 5 million people sure makes a no-miss situation.....
Not to mention the lack of diversity in the population.

I don't think we could do here what Norway is doing.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
I agree whilst Norway is a good ideal, it is too far from where you are at the moment.

However I don't think a bit more recognition of the poor and social spending would hurt in the states. It's not like you can't afford it.
 

ridetoofast

scarred, broken and drunk
Mar 31, 2002
2,095
5
crashing at a trail near you...
Changleen said:
I agree whilst Norway is a good ideal, it is too far from where you are at the moment.

However I don't think a bit more recognition of the poor and social spending would hurt in the states. It's not like you can't afford it.

suck my a$$, i just paid 33% of MY earnings to the feds and the states ill be damned if i get taxed any more to recognize the poor and spend socially, if anything we spend too god damn much
 

XtCamZ

Chimp
Nov 19, 2003
77
0
Fayetteville, Arkansas
ridetoofast said:
suck my a$$, i just paid 33% of MY earnings to the feds and the states ill be damned if i get taxed any more to recognize the poor and spend socially, if anything we spend too god damn much

You're right, we do spend way, way too much. Let's see, there's the Iraq war, Afganistan war, all the security on the evil "terrorists," homeland security, all the money that flies out of congress for military contracts, etc, etc, etc. Money well spent? You decide.

Funny how we spend insane amounts of money on security and the military, but the grunts doing the work get paid ****.
 

ohio

The Fresno Kid
Nov 26, 2001
6,649
23
SF, CA
XtCamZ said:
You're right, we do spend way, way too much. Let's see, there's the Iraq war, Afganistan war, all the security on the evil "terrorists," homeland security, all the money that flies out of congress for military contracts, etc, etc, etc. Money well spent? You decide.

Funny how we spend insane amounts of money on security and the military, but the grunts doing the work get paid ****.
Dude, it is way more important to spend money on imaginary enemies than people suffering in your own country. After all if they're suffering, it's their own damn fault, and they'll never learn their lesson if you actually feed, clothe, or employ them.
 

ridetoofast

scarred, broken and drunk
Mar 31, 2002
2,095
5
crashing at a trail near you...
so what exactly do YOU do to this end?

do you donate extra money?

do you volunteer at shelters?

do you take in homeless people?

its so easy to talk it up, but do you actually DO anything about it?

or just launch a diatribe against those that call for things like welfare reform and call them villians that don't 'care' about the poor?

every time i go to the grocery store i see WIC recipients with kids in nikes, air jordans, talking on cell phones, and going out to cars with window shaking sound systems and fat 20 something inch shiny rims

are you telling me im supposed to feel sorry for them because they dont have priorities?

if YOU want to pay more because YOU care so much about it than so be it, but personally i like to keep what i work for
 

XtCamZ

Chimp
Nov 19, 2003
77
0
Fayetteville, Arkansas
ridetoofast said:
so what exactly do YOU do to this end?

do you donate extra money?

do you volunteer at shelters?

do you take in homeless people?

its so easy to talk it up, but do you actually DO anything about it?

or just launch a diatribe against those that call for things like welfare reform and call them villians that don't 'care' about the poor?

every time i go to the grocery store i see WIC recipients with kids in nikes, air jordans, talking on cell phones, and going out to cars with window shaking sound systems and fat 20 something inch shiny rims

are you telling me im supposed to feel sorry for them because they dont have priorities?

if YOU want to pay more because YOU care so much about it than so be it, but personally i like to keep what i work for

I'm pretty sure you were talking to me, but you must have been hearing (or in this case seeing) things because I never once stated an opinion that you are so obviously attacking. :think:
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
It is interesting though how most of the countries on the top of that list, have, to some extent, a welfare state. Socialised medicine, welfare programs, free(ish) education. It seems clear to me that a mix of free enterprise and well thought out social programs will benefit the population the most.
 

ohio

The Fresno Kid
Nov 26, 2001
6,649
23
SF, CA
ridetoofast said:
so what exactly do YOU do to this end?

do you donate extra money?
Yes.

ridetoofast said:
do you volunteer at shelters?
I haven't in the US. I did volunteer as a teacher in rural Nepal, teaching and mentoring children who were essentially abandoned into a shanty town.

ridetoofast said:
do you take in homeless people?
I've done work for, and donate to, organizations whose mission is to provide business clothing and toiletries (razors, soap, shampoo) to homeless people, so that they can clean themselves up and be presentable for job interviews.

ridetoofast said:
its so easy to talk it up, but do you actually DO anything about it?
Not as much as I should, certainly less than I'd like.

ridetoofast said:
or just launch a diatribe against those that call for things like welfare reform and call them villians that don't 'care' about the poor?
I've never said I'm opposed to welfare reform. The system is very broken. However, welfare reform is often used a veil for "welfare cuts." They are not one and the same.


ridetoofast said:
every time i go to the grocery store i see WIC recipients with kids in nikes, air jordans, talking on cell phones, and going out to cars with window shaking sound systems and fat 20 something inch shiny rims
Hmmm. How do you know these kids are on welfare? Also, why am I able to guess from your description the race of these kids? Have you never seen folks in trailer parks also sporting nice clothes, or driving souped up hotrods?

ridetoofast said:
are you telling me im supposed to feel sorry for them because they dont have priorities?
Two assumptions here:
1) I'm telling you how you're supposed to feel. I am not. Telling you how to feel is probably the least likely way to make you feel that way. I would like to, if I can, give you a fuller picture of the world around you. If that makes you feel differently than you do now, great.
2) These folks don't have priorities. You see a few kids with nice shoes and rims, and you assume they bought them with welfare money? I think you would be surprised at the number of single parents who are on welfare, but still trying their hardest to be good parents, teach their kids good values, help their children avoid their mistakes. For every abuser of welfare there's probably two more that are good decent people who were saved by it. Would I like to improve that ratio? Of course. Would I abandon those two good ones to spite the bad one. No. I'm willing to accept that cost. Obviously, not everyone is.

ridetoofast said:
if YOU want to pay more because YOU care so much about it than so be it, but personally i like to keep what i work for
And what happens the day you go on disability? Or a tornado takes down your insufficiently insured home? Or your company goes belly up? Or your job gets outsourced to India?

Some people make bad decisions. I'd like to give them second chances and help them return to being productive members of society. Some people are just plain unlucky. I'd like to support them because I know MY luck could change someday too. I also look around me and realize how much I have benefitted from living in this country. I'm happy to give back. But hey, if you don't think America has given as much to you as it has taken, then I can see your point of view.

edit: Also, you never addressed the question of how you feel about the amount of money being spent in Afghanistan and Iraq. A billion a week. That would be a healthy tax cut, let me tell you.