Unrelated items ( things to think about) Sweden's Social Democracy & The U.S.S. Cole Incident

When you're scraping a house to prepare it for painting, your mind tends to wander, and you think about things. That's where I'll be for the next few weeks - "wandering" and painting!

When I was a little boy growing up in West Orange, New Jersey very often my parents would speak Swedish in our home. They were proud of their Swedish roots and so were my sister and me, but we were more proud about being American citizens. I can remember my Dad cursing as he read his Swedish newspaper, about new governmental reforms taking place "in the old country." His comments ran something like this....."G-- D--- Social Democrats are ruining the country! Pretty soon nobody will want to work!"
When I visited Sweden in 1969, his "rants' became crystal clear when I learned that since no Swede's would work on the governmentally run railway system, Sweden had to import 9,000 families from another country, pay them, provide housing & benefits, support them, educate their children, and generally keep them happy in order for the railroad to run.
The form of government the Social Democrats established in Sweden, was seen as enlightened and wholly caring for all of its citizens. A social democracy. Socialized health care from cradle to the grave was viewed as part of being civilized - so were hundreds of other welfare programs. As the tax burden to every Swede continued to grow, (the maximum individual tax rate now stands at 60%) it became almost second nature for Swede's to receive a portion of their pay "under the table" by having it deposited in foreign banks - thereby avoiding the incredibly high personal tax rate. During the '60's & 70's it was known as, "black money." One of the most notable examples of this practice was tennis great Bjorn Borg - who opted to live and have all of his winnings deposited in Monaco, thereby avoiding the Swedish tax system.
Last week, after 70 years in power - the Social Democrats were ousted by Swede's who seek a more conservative form of government. The reason was simple - the social democracy had simply become too unwieldy, and the welfare state had finally collapsed under it's own weight. Swede's nation-wide went to the voting polls and said, "Enough is enough!" One of the biggest reasons echoed my Dad's sentiments of 40 years ago....since the government was paying for everything, it encouraged people to stay out of work. As an example, Swedish unemployment is recorded at somewhere around 6% - not too bad. But in actuality, the number of Swede's not working because of sickness and disability, but being subsidized by the government is nearer to 20%.
Keep that in mind this election season...and any time you hear someone argue in favor of socialized health care. (Keep an eye on the U.K. - another Social Democracy "creaking" under the burden of a social welfare state!)

Last weekend I watched as President Clinton went ballistic at Chris Wallace - after Wallace asked him to explain why he hadn't done more to capture Usama bin Laden while he was in office. I don't believe in "Monday Morning Quarterbacking," and in this regard I'm not sure whether I care what President Clinton's reasons were/are. But his anger, his poking of Wallace with his finger, his accusations of being "set up" by the Fox News NeoCons, was just too much for me to bear. During the exchange President Clinton said, "After the Cole incident I had a comprehensive plan designed to....." What followed didn't matter to me, what mattered was our ex-President's glossing over "the Cole incident."
As someone who's friend lost their son when the U.S.S. Cole was attacked, I take umbrage at President Clinton even speaking the name of that United States Naval Vessel. HE was responsible for that attack! Here's why.
During his Presidency the Defense Budget and our military forces were grossly reduced. To use the term "gutted" adds a certain visual element to what happened. Prior to his "evisceration," U.S. naval warships were refueled at sea using fuel tender vessels especially designed for that purpose. This not only allowed naval vessels to reach their destinations sooner, but also avoided the potential problems associated with bringing a U.S. warship into a foreign port. By reducing the military budget, President Clinton directly caused the elimination of over 600 fuel tenders used by the Navy. The result was the U.S.S. Cole sitting at anchor in Ayden harbor, and being "gut shot" by a group of al Queda suicide bombers.
What I witnessed Sunday was a disgraced ex-President trying angrily to protect what he considers his legacy. Well, part of your "legacy" Mr. President, includes the spilled blood of 17 Navy sailors & Marines! And I for one, hope they haunt your sleep for the rest of your life.


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