tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post113501781462387526..comments2024-03-26T16:03:42.608-06:00Comments on Flares into Darkness: Wealth, Capital, and Nationsambisinistralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03836786826294202405noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-1135047280473633872005-12-19T19:54:00.000-07:002005-12-19T19:54:00.000-07:00Jamie,You might want to take a look at P.J. O'Rour...Jamie,<BR/><BR/>You might want to take a look at P.J. O'Rourke's book "Eat the Rich". He has interesting chapters on what he calls good and bad capitalism, and good and bad socialism, with one illustrative country covered in each. Sweden is the example he chooses for good socialism.<BR/><BR/>He shows a chart which plots economic growth in Sweden during the Twentieth Century. There is clear exponential growth occurring until the exact instant that the socialists took control. From that point on growth was only linear. As he points out, the Swedes still have a good life. But they have lost what economists call "opportunity cost". Had their economic growth continued apace, there would now be Ikea and Volvo space stations orbiting the Earth, and Google would be a Swedish company. Opportunity cost is invisible but is very real. Sweden is successful; because of the socialists it is a lot poorer than it should have been.MeaninglessHotAirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11767916621253839341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-1135042623993264632005-12-19T18:37:00.000-07:002005-12-19T18:37:00.000-07:00Well, Jamie, a cynic might say that this:The finan...Well, Jamie, a cynic might say that this:<BR/><BR/><I>The financial support of the government of Sweden is acknowledged with gratitude.</I> <BR/><BR/>has something to do with it.<BR/><BR/>More after my two-year-old climbs off the keyboard.Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13849696277722291312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-1135041219238001762005-12-19T18:13:00.000-07:002005-12-19T18:13:00.000-07:00Knuck,This is a very interesting study.It's fascin...Knuck,<BR/><BR/>This is a very interesting study.<BR/><BR/>It's fascinating that the Swedes do so well, in spite of (partly because of?) their socialist political system.<BR/><BR/>And of course Switzerland's top position brings to mind Orson Wells' "Harry"'s comment to Joseph Cotton in "The Third Man"!<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>JamieJamie Ironshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08483791884102487505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-1135018958541932432005-12-19T12:02:00.000-07:002005-12-19T12:02:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16770268554450465514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-1135018595338152922005-12-19T11:56:00.000-07:002005-12-19T11:56:00.000-07:00Don't miss Wretchard's Latest on the Election in B...<A HREF="http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2005/12/looming-large.html" REL="nofollow"><STRONG>Don't miss Wretchard's Latest on the Election in Bolivia.</STRONG> </A>Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16770268554450465514noreply@blogger.com