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The top 4 economic performers are a mix of capitalism and socialism. Maybe the invisible hand theory points to the evolution and self balancing of economic systems themselves.
LOBAL COMPETITIVENESS INDEX RANKINGS 2006 (2005)
1: Switzerland (4)
2: Finland: (2)
3: Sweden (7)
4: Denmark (3)
5: Singapore (5)
6: United States (1)
7: Japan (10)
8: Germany (6)
9: Netherlands (11)
10: United Kingdom (9)
Source: WEF
The US now ranks only sixth in the body's league table of global competitiveness, behind Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Singapore.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5381428.stm
Secretariat
09-27-2006, 11:31 AM
The top 4 economic performers are a mix of capitalism and socialism. Maybe the invisible hand theory points to the evolution and self balancing of economic systems themselves.
LOBAL COMPETITIVENESS INDEX RANKINGS 2006 (2005)
1: Switzerland (4)
2: Finland: (2)
3: Sweden (7)
4: Denmark (3)
5: Singapore (5)
6: United States (1)
7: Japan (10)
8: Germany (6)
9: Netherlands (11)
10: United Kingdom (9)
Source: WEF
The US now ranks only sixth in the body's league table of global competitiveness, behind Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Singapore.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5381428.stm
How many on that list have national health care? Which ones don't?
GameTheory
09-27-2006, 12:20 PM
Switzerland has a national system, but each individual is required to pay for his own coverage. They are able to keep costs down significantly this way by cutting out the involvement of employers and the government. (Although they are only 2nd to the U.S. in per capita spending on health care.)
Finland, Sweden & Denmark are all similar -- a national system financed by taxes, but with decentralized control -- primarily taxed and managed at the local level. (Equivalent to the county level in the U.S.) This is almost unimaginable in the U.S. -- the federal government would certainly be in control with any national system here.
Risks attached to the large US trade and fiscal deficits prompted its fall.
Damn facts getting in the way again. :D
Look at who leads the list.
The World Economic Forum is under the supervision of the Swiss Federal Government.
Yes, the facts do get in the way at times don't they ljb.
Look at who leads the list.
The World Economic Forum is under the supervision of the Swiss Federal Government.
Yes, the facts do get in the way at times don't they ljb.
And ?
And ?
I was agreeing with you in a back handed way ljb. Where is you sense of humor these days?
The WEF put out the report. Look who is number one on their list.
Add up the top 5 and how many US states does that equate to?
Our problem, economically, is the vast army of not-contributors created by liberal democratic polices over the years.
Split the US into two - red and blue America. In 6 months, Blue Amercia will be trying to borrow money from us.
:lol:
Just in case you missed it:
Quote <<< The disappointing response to Hurricane Katrina, government corruption and a decreasing talent pool for employment due to immigration restrictions were other factors cited by the forum, which moved the United States to sixth in its "global competitiveness index" from the top spot a year ago.>>> Quote
Quote <<< Nordic countries - traditionally strong in the survey - took the next three places, with Finland, Sweden and Denmark all praised for running budget surpluses and having low levels of public debt. The forum also lauded the high quality of education and social services in these countries. Singapore was fifth ahead of the United States.>>> Quote
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_Global_Economic_Competitiveness.html
_________________
OutSource congress.
PlanB
09-27-2006, 07:45 PM
LOL Tom you forgotten you live in NY & NY is BLUE 100% except for the
small towners & burbers & staten islanders --- all the power players.
Secretariat
09-27-2006, 08:31 PM
Split the US into two - red and blue America. In 6 months, Blue Amercia will be trying to borrow money from us.
:lol:
Please break it into two. If Red America feels that way, they should be glad for Blue America to break away. Blue america would love it.
B...I live in a red pocket - we pay for the damn red cities. :D
Sec, it would only make the Red half far better off. Who would you guys tax to pay for your slackards? :D
The top 4 economic performers are a mix of capitalism and socialism. Maybe the invisible hand theory points to the evolution and self balancing of economic systems themselves.
When was the last time anyone ever quoted or heard of the World Economic Forum? Better yet, when was the first time anyone ever heard of the WEF?
Secretariat
09-28-2006, 10:26 AM
B...I live in a red pocket - we pay for the damn red cities. :D
Sec, it would only make the Red half far better off. Who would you guys tax to pay for your slackards? :D
Yes, Tom. I wish the Red half would wake up that they'd be far better off and secede. We're all waiting. Then they could tax no one, and fight the Iraq war forever and have all the big deficits they want. Adn they could expand the fence they want on the border. Maybe even build a fence across the US between the Red and Blue.
Lefty
09-28-2006, 11:36 AM
Yes, Tom. I wish the Red half would wake up that they'd be far better off and secede. We're all waiting. Then they could tax no one, and fight the Iraq war forever and have all the big deficits they want. Adn they could expand the fence they want on the border. Maybe even build a fence across the US between the Red and Blue.
Boy howdy, that would be great. As Tom said, we could loan you money at exorbitent rates. We could drill for oil and build refineries and sell you oil at exorbitent rates. The possibilities are endlesssssssssssss
Boy howdy, that would be great. As Tom said, we could loan you money at exorbitent rates. We could drill for oil and build refineries and sell you oil at exorbitent rates. The possibilities are endlesssssssssssss
so then, would you consider yourselves Mideasteners or venezuealans ? :lol:
Sec, YOU guys get custody of the illegals. :lol:
What would Blue America be like?
Mexico?
rastajenk
09-28-2006, 05:29 PM
More like Fwance.
Lefty
09-28-2006, 08:55 PM
so then, would you consider yourselves Mideasteners or venezuealans ? :lol:
We would consider ourselves capitalists and you socialists.
Secretariat
09-28-2006, 08:59 PM
Boy howdy, that would be great. As Tom said, we could loan you money at exorbitent rates. We could drill for oil and build refineries and sell you oil at exorbitent rates. The possibilities are endlesssssssssssss
Make it happen Lefty. Please make it happen.
Lefty
09-28-2006, 09:03 PM
It could happen for you, sec. Just move to a socialist country. We won't mind.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000AF3D5-6DC9-152E-A9F183414B7F0000
The Social Welfare State, beyond Ideology
Are higher taxes and strong social "safety nets" antagonistic to a prosperous market economy? The evidence is now in
"Friedrich Von Hayek was wrong
On average, the Nordic countries outperform the Anglo-Saxon ones on most measures of economic performance. Poverty rates are much lower there, and national income per working-age population is on average higher. Unemployment rates are roughly the same in both groups, just slightly higher in the Nordic countries. The budget situation is stronger in the Nordic group, with larger surpluses as a share of GDP.
The Nordic countries maintain their dynamism despite high taxation in several ways. Most important, they spend lavishly on research and development and higher education. All of them, but especially Sweden and Finland, have taken to the sweeping revolution in information and communications technology and leveraged it to gain global competitiveness. Sweden now spends nearly 4 percent of GDP on R&D, the highest ratio in the world today. On average, the Nordic nations spend 3 percent of GDP on R&D, compared with around 2 percent in the English-speaking nations."
http://www.sciam.com/media/inline/000AF3D5-6DC9-152E-A9F183414B7F0000_chart.gif
Interesting data hcap. This information must be shared with others in this country.
luv_america
10-28-2006, 10:56 AM
Just for the record you are advocating socialism. At least you're not hiding it this time.
Lets not fools overselves here. These are nice countries, but unique in a lot of ways.
Lets establish a few ideas about Sweden:
1) They are small countries, with fraction of the populations that the US has.
2) They do not have diverse industrial economies. In other works they have to pick something to be good at, invest in it, and make it work (cell phones, cheap modular furniture, etc.)
3) They are socialist, but not a social state. Foreigners can't get benefits as easily as here. They have strict immiigration policies that have gotten harder recently with the threat of Islamism. As a Mexican just try to emigrate there and get benefits.
4) Very high tariffs keep out cheap foreign imports.
5) Nearly every job is unionized.
6) Liberals you'll have love this but in Sweden, Luthrenism is the "STATE SUPPORTED" religion. Swedes pay a 1% tax to support the Church
7) Sweden has over a 50% birth rate to un-wed mothers. Why? They receive social benefits from the state. This is increasing every year. We have seen how this has hurt the US.
8) There are very high tariffs keep out cheap foreign imports.
Should we adopt some of those ideas here?
Lefty
10-28-2006, 11:45 AM
The good news is, h'cap, lbj, if you like the socialism of the nordics so much there's nothing stopping you guys from moving there. Bon Voyage!
4) Very high tariffs keep out cheap foreign imports.
8) There are very high tariffs keep out cheap foreign imports.
Should we adopt some of those ideas here?
YESSSSSS!
At least two of them.
Except that you can throw out CHEAP, as we make essentially nothing anymore to compare them to in many industries. Try to buy American for many thing and you just cannot. That is seriously bad news.
I don't care what anyone says about capitalism and free enterprises, an America without a strong manufacturing base is a weak country that cannot survive. And competeing with Chinnese slave labor is not free enterprise to begin with.
The only force in the world that can stifle the American spirit is the American government.
luv_america
10-28-2006, 12:24 PM
The good news is, h'cap, lbj, if you like the socialism of the nordics so much there's nothing stopping you guys from moving there. Bon Voyage!
yes there is something preventing them. The Swedes at least won't have you., or anyone for that matter
GameTheory
10-28-2006, 12:32 PM
The point of "high taxation" is for the government to have high tax revenue, right? Or is the point just to take away money from people for the hell of it? And since you can raise tax revenue in the long-term by lowering tax rates and growing the economy (which has been proven in practice), doesn't that seem better than than the short-term solution of raising tax rates? Then you can have low taxes AND your social programs. Isn't that the best?
What is going to happen to those countries you mentioned when the industry they dominate in takes a downturn, as is inevitable? Should all of America be in a single industry? As mentioned, you can't really compare those countries to the U.S. -- the population and land area difference is just too great. It is like comparing one state or even one big city to the whole U.S. -- you should be arguing for greater local control and a smaller federal government in that case.
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