XPost: alt.politics.republicans, alt.politics.usa, alt.society.conservatism   
   XPost: alt.politics   
   From: m@l.mal   
      
   On Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:59:07 -0700, Bob Eld    
   wrote:   
      
   >On 6/18/2012 1:42 PM, Mal wrote:   
   >>   
   >> Hurry and pop that champagne cork before the 10 minutes are up and the   
   >> consequences of socialism overtake Europe, and the world.   
   >   
   >   
   >This has nothing to do with Socialism. In fact the Socialist Countries   
   >like Norway are not even a part of the European union and are doing just   
   >fine.   
   >   
   >Please, don't show your stupidity by throwing out republican knee jerk   
   >pejoratives than mean nothing.   
      
   Norway is overflowing with natural resources including petroluem.  So   
   saying Norway proves that socialsm works is like saying Saudi Arabia   
   proves that a violently opressive dictatorial monarchy works.  The   
   abundant natural resources they have hide the flaws in their system.   
   What would happen to the house of Saud if they didn't have oil money   
   to spread around?   
      
   Likewise, could Norway's socialist system survive if they lost all   
   their petroleum revenue?  Twenty percent of govnerment revenue is   
   huge.  The irony is that liberals hate petroleum, now here you are   
   attributing Norway's success to socialism.  In a single stroke you   
   demonstrate that developing domestic petroleum is crucial, and also   
   fail to provide a real example of a thriving socialist state.   
      
   What can I say?  Thanks for making my point I guess?   
      
   ---   
      
   The Norwegian economy is a prosperous mixed economy, with a vibrant   
   private sector, a large state sector and an extensive social safety   
   net. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum   
   sector, through extensive regulation and large-scale   
   state-majority-owned enterprises. The country is richly endowed with   
   natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals   
   - and is highly dependent on the petroleum sector, which accounts for   
   the largest portion of export revenue and about 20% of government   
   revenue. Norway is the world's second-largest gas exporter; and   
   seventh largest oil exporter, making one of its largest offshore oil   
   finds in 2011.   
      
   Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November   
   1994; nonetheless, as a member of the European Economic Area, it   
   contributes sizably to the EU budget. In anticipation of eventual   
   declines in oil and gas production, Norway saves state revenue from   
   the petroleum sector in the world's second largest sovereign wealth   
   fund, valued at over $500 billion in 2011 and uses the fund's return   
   to help finance public expenses. After solid GDP growth in 2004-07,   
   the economy slowed in 2008, and contracted in 2009, before returning   
   to positive growth in 2010-11, however, the government budget is set   
   to remain in surplus.   
      
   https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/no.html   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)