On torpedoes, right of center views, and the wealth of nations..

The mayor of Oslo, Per Ditlev-Simonsen, is the main figure of a political controversy going on in Norway the last couple of weeks. It has been disclosed that he had a hidden swiss bank account up until 1985-86 (he is not sure himself of when he got rid of this bank account). On this bank account he had an, according to himself, modest amount of money. Nevertheless, it is being perceived as an attempt to evade taxes. One of the representatives on the Norwegian parliament (storting), Martin Engeset, feels this affair as a torpedo having hit the Right Party (Høyre), in which Ditlev-Simonsen is a member.

This affair makes me think about Norwegian attitudes toward wealth and economic success. I have a Norwegian friend, with whom I discuss this every time we meet, and we never seem to get anywhere in our discussions. She may be a little extreme in her left-wing opinions, and I think her political views are quite moronic, and I never miss an opportunity to point out that to her. Nevertheless, she is a great friend, whose company I love, and I also love discussing those things with her, even though (or perhaps because) we never will agree.

Anyway, the Norwegian attitude toward economical success may not differ too much from the attitude of France or Germany, or other European countries, but there is definitely a lot of jealousy toward rich people or people experiencing economic success in Norway. Don´t get me wrong, I am not trying to defend cheating and evading taxes, and of course people should contribute their fair share to the community they live in. But this affair with Ditlev-Simonsen seemingly trying to hide away money, is something that is very, very easy for other political parties in Norway to cash in on.

It seems to me that, besides in sport, success is not really something that is applauded in Norway. If you are experiencing economic success, then you are to be de facto punished for that. If you earn more, you should pay more, not only in terms of the amount, but more proportionally. That means that if you work a lot of overtime, you are to be taxed more heavily on your overtime hours. Why is it so that we should punish people who are hard working? In my opinion, this is something that should be applauded and rewarded. I don`t see the rationale behind taxing overtime heavier than regular hours, especially when there is a manpower shortage in Norway. If anybody wants to work more, it is something that will gain Norway as a nation, and that should not be punished by taxing it far more than normal hours.

Also, if people are wealthy, it seems that they should not be allowed to use that wealth to pay for better schools for their children, pay for better health care, pay for better care in their old age, etc. I understand the argument that people should have the same opportunities, and I understand that it might not seem fair that some should have better health care than those less well off. Still I can`t accept it. If you work really hard, and if you are successful at what you do, why should you not be allowed to use that wealth to make your life or your life situation better? Why should you have to be content with something less than you could have? Are you not entitled to make yourself more comfortable if you worked really hard for it?

The Norwegian attitude toward the egalitarian ideal make me think of something I heard while studying in Germany a few years ago. It was said about the east Germans, but could as well be said about Norwegians. Well, what was said, was that if the east Germans had the choice between a) the west Germans having toast with ham and cocoa and the east Germans having bread with jam and milk, and b) everybody eating dry bread with water, they would choose alternative b. This is in fact an attitude which is widespread in Norway, although in to lesser or greater extent. If public health care could get a little better because of a little competition from private clinics, or if public schools could improve (which they sorely need) because of competing private ones, why not? Competition is not inherently bad, it is something that brings improvement. It adds to the wealth of nations.

I honestly think that Norway is a great country, and it is a great place to live. But some things could be improved, and I think Norway as a nation and state could profit from applauding success and rewarding hard work more than what is currently done, and let people enjoy the fruits of their hard work.

Well, I`ll let that be the end of my ravings for now...