If it's freedom and success 'they' hate, why aren't 'they' attacking Norway?
OPINION
This is an Interesting read By Luciana Bohne from online journal.
Most Americans like to believe they live in the best country in the world. They don't. According to the United Nations Human Development Report for 2005, Norway is number one. Why? It's a welfare state.
There is a pleasant economic equality enjoyed by the Norwegian polity. No one is too poor; no one is too rich. In fact, great wealth is regarded as some sort of social disease. Third oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and Russia, Norway is tucking away a national fund of over $180 billion for when the oil runs out, guaranteeing each family the quaint sum of $22,000 per year—in addition to guaranteed health care, education, pensions, and paid maternity leaves and vacations to die for! True, a glass of beer will cost you $8, but the waiter makes a good salary.
Americans like to think that terrorists attack them because they are rich, free, and number one. Not true. They don't attack Norway—another benefit for keeping your neck out of the woods, minding your own business, taking care of your own people, and planning for tomorrow—not to mention preventing your government from being drowned in the bathtub by snake-oil salesmen posing as public servants, so it can't help when an iceberg hits a fjord, or equivalent natural disaster. Norwegians seem proud of having government on their backs! Not too heavy when they can request and obtain any government record they please for their review! They are also disgustingly healthy. Must be the lack of stress. Thirty million Americans are on anti-depressants. You wonder why.
Lots of Americans like to think they have the most generous government in the world. Again, not true. The US is the stingiest donor of foreign aid among rich nations. Current foreign development aid is up from $52.3 billion to $57 billion per year but quite short of the $100 billion needed to meet the goals of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for 2015, which pledged to reduce poverty and inequality in a Declaration of Millennium Goals signed by 175 UN member nations in 2000. Rich nations contribute 0.25 percent of their GDP (gross domestic product); the US contributes 0.1 percent. Among Ambassador John Bolton's 700 amendments to "reform" the UN, his wish list includes gutting the MDG.
Americans like to think they are spreading freedom and democracy around the world. You guessed it. Not true. The war in Iraq has cost $200 billion so far, but the Iraqi justice minister can't prosecute foreign fighters on Iraqi soil who detain and manhandle Iraqi citizens without judicial procedure. As many as 10,000 Iraqis are in detention in grossly abusive locations, of which Abu Ghraib is only the most notorious. Foreign fighters, of course, are the multinational forces, made up of an effective coalition of two—Britain and the US. Iraqi women have come under Sharia law, after 50 years of sharing legal equality with men. Think about that, as a test of spreading democracy! Iraqi farmers are required to buy seeds from corporations after five millennia of giving the world the genius of their wisdom and experimentation. Now, by virtue of Paul Bremer's Coalition Provisional Authority "intellectual property" law, included in the current Iraqi constitution, Iraqi farmers have no right to plant seeds not licensed by the state.
Click here to read more
This is an Interesting read By Luciana Bohne from online journal.
Most Americans like to believe they live in the best country in the world. They don't. According to the United Nations Human Development Report for 2005, Norway is number one. Why? It's a welfare state.
There is a pleasant economic equality enjoyed by the Norwegian polity. No one is too poor; no one is too rich. In fact, great wealth is regarded as some sort of social disease. Third oil exporter after Saudi Arabia and Russia, Norway is tucking away a national fund of over $180 billion for when the oil runs out, guaranteeing each family the quaint sum of $22,000 per year—in addition to guaranteed health care, education, pensions, and paid maternity leaves and vacations to die for! True, a glass of beer will cost you $8, but the waiter makes a good salary.
Americans like to think that terrorists attack them because they are rich, free, and number one. Not true. They don't attack Norway—another benefit for keeping your neck out of the woods, minding your own business, taking care of your own people, and planning for tomorrow—not to mention preventing your government from being drowned in the bathtub by snake-oil salesmen posing as public servants, so it can't help when an iceberg hits a fjord, or equivalent natural disaster. Norwegians seem proud of having government on their backs! Not too heavy when they can request and obtain any government record they please for their review! They are also disgustingly healthy. Must be the lack of stress. Thirty million Americans are on anti-depressants. You wonder why.
Lots of Americans like to think they have the most generous government in the world. Again, not true. The US is the stingiest donor of foreign aid among rich nations. Current foreign development aid is up from $52.3 billion to $57 billion per year but quite short of the $100 billion needed to meet the goals of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for 2015, which pledged to reduce poverty and inequality in a Declaration of Millennium Goals signed by 175 UN member nations in 2000. Rich nations contribute 0.25 percent of their GDP (gross domestic product); the US contributes 0.1 percent. Among Ambassador John Bolton's 700 amendments to "reform" the UN, his wish list includes gutting the MDG.
Americans like to think they are spreading freedom and democracy around the world. You guessed it. Not true. The war in Iraq has cost $200 billion so far, but the Iraqi justice minister can't prosecute foreign fighters on Iraqi soil who detain and manhandle Iraqi citizens without judicial procedure. As many as 10,000 Iraqis are in detention in grossly abusive locations, of which Abu Ghraib is only the most notorious. Foreign fighters, of course, are the multinational forces, made up of an effective coalition of two—Britain and the US. Iraqi women have come under Sharia law, after 50 years of sharing legal equality with men. Think about that, as a test of spreading democracy! Iraqi farmers are required to buy seeds from corporations after five millennia of giving the world the genius of their wisdom and experimentation. Now, by virtue of Paul Bremer's Coalition Provisional Authority "intellectual property" law, included in the current Iraqi constitution, Iraqi farmers have no right to plant seeds not licensed by the state.
Click here to read more
posted by _H_ at 4:05 pm
4 Comments:
No one is too poor; no one is too rich. In fact, great wealth is regarded as some sort of social disease
Read No one stand out, no one achieves anything, no one has any concept of individualism... just one big oozing blob.
They don't attack Norway—another benefit for keeping your neck out of the woods, minding your own business, taking care of your own people,
Read: God help them if there ever happens to be something they actually believe in and want to stand up for it... because this is the kind of "ostrich" politics that allowed Hitler to rip through most of Europe before Churchill stood up and said no.
The US is the stingiest donor of foreign aid among rich nations.
Read Sure, if you go off percentages, but when you actually look at numbers... no one comes even close. 1% for us is about equivalent of 60% for Norway... but then again, who's counting unless it hurts America's image. Logic here: America should give all it's money away for the greater good, that way, we can get closer to the previously mentioned "no one is too right, no one is too poor" mentality.
You guessed it. Not true. The war in Iraq has cost $200 billion so far, but the Iraqi justice minister can't prosecute foreign fighters on Iraqi soil who detain and manhandle Iraqi citizens without judicial procedure.
Read Ignore that whole decline of communism and socialism thing. Ignore the defeat of Emperial Japan, Nazi Germany, and Dictorial Italy, then the stalemate of Korea, and the halt in SE Asia (Vietnam). Ignore the falling of the Berlin Wall, and the USSR. Ignore the marginalization of Cuba. Iraq is all that matters, and the 3 years it has been goin on... because that is plenty of time to completely convert a millenia of preconceived notions and established traditions.
So, now that we have established how wonderful Norway is, did they ask how many times Norway has stopped tyrany and opression in the world? How about how much food and manpower they gave to the Tsunami or Iran earthqake victims?
How many killings in Bosnia and the Sudan have they stopped? How many African nations have they helped out? How much food and medicine do they deliver to Africa on a regular basis?
How many new technologies, medicins, procedures, treatments, and wonders have they invented, produced, and then brought to market?
It is easy to be a welfare state with the entire world shouldering the work load of progression.
Or you could say everyone is equal and happy , nobody is living on the streets , medical care is equal for all , health and quality of life is better , , funny G , we talking about norway and you sound like your describing communist russia lol
Al-qaeda is not Hitler G , and the only ones marching through countries with your army in tow is you lol
no America should not give all it has LOL , you seem a bit sensitive today G :-) , GDP is an effective means of looking at what a country can afford to give
even Iran offered you cash after katrina , what did you offer them on christmas day last year when they had the awful earth quake , answer not a cent !
I often wonder about the relgious center/right and where they stand on issues like torture and poverty etc
did god just bless america did he ?
are gods children only in the US or are we ALL gods children ?
a saying i am sure you won't like as it is socialist in its origin , but it is kept as a princible of even the most right winged of governments in the world
From each acourding to his ability
to each acourding to his needs
Africa has the greatest need
America has the greatest ability to change that need
the rich nations of the world have a moral obligation to redress the balance
as a religious man , do you think that god wanted americans to have a better quality of life then say people from the congo ? just because of where they were born ?
In military terms , asking why norway doesnt stop opresion is like asking why Americans are useless as sumo wrestling ! , they dont have the military capability to do so ,
dont tell me , everyone should support you just because you do have the power
Morals are not right
facts are not right
all the matters is might = right
From each according to his ability
to each according to his needs
No way, no how. That is exactly what that is (socialist in nature). It is the remover of all self ambition.
I will never work harder for someone else to reap the rewards. This entire mentality is a self-delusional mink sickness that led to the downfall of the Soviet Union, and almost to China (until they woke up and smelled the Capitalism).
I do not compair Norway to the Soviet Union, just point out their extreme lack of contribution to the world.
Charity does not advancement make.
While it is outstanding Norway can afford to give out so much the commie share-fest of UN world poverty fund, they have given the world nothing in the form of advancement.
We have developed the most advanced and useful technologies (and some of the dealiest unfortunately) the world has ever seen. We are on the bleeding edge of innovation... that does come from "From each acourding to his ability, to each acourding to his needs".
These things are somethign that always gets forgotten and left out when you lefties try to proclaim the wonders of socialism...
I enjoy that the hard work I do, the extra hours I put in, will mean more money in my pocket. If I so choose to give it away to charity, that is my perogative, not the Government's. I have a mind, and I like to use it... I am not a cow at pasture that needs the Government to figure it all out for me.
Now, as far as the religious right... There are too many that call themselves Christians and quickly condemn others of different faiths and convicitons.
I may feel that what someone does is wrong, but I would never presume to judge them for it. I am thankful that the power and responsibility included with that duty are not on my shoulders.
We supported Tehran quite a bit during the earthquake as I recall.
I dont think God blessed America only. I do believe that we have enjoyed a great deal of benifits in this nation. I do believe that it is an honor and privledge to be born here. I do believe that God has bless this nation, but it is neither in my knoledge, nor my comprehension as to the plans of God, or the will of God.
So for me to start babbling off at the mouth about who I think God blessed and didnt, and why is nothing but foolish speculation and opinion. Last time I checked, God didnt confide in any of us here mortals. So when you hear someone say that, or talk like that, realize that they are making assumptions about things they have no earthly idea about.
I do not pray that God is our side, or on my side. I pray that I stay on His side.
A good rule of thumb for me (taught two Sundays ago) is simply put: If you question your actions or motivations, think to pray on them. If you would be ashamed to pray for God's help in achieving them, then you know it is not the right thing to do.
I think a good deal of my fellow Christians forget these things. They get too wrapped up in the finger pointing and trying to be boastful. In doing so, the slip from the wise to the fool.
this is the age old argument in politics G
when you think of most homeless people i imagine (?) that you think of an old tramp with a wine bottle who can not be bothered to get of his backside and get a job
when i think of a homeless person i think of a veteran of world war 2 who returned to find his wife and kids had left him , and through poverty and mental illness has gone from fighting for his country to living out of trash cans
the truth is both exist and i see one and you see the other (of course i am guessing )
to each acourding to his needs does not mean give that lazy slob some money , the 'needs' are dependent on the real circumstances
take you G , you have gone and fought for your country , now if you had found out tomorrow you had something awfull like luekemia (or whatever) then in my view the state should take care of you , not charities , not the red cross
(on a little side note many people here were shocked and suprised to see people like george bush saying , please donate to the red cross , of course i am glad people did , but to see your leader telling people to donate to a non governmental charity rather then saying "hey , we got it covered" was suprising to say the least)
anyway..it is all about the definition , what are needs ? well a TV and a car are not needs , but should anyone be homeless in your country if they do not want to be ?
and from each acourding to his abilitiy , thats how income tax works , the more you earn the more you pay , and rightly so
all governements apply this logic , you have in your many posts here given me many examples of to each acourding to his needs
the sign of a sick society is when you do not apply it G
when you refuse to treat someone if he doesnt have the money to pay for it ,
we have a poverty trap here , many kids leave home as they had abusive parents , they come to london and live on the streets
they want to work , but they can not , to work they must have an address , they want a home , but they can not , to have a home you must have a job
each solution requires the other .. is that civilised , or is it there own fault that they run away from a father who is sexually abusing them ?
or is it the job of charities to step in ?
or do you expect your government to use your tax payments to help these people ?
you said "ood rule of thumb for me (taught two Sundays ago) is simply put: If you question your actions or motivations, think to pray on them. If you would be ashamed to pray for God's help in achieving them, then you know it is not the right thing to do."
and i agree complelely ,
you say nobody knows the mind of god and i agree , but i feel that many of the muslims who think they are acting in the name of god are in for quite a shock
and many of those on the christian right , who seem strangely silent when the torture of prisoners or the slaughter at Fallujah happens will also be in for a shock
I will end with your final words , why , erm well i liked them LOL
you said
"I think a good deal of my fellow Christians forget these things. They get too wrapped up in the finger pointing and trying to be boastful. In doing so, the slip from the wise to the fool."
Post a Comment
<< Home