Can We Hire The Norwegian Government To Run The United States?
Why?? Because they’ve gotten it right. Despite the collapse of the world’s economy they haven’t been hurt very much at all.
Despite being a high tax country they live within their means and unlike Britain and most other countries when they came across a windfall (see: North Sea Oil Profits) instead of spending it like drunken sailors they saved all the money into a Sovereign Wealth Fund.
They have no National Debt.
Now they have $300 Billion Dollars that they’ve been able to put to work earning more money and may someday reach a point where the income from the fund could pay the entire operating cost of their government… maybe even reach a point where they could stop collecting taxes from their citizens.
To give you an idea of the size of the fund Norway has 4.6 million people… divide that into the $300 Billion and you get over $62,000 per citizen.
For the US to have an equivalent fund with our 300 million citizens it would have to be almost 19 Trillion Dollars.
And you know the worst thing… we probably would have it if our politicians hadn’t looted all the different trust funds that have been set up over the years (Highways, Social Security, Medicare) leaving IOU’s for our children to pay.
I’m so fed up with them that at this point I’d be willing to turn everything over to the Norwegians and let them straighten it out.
Photo credit: stock.xchng.
boy has this post touched a nerve with me! I am so fed up with everything going on in this country. For awhile I have been looking at different countries and where would be a good place to relocate and Sweden or Norway has been on my list! I have become so disillusioned with the USA that I seriously want to leave. Even Obama’s election hasn’t changed my mind especially as I see him doing what every politician has always done, pander to just about everyone to try and ensure his re-election. Why aren’t the idiots who got us into this mess being held accountable and strung up? Health care dosn’t look to be anywhere close to being resolved. Obama will cave to the special interests and we will get squat!! More and more all I see is more of the same crap we have had before. I really don’t think anything is going to change unless we have massive revolts starting up!! and I don’t see that happening as the majority of Americans are lazy, fat and passive! Damn I really am pissed!
Yes, Roland, but then we’d all have to eat salted fish for every meal. Do they even have cuisine in Norway?
Wowzas, Keith – Roland really pushed your buttons. I think about leaving the US all the time. I’m pro-Holland. They’ve got gay marriage, free health care and education, and all the coffee I care to drink. Remind me why I haven’t moved yet, please.