Well said, but imo you do not go far enough. Imagine there were no roads, no bridges, no electricity. These are the raw materials to a business today. Why isn't an educated work force seen as part of those raw materials? How can a US laborer justify four++ years of University, coming out with $80,000 in debt, compared to someone that got a degree from the India Institute of Technology or the Chinese Institute of Technology, and owes nothing? The business solution is to seek H1B employees. And since businesses are becoming multi-national now, it doesn't matter, corporations will sell their products to them instead of the broke American worker - a dire situation for American workers. Re education, my first thought is mental capital. The cost is cheaper somewhere else for that capital, hence India or China.
It`s a more or less socialist country, so the government owns the companies of course. We have oil/gas etc, i.e. alot of spending money, there are alot of people on welfare, so the government is forced to import workers to take care of the jobs the "sick" norwegians don`t want, so yes we have quite a few immigrants from other countries, but they`re becoming familiar with the system, so the government is again forced to import workers to take care of the jobs, the "sick" norwegians/immigrants don`t want, etc..... I guess there are a few norwegian companies who outsource, but that doesn`t matter at the moment because we stil got oil/gas etc to export/pay for the people on welfare/immigrant workers taking care of the "sick"(do you think there`s something wrong with moving factories etc to where labour etc is cheaper, isn`t that only fair and capitalism at it`s very best, i.e. we`re 6 800 000 000, our planet is round, everything is connected, we`re mutually dependant on eachother and there`s a limited amount of both renewable/non-renewable resources, so why should cetain people be protected, shouldn`t everyone have the same opportunities to offer their labour regardless of country of residence)? Zero debt! About the same as a blue collar job, it`s a more or less socialist country, i.e. the goal is equal/close to equal pay for time spent working regardless of productivity. Health care are mostly paid for through taxes. According to this, Oslo, the capital of Norway, where I live, is the most expensive city in the world(might not be completely accurate, but it gives you an idea of the price level here). Taxes: Personal income tax = 28 %(24.5 % in the north) Welfare tax 7.8 % of income Payroll tax = 0-14.1 % of income(dependant on where the company is located, 14.1 % in the south/0 % in the north) Inheritance tax = 0 % up to $83,000, 6/8 % on the next $58,000 and 10/15 % on the rest(dependant on if it`s a close relative who receives or not) Property tax = maximum 0.07 %(tax rate is set by local authorities) Tax on net worth = 1.1 % starting at $83,000 Sales tax = 25 %(food 14 %, movie tickets/personal transportation 8 %) Tax on cars(includes sales tax) = dependant on weight/size of engine etc, Toyota Corolla in the US MSRP $15,350 - $18,860, in Norway MSRP $41,500 - $54,400 and a Mercedes M-class in the US MSRP $45,700 - $91,050 , in Norway MSRP $151,000 - $422,000. Corporate tax = 28 %, oil companies are taxed about 78 % Fuel tax = amounts to about 65 % of the price Electricity tax = % 0.16/kWh Supervisory tax on property = 2.5 % of price Yearly tax on motor vehicles = $181-484 dependant on if it`s motorbike/car/truck etc And there are taxes on alcohol, garbage, chocolate and sugar, tobacco etc No, but you can receive some welfare(which is probably easier than anywhere else because of the combination of petrodollars/socialism in Norway). Norway is a pretty good country to live in for an average citizen, but that`s in a large part due to the oil/gas revenues, the small population and just being a western country with close ties to western Europe/North-America etc Ergo it`s not sustainable and the system would not be very successful on a large scale(US)/global scale, it`s dependant on the outside world being less socialist.
loik, Thanks for the information. In order to do justice to the time you so clearly spent researching and then posting it, I would have to dedicate quite a bit of time that I do not have right now. The fact that I have not responded only means that your post has, like any good post, caused me to pause and think even more deeply on the subject matter. I hope to be able to respond in full this weekend.
would you trade your health care for ours? you have no idea what a nightmare private healthcare is...just think what it would be like if your health was treated as a commodity and your coverage had no responsibility to ensure your health needs were taken care of.In fact quite the opposite-that the objective is to try to deny as much treatment to you as possible so as to diminish expenses and increase the bottom line.That is what a death panel really is-an an hmo.And that my friend is what private health care is here.
Private sector insurance/healthcare is more ethical in itself(if it`s in an actual free market), but the regulations makes it similar to "mine", which of course is impossible on a large scale/generally unsustainable without the petrodollars/inequality between nations etc. Norwegians live beyond their means, it looks great at the moment, but it can`t last. I think ones starting point when discussing whats good/bad, what people should have a right to, should be equal rights/oppurtunities for all the 6 800 000 000 on the planet, so tell me what can you provide for the 6 800 000 000, can you give them all a norwegian standard of living, should/can everyone be covered by universal healthcare, what is the basic rights you can provide for everyone, why should norwegians have everything money can buy, when others barely get by? Well, there is heavily regulated "private" healthcare, and there is free market healthcare, you are at the mercy of the former!
Imo, education is infrastructure is the purest sense. If the purpose of education is to get from point A to point B similiar to a road. The road is terminally under construction and everyone views it as toll road, with their hand in or out to collect a toll.
Education is free and considered as Infrastructure in Ireland. And one of the secrets behind Ireland's economical revival. Ireland's turnaround began in the late 1960's when the government made secondary education free, enabling a lot more working-class kids to get a high school or technical degree. As a result, when Ireland joined the E.U. in 1973, it was able to draw on a much more educated work force. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/opinion/29friedman.html?pagewanted=print
That is interesting article. Free school and national health care, but a free market. What is that government name?