Bernie Sanders Want Us to Become a Scandinavian Country

Before I get started with today’s letter I’d like to take the time to welcome all of our new subscribers. Each week we’re adding thousands of new folks to this little community.

If you’re one of them, I welcome you and encourage you to join this ongoing discussion.

Now that we’ve said hello to our new friends I’d like to address a question we get and hear often.

Why can’t the US be more like Norway (Or insert name of random Scandinavian country)?

They’ll extol benefits like free health care, free college, reduced gun violence, supposedly happier population, etc…

You even hear liberal politicians like Bernie Sanders say things like… “The US should be more like Socialist Scandinavia”

After hearing all the rhetoric you would think these Scandinavian countries are Utopian societies filled with sunshine and rainbows.

The truth is there isn’t very much sunshine and all that “free stuff” isn’t really free at all.

We’ll continue after this word from our sponsor…

So how are these countries different and how do they afford all of this great “free stuff”?

The first most obvious thing to point out is the difference in size. The population of Norway for example is just over 5.1 million people. That means their whole country has about a half million less people than live in the Atlanta metro area alone.

But that shouldn’t be a problem right? They’re smaller, but can’t we just scale up what they’re doing?

OK… Maybe… But are you willing to pay for it?

The top marginal income tax rates in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are 60.4%, 56.9%, and 39% respectively.

I can hear the liberal cheers now… Yeah! They got it right. Let those rich SOB’s pay for it!

But au contraire my friend… It’s not just the rich in these lovely countries.

In Denmark for example the top marginal tax rate of 60% applies to all income over 1.2 times the average income. To put that in perspective that would apply to any income earned over $60,000 in the US. I think most would consider this firmly planted in the middle class… Not rich by any stretch of the imagination.

These countries also boast very high VATs (Value Added Taxes) which are essentially sales taxes. These taxes are often considered extremely regressive and largely place higher burdens on the poor. Each of the 3 countries mentioned above have VAT rates of 25%.

Want a new TV? Pay 25% tax… Want a new car? Pay 25% tax… Need to buy shoes for work? Pay25% tax…

{SIDEBAR: I always found the term “Value Added Tax” to be funny. Is this a joke? What value is being added?}

Now, to be fair, most states and cities in the US do have some type of sales tax… But would you be willing to pay 3 to 4 times more sales tax than you do now?

Another argument I always hear with regards to us not having some of these same “free benefits” is…

If we didn’t spend so much money on the military we could afford some of these things?

I get it the US spends a lot of money on national defense. Personally, I agree with that argument to an extent. We do spend way too much money on foreign wars and policing the world.

I would prefer the US to take more of an isolationist approach to national defense. George Washington even famously addressed this in his farewell speech.

I’m sure the hate mail is hitting my email box right now. Even though I feel we should spend less on defense. I also understand that we need to spend a lot of money to have a powerful military.

Of the Scandinavian countries Norway spends the most at about $7 billion annually. However, they don’t face the domestic and foreign threats we face in the US.

Comparing the two is like comparing your neighbor to the President of the United States. The President faces all sorts of threats and needs 24 hour secret service detail, your neighbor doesn’t even need to lock his front door at night.

Plus if Norway was ever invaded by Russia, for example, they would look to the US to come to their defense. The United States doesn’t have the luxury to rely on others for our national defense. So we must have the strongest military in the world.

But if after everything I said doesn’t convince you that the ultra socialist Scandinavian welfare states aren’t the way to go you could always move. I won’t stop you…

You can go ahead and enjoy the cold and six months of darkness every year. I’ll enjoy the sunshine and warmth here in Florida.

Oh and on final word of warning before you go… If you happen to be African American, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern keep in mind the Scandinavian countries are notoriously racist.

Just ask Kyle James a well to do banker from New York who happens to be black.

After visiting a bar in Stockholm and ordering a drink he was asked by bouncers to leave. When he asked why, he was dragged out, pepper sprayed, and pinned to the ground. The police then hand cuffed him and took him to a cell where he was forced to strip naked and spend the night in jail.

“I always had the perception that people were forward-thinking and liberal in Scandinavia, but not even an animal should be treated in that way.” Said James

Think the US should be more like Scandinavia? Be careful what you wish for.


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