09-22-2017, 04:17 PM
billb wrote:
[quote=samintx]
When I was in Norway I asked what their taxes were and it was something like 43%. They get everything free BUT you must remember the population is only about 4M so easier to govern.
Did you go into a grocery store and see what they pay for food ? Did you visit any farms and listen to the owners that are still farming lamenting cheap produce being imported ( like Venezuela ) and putting them out of business ? It shouldn't be surprising why cheap frozen pizza is so popular.
Did you buy any products and pay the 25% VAT ? Did you look at what they pay for a car (if they can afford one ) ?
Did you ask how many of their smart relatives have fled the country to work and put some money away ? Did you ask any of those relatives that left if they would go back if it weren't for the North Sea oil money that is funding their retirement program ?
edit:tags
Norway being some kind of socialist paradise is a fairy tale myth progressives who have never been there need to believe in. It doesn't matter if there are any facts to support the myth or not.
I've been there and to me, it looks like a very nice place to live. How many people here would trade places to live there if they could? A whole lot. And as pointed out above, the U.S. has natural resources that dwarf North Sea oil. The difference is how the government decides to allocate those resources.