A revolutionary idea to make America great again. Scandinavia has, in general, the best standard of living for the common man in the world. Everything is socialized -- education, medicine, and cheap particle board furniture -- but this comes at the expense of the rich: 90% income tax is not unheard of in the land of the midnight sun.

In America, the poor have an atrocious standard of living. Nothing is socialized, or at least very little is.

So why don't we put them together?

America should put all of its tired, its poor, its huddled masses yearning to breath free, and send them to the land of Vikings and fjords, where they can be happy.

And what happens when these formerly poor become prosperous in their new environment and begin to chafe under the neo-socialist regime of those blonde haired blue eyed giants? They can move back to America where they can enjoy their wealth without the annoyance of those dirty riff-raff. At the same time, they will introduce more wealth, decreasing the overall value of the dollar and thuse standard of living in America, making those who were rich poor.

And those poor can move to Scandinavia!
-- Sand Jack, Nov 26 2001

Seasonal Affective Disorder http://www.mentalhe...m/book/p40-sad.html
It's bad enough in Scotland - remind me, what exactly is "The Sun"? [pottedstu, Nov 27 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

More SAD http://www.ncpamd.com/seasonal.htm
This time written in English. [pottedstu, Nov 27 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

The Sun http://www.the-sun.co.uk
Probably not what pottedstu meant. Still, a good laugh might help prevent SAD. [CoolerKing, Nov 27 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

is 'thuse' a new word to replace the timeconsuming need to say two words: 'thus the'?
-- lewisgirl, Nov 26 2001


Why on earth would anyone want to move back to America once they'd lived in a civilised country for a few years?
-- Guy Fox, Nov 26 2001


Given that 'Scandinavia has, in general, the best standard of living', why not take Scandinavia's poor and transport them to USA where they will be, relatively, better off?
-- angel, Nov 26 2001


But Angel -- there's the beauty! You move America's poor to Scaninavia where they become Scandinavian poor and thus middle class by american standards, so move them back to america!
-- Sand Jack, Nov 26 2001


So what you're propsing, essentially, is that rich Scandinavians subsidise America's poor. What precisely are the Scandinavians getting out of this deal?

You're not trying to troll by any chance are you [Sand Jack]? This, together with your weighted lottery voting idea both smell somewhat fishy.
-- Lemon, Nov 26 2001


And another advantage, the ones that still can't make a go of it out there are more likely to commit suicide than in the US! Yay!
-- -alx, Nov 26 2001


Of course this assumes people are homeless due to unfortunate circumstances, not refusal to take prescribed psychiatric medication for severe mental problems. Something like 85% of American homeless are outdoors simply because our laws do not permit us to force people to take vitally necessary medication unless they are declared incompetent and institutionalized. Plus, in a country founded on an ideal of rugged individualism, we as a society don't always feel it necessary to be sympathetic to people who choose to live in a bad way, ie, refusing to take the necessary steps to be a productive member of society.
-- mazo, Nov 26 2001


This sounds as if you're suggesting Socialism actually works...
-- LeBain, Nov 26 2001


Of course it works... so does comunism (well real comunism would - adding a dictator is likley to ruin things)...
-- RobertKidney, Nov 26 2001


Was I this bad when I joined the HB?
-- phoenix, Nov 26 2001


Don't worry, phoenix. Not even I was.

(see my first idea, electric death ray. I didn't even TRY to disguise it)
-- AfroAssault, Nov 27 2001


[LeBain]: Naw, under Socialism, there would *be* no middle-class. (Everyone would be poor.)
-- angel, Nov 27 2001


But, there would be no poor either, because in order for there to be poorpeople, there must be rich peole in order to show the comparison.
-- [ sctld ], Nov 27 2001


Does this refer to any particular Scandinavian country or has there been a merger recently?
-- sirrobin, Nov 27 2001


I would like to draw attention to the paragraph: "In America, ... nothing is socialized, or at least very little is."
-- cp, Nov 27 2001


[cp]: In the grand scheme of this idea, that's a minor flaw.
-- angel, Nov 27 2001


for gods sake don't go to Scandanavia with him, it does not exist. he's the bloke who tried to pick you up at the office, don't trust him, he has shifty eyes. thank you CK.
-- po, Nov 27 2001


po: Are you calling BM "shifty eyes"? Bit harsh isn't it?

No probs, po.

BM: Scandinavia is no safer than USA. Instead of being shot, stabbed or bombed, you just end up dying from the extreme cold, starvation (trust me, there's only so much herring and elk a sane person can eat) or, more likely, boredom.
-- CoolerKing, Nov 27 2001


Not to mention all the mobile phone radiation, the nuclear fallout from Soviet submarines sinking in the Arctic, the long nights (causing seasonal affective disorder) and Ibsen plays and Bergman films everywhere you turn.
-- pottedstu, Nov 27 2001


<rocking back and forth> The sun... the sun... the sun...
-- Guy Fox, Nov 28 2001


I think what we need is a poor exchange program. WHere our poor can get better benefits in Scandinavia and the scandinavian poor will rejoice at their new American opportunities everyone is happy
-- lbunting, Nov 28 2001


lbunting: You are aware that none of the countries that are considered to be part of Scandinavia are considered to be part of the 3rd world haven't you? The people who get the worst deal out there are alcoholics as drinks are heavily taxed, they face severe restrictions on sales of alcohol and they are prone to die from exposure.

I suppose that Scandinavian countries could swap their alcoholics for Americans who are facing poverty and depravation but are intelligent enough to learn a foreign language, benefit from education programs and find a meaningful role for themselves in society.
-- Aristotle, Nov 28 2001


I spent the last 18 months in Sweden -- that country does not work. Given the domain name is .se I like to view it as a failed Social Experiment.
-- boyd, Jun 03 2003


I moved to Sweden. So baked I'm afraid.
-- nichpo, Jul 25 2003


//that country does not work//

Depends what they are trying to achieve.
-- DrBob, Mar 19 2008


Isn't Inga from Sweden?
-- theircompetitor, Mar 19 2008



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