State run energy policy works in Norway: $500 bn surplus

I realize the culture around here is deficient in this regard, but if you're going to make assertions like this, the onus is on you to back them up with facts and figures.
Which states got a huge windfall from energy and spent it all? And does Alaska's fund really reflect well on the administration of their energy wealth when objectively compared to Norway's? You'd want to look at things like per capita energy surplus vs the size of the fund per capita. I don't see anything like that in your post.
 
Quote from peilthetraveler:

Norway produces 2.5 million barrels of oil per day which is more than 10 times what it uses. What country couldnt get rich that way? If the US produced 10 times the amount of oil we use, dont you think we would have no deficit?
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Probably not. There would just be more golf courses and Lear Jets.
 
The Norwegian Central Bank is also very interesting and operates differently than the US Fed. Norway's central bank is very transparent in its operations and two elected employee representatives sit on the board. The central bank is also responsible for investing Norway's pension fund (their version of US Social Security, I guess.).
The contrast between the ways that Norway's public pension fund and the US Social Security trust funds are handled is rather striking. Instead of being restricted to investing in government bonds, Norway's Central Bank invests the pension funds in equities of corporations all over the world, with the exception of corporations on the black list for bad behavior. Norway has no net debt, and no deficit, but they do sell bonds to facilitate cash flow. You can read about the operations of Norway's Central Bank at the Bank's web site. You can also read the lists of companies they invest the pension monies in and the black listed companies.
http://www.norges-bank.no/templates/section____11339.aspx
 
The markets are not big enough for SSI type investments, another reason you cannot compare a small educated, homogeneous, oil exporting western nation to the US. Norway can invest like that because Norway is small.
 
I always get a laugh when all these people see how scandinavian countries are near or at the top of all these international metrics, then people go on the scavenger hunt for the secret sauce:

"but if only we could copy how scandinavian countries educate their children, run their government pension, keep crime so low, etc"

Well, we can't because the USA is not made of scandinavians. Don't worry though. Scandinavian countries are working hard to kill the golden goose with their immigration policy, so before long they will have all the troubles we do.
 
All Eastern European countries are homogeneous and yet they're operated by the mafia.

So your thesis is a failure.

We all agree the Scandinavians have good governance.

Good governance occurs only when the population is 1/ literate 2/involved and 3/ the process of governance is transparent

Scandinavians have ALL THREE in place.

In the US, we have NONE of the above 3.

Deporting all the blacks out would still not solve the underlying rot in American democracy.

The other MAJOR factor weaking American democracy is the use of Private money to elect public officials. This results in nothing but corrupting Democracy.

We end up with Cheneys closed door negotiations with energy corporations and higher energy costs. Or No-Bid contracts to corporations with close ties to political officials.

Scandinavians remove this source of corruption by paid lobbyists working inside govt. by making elections publicly funded.


Actually, now that we've reviewed the differences, it's people like you who are the problem in the weakening of American democracy


My suggestion is Norway should invade us militarily to spread real democracy.




Quote from Nattdog:

I always get a laugh when all these people see how scandinavian countries are near or at the top of all these international metrics, then people go on the scavenger hunt for the secret sauce:

"but if only we could copy how Scandinavian countries educate their children, run their government pension, keep crime so low, etc"

Well, we can't because the USA is not made of Scandinavians. Don't worry though. Scandinavian countries are working hard to kill the golden goose with their immigration policy, so before long they will have all the troubles we do.
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"All Eastern European countries are homogeneous and yet they're operated by the mafia.
So your thesis is a failure."

Some african nations are pretty homogeneous too. But, kind of like Eastern Europe they are not populated by scandinavians.

My thesis stands.
 
Quote from Mom0/pH0x:

also alot of haplogroup N in the region, which is primarily a uralic/finish haplogroup

dna_n_large_rg.jpg


but most of this corruption sheisty mafia run crap is overwhelmingly associated with R1a...
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Are you serious, or is this an elaborate joke?
 
Quote from burn8:

$500 billion overage... sounds like a mis-allocation of resources to me.

-burn8
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you must be from a nation of trillion dollar deficits.
is that the case?
 
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