African-American households have a higher median average income than the Swedes. International Monetary Fund data from 2001 show that U.S. GDP per capita in dollar terms was 56 percent higher than in Sweden while in 1980, Swedish GDP per capita was 20 percent higher.
Socialism will be the death of Sweden, although it will be a slow, lingering death. Unlike much of the rest of Europe, which is moving rightward (Austria, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, and perhaps the Netherlands and Germany in their upcoming elections), Swedes are strongly wedded to the welfare state. The fact that they have the slowest rate of growth in Western Europe *might* be related, although I am quite sure that they will argue such a conclusion.
posted on May 05, 2002 10:54 PM
