I believe in private ownership -for everyone- and small business; yet there is no way I would ever vote for the Liberals, and the Labor party is just a bunch of would be's. Thanks to the dialectic, both our major parties have become neo liberal.
The great lie of Capitalism is unfettered competition. The old Soviet Communists used to love using the term 'decadent' to describe our current Capitalist system, and they were right.
Our system is in decay.
Competition is a race. What happens when the race is won?
You inevitably end up with a couple of place getters, and whole nations full of losers.
And private ownership, and the chance to start a small business have never been so hard to achieve.
In a nutshell, the world's problems come down to this. There is no moral, practical or or even theoretical reason to allow companies to get so big, the ones on top get 100,000 times more than the ones on the bottom.
For an expansion of this discussion, come over to my place. No word limit.
http://thecomensality.com/avasay/?p=77

Dear BB,

Wobbles has brought up some interesting extras.

I admit I don't know that much about what goes
on in the Scandinavian countries - only bits
and pieces that I've read. Suicide rates were high.
My husband knows
more. He tells me that the tax rates (used to be) -
60% of the salary - and you actually need 80%
to live - so it's not the idealic system you
believe it to be. Also, there are other problems -
long dark nights, cold winters, high cost of living,
and so forth.

Friends of my mother's from overseas are so impressed
with our Medicare system here - they say that they
envy us in Australia - we've got little to complain
about, compared to what's available in other
countries. Especially services for the elderly.

Foxy, at the risk of wandering too far off-topic here is an extract from the latest suicide rates from the World Health Organisation (per 100,000 by country).
Some figures are old but the global trend for males has about doubled in the last 50 years.

Country / Males / Females
Japan / 34.8 / 13.2
Finland / 31.1 / 9.6
France / 26.4 / 9.2
Switzerland / 24.7 / 10.5
New Zealand / 19.8 / 4.2
Germany / 19.7 / 6.6
Sweden / 19.5 / 7.1
Denmark / 19.2 / 8.1
USA / 17.7 / 4.5
Canada / 17.3 / 5.4
Australia / 17.1 /4.7
Norway / 15.7 / 7.4
Netherlands / 12.7 / 6.0
Zimbabwe / 10.6 / 5.2
Greece / 3.4 / 0.9
Iran / 0.3 / 0.1

Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. (Greece is included because it’s supposedly one of the “unhappiest” places)

Maybe we should be incorporating other factors such as homelessness, bankruptcies, divorce, crime and incarceration rates and access to medical assistance in any assessment of social well-being or economic success.

GNI per capita
Australia Total 2007 US$35960
Norway Total 2007 US$ 76450
Sweden Total 2007 US$ 46060

Internet users
Australia Total 2006 Per 100 population 52
Norway Total 2006 Per 100 population 82
Sweden Total 2006 Per 100 population 77

Life expectancy at birth
Australia Total 2007 Years 81
Norway Total 2007 Years 80
Sweden Total 2007 Years 81

Proportion of income received by the 20 percent of households with highest income
Australia Total 1995-2005 Percent 41
Sweden Total 1995-2005 Percent 37
Norway Total 1995-2005 Percent 37

Proportion of income received by the 40 percent of households with lowest income
Australia Total 1995-2005 Percent 18
Norway Total 1995-2005 Percent 24
Sweden Total 1995-2005Percent 23

australia Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 86
norway Education expenditures: 7.2% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 20
sweden Education expenditures: 7.1% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 21

Seats held by women in national parliament, percentage
Australia 2007 37
norway 2007 37.9
Sweden 2007 47.3

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Dear Wobbles,

Thanks for the figures.

Quite an eye opener. Especially Japan's
listing for males - is pretty horrenduous.
The surprise was also Finland, Switzerland,
followed by France, Sweden, New Zealand, and
Germany.

We are living longer now than at any time in human history as a species and all you whining lefties can do is cry? Just think of all the luxuries and comforts and safety that this modern lifestyle has given us. Even the common man has more than the rich upper class of ancient times. We all have indoor plumbing, access to a grocery store with fresh food, cars and leisure time.
We have produced an entire generation of politically correct, obedient and lemming like pu$$ie$ of young people and it’s our own fault. God forbid our kids have anything that resembles anything challenging or uncomfortable or unpleasant.
I vote we put all of you ungrateful cowards in a time machine and set it back for the days of fighting for the water hole every day and living in a smoke filled mud hut and leave you all there.
Life is good and getting better.
I don’t miss the smoggy 70’s and I am brave enough to face the future with healthy optimism, not ignorance and petty fear.