This morning I was reading an article about the horrors of living in Norway. In the article, “Why Norway is a BS argument for higher taxes” by author Simon Black. He argues that the Norwegian system of government produces a population of unproductive dolts because its more socialist government lacks necessary incentives.
To Simon, I would suggest he read further before he blatantly denigrates another country. This article on the new innovative Norway might be a good place to start.
The fact is no country has it right and every country wrestle with similar issues of concern. How to pay for its infrastructure. How to manage the health and well-being of its population. How to deal with pollution. How to deal with its scum bags. How to give its kids a good education. How to incentivize its people without driving them to an early grave. How to deal with immigration. How to deal with those pesky women. And so forth.
Some countries do a good job in one area but fall short in others. Today, there are no countries that have a pure form of government. The closest is North Korea, a country ruled by the hardline dictator Kim Jon Un, but even North Korea is evolving.
Ever since we have become “civilized societies’ (I use the term loosely), governments have been evolving and they will continue to do so. Governments will continue to make bad choices and good choices. Some of these choices will depend on cultural and or religious dictates. Some of them, like more democratic leaning nations, will be based on crowd pressure.
That said, there are two things every nation across the planet cannot avoid. The first is the force of nature. Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, rising sea levels, and climate change will impact everyone everywhere on the planet. The second is the exponential rise of the technology age in which we live.
For instance, how do we manage a population who have been displaced by technology? How do we defend against rising sea levels and populations displaced as the islands they live on sink into the sea? How will we feed the bloated human population in the future?
Will the answers to these questions come from international corporations? Possibly some, providing there is sufficient profit to be made with a minimum of risk. However, the lion’s share of answers will come from small lean start up businesses and teams born out of the need to solve the problems. One is motivated by profit, the other by need.
Now back to Norway. The country is experiencing a significant decline in revenue from its oil and gas reserves. This creates an economic need. The country is now investing in start ups with innovative ideas. Norway is evolving like all nations do. So, Simon, don’t be so quick to demean that small, but significant nation’s form of government.
A lesson I learned long ago was that a man or woman who think s/he knows it all is someone who can be taught nothing. Instead of judging another country as either good or bad, why not borrow the good from that country? Use workable solutions across all borders, instead of being a narrow-minded prig wasting the world’s time with useless self-aggrandizing rhetoric. Just sayin’.
