Finland is a Capitalist Paradise [View all]

[paleotn]

Wonderful article from boots on the ground so to speak. From our American perch, we may think we know the Nordic countries, but maybe we don't. And that goes for all Americans. Even for the far left and more mainstream in the Democratic party....

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/07/opinion/sunday/finland-socialism-capitalism.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

But surely, many in the United States will conclude, Finnish citizens and businesses must be paying a steep price in lost freedoms, opportunity and wealth. Yes, Finland faces its own economic challenges, and Finns are notorious complainers whenever anything goes wrong. But under its current system, Finland has become one of the world’s wealthiest societies, and like the other Nordic countries, it is home to many hugely successful global companies.

In fact, a recent report by the chairman of market and investment strategy for J.P. Morgan Asset Management came to a surprising conclusion: The Nordic region is not only “just as business-friendly as the U.S.” but also better on key free-market indexes, including greater protection of private property, less impact on competition from government controls and more openness to trade and capital flows. According to the World Bank, doing business in Denmark and Norway is actually easier overall than it is in the United States.

Finland also has high levels of economic mobility across generations. A 2018 World Bank report revealed that children in Finland have a much better chance of escaping the economic class of their parents and pursuing their own success than do children in the United States.

Finally, and perhaps most shockingly, the nonpartisan watchdog group Freedom House has determined that citizens of Finland actually enjoy higher levels of personal and political freedom, and more secure political rights, than citizens of the United States.

Seems to me, from Iceland to Finland, they've taken what works from the socialist approach and unabashed capitalism and combined them in a system that works far more times than it doesn't. We can all take a lesson. Ain't perfect, but it's a sure site better than the meth lab we currently inhabit.