We are in Norway

What impresses me the most about Norway is that the population has held their government accountable enough to establish and supervise their sovereign wealth fund so well. That is the real secret, they have the one valuable resource to export and they're making the most of it, and setting themselves up with an electric economy when the oil is gone.
Canada probably could do the same, with oil/gas/coal, forestry, and mining. Several provinces are nearly 100% hydro power, and we make good nuclear plants, and we have all the expensive materials for almost any industry and we had the manufacturing know how and facilities to make almost everything needed for any industry. Then we have farmland, fertilizer, fisheries....
The US is also similarly blessed with almost every natural resource, so it seems crazy for our countries to have any national debt?

Norway is small enough to not have the province/state level of government, so maybe that helped to eliminate more corruption pretending to be capitalism? Having a successful universal healthcare is a pretty common thing, but doing a sovereign wealth fund is a real feat of successful a population/government.
 
Yep, if anyone remembers reading about Nauru in the 70s and 80's, they were headed pretty much towards pure self-reliance on fund alone. Bank accounts were opened by the government at babies' birth, high school graduates had a choice of western universities to go to at government expense, it was pure bliss.

Then corruption and incompetence kicked in, and they are one of the poorest countries in the world right now. If not the poorest.
 
goblin said:
Yep, if anyone remembers reading about Nauru in the 70s and 80's, they were headed pretty much towards pure self-reliance on fund alone. Bank accounts were opened by the government at babies' birth, high school graduates had a choice of western universities to go to at government expense, it was pure bliss.

Then corruption and incompetence kicked in, and they are one of the poorest countries in the world right now. If not the poorest.
Click to expand...
That corruption and incompetence (I fear some insanity too) in our elected officials seems to be the only thing produced these days in the USA.
 
IndyIan said:
But in our other travels we've never been billed enough for small issues to even bother calling our travel health insurance company. A doctor visit and a prescription in Australia was like $80, and a couple stiches on my sons chin in the Cook Islands was free, so we made a donation for their hospital fund raiser.
Click to expand...
A few times a year a patient would have a visitor from some distant country that needed health care. I always provided that service for free. Being ill while traveling is bad enough.

During my residency we saw an older lady from Australia with pneumonia. Inpatient care is costly and we made sure she got the care she needed - with very little of it being in hospital.
 
edyvw said:
It is more than that. The US because of its size and history of immigration, developed distinct cultures between regions. What works in CA, CO etc. doesn’t work elsewhere. That requires a lot if compromises on federal level. Even if you take one distinct group, they might be coming from distinct cultures. Italian and Irish discriminated against each other for longest time. Same goes for Poles, Russians etc, etc. Such complexity requires complex policy.
Norway for the most part kept that homogeneity. It is far easier to agree on policies.
Click to expand...
I remember when I was there, out of nowhere, a kid goes you Americans are such wasteful people. I felt insulted, but, was he wrong? All the food portions felt like they were 1/2 sized and double priced. What I found odd was no turnstiles on the subway and bikes weren't even locked in the city. I rode in the car of this girl's mom, and on the display, it had radio information which I found weird (this was 1997). On the way back from Oslo to Stockholm, a gentleman asked me if I were going to stockholm, based on my luggage. He then proceeded to tell me I was in the wrong car, as this one would detach along the way--a kind gesture. All in all I was so sure I would be back, but, I never went. In Stockholm, I stayed a week with a girl I barely knew. She was a nurse and left me keys to her apt., and met me at night after work. I recall she waited 9 years for the apartment (she was 27), another characteristic then, a shortage of housing, but it was affordable, hence the long wait.
 
OVERKILL said:
Both suffer from underfunding in less populous and less prosperous areas while having world-class facilities in the large metropolitan centres in the more wealthy provinces/states.
Click to expand...
not really that different than so called 3rd world countries...but I digress...

And yes we have stayed a couple of nights in a world class facility in Brazil but I really digress...
 
KrisZ said:
In Canada, I would:
- first have to see my family doctor. This could be an issue if you don’t have one, or he/she retired or quit the practice.
- The family doctor would send me to get the x-rays, which would likely be a week out.
- Once he/she receives the results they would send me to the orthopedic specialist, provided they diagnosed my problem properly. They could send me to some other specialist, which would waste even more time.
- After all of that, I would finally see an orthopedic specialist.

All of that would likely take over a month, probably even more.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but for many Americans in an HMO this is the way it works here too. it definitely works this way for me. PPO is not even an option with my employer.
 
SammyChevelleTypeS3 said:
****NOT aimed at you Cutjet****
You just made me think about this. I really do not expect anyone to have real good answers about this. I do expect this" "well, that is why you should have an EV and an ICE vehicle!" Ok..... :unsure:
Just been curious about this for a long time. Since u mentioned it, that makes me ask. I never have heard people discuss this aspect of the EVs. What will happen if some place like say, Fla or La or Mississippi , you know coastal areas end up with all of these people with EVs. Then a massive storm comes and aims to and barrels over the place like often occurs..... Now, you have a lot of these people who must evacuate and get away in massive traffic jams. They not only need charge ups to leave and get away. That may not be the biggest issue even thought it will cause a lot of misery and trouble for many. The next thing that often occurs is this..... The storm is now gone and folks can return home to the devastation to see if or what they have to return to. Anyone in those areas knows this. Majority of time many can not simply afford to stay away from home, work and other responsibilities in the area. What will they do to return and try to function when most (like always happens) of the electrical services are OFF due to widespread destruction of the electrical grid in the area they live?
Click to expand...
When they have tried to evacuate the entirety of Houston in the past, gas stations ran out of gas. They now only evacuate the low lying areas ahead of hurricanes. And EVs use less energy sitting there and idling than a gas car does. It's a red herring.
 
All this talk about Canada, doesn't change the experience of my brother in laws Norwegian uncle. He was very grateful to have the life-saving option of coming here to the USA for his procedure.
 
Brons2 said:
When they have tried to evacuate the entirety of Houston in the past, gas stations ran out of gas. They now only evacuate the low lying areas ahead of hurricanes. And EVs use less energy sitting there and idling than a gas car does. It's a red herring.
Click to expand...

I have no reason to question or doubt what you say about Houston or it's evacuations etc....
It appears that the efficiency of EVs is important to you. Great. I suppose you have some reason to defend EVs. I am not out to kill or even fight about EVs. Also not looking to argue with anyone.✌️I am trying to be respectful here as you are/were. Thanks. Some are not.
I just mentioned an angle to think about that I have not seen discussed. Things that I learned from living thru several natural disasters. The aftermath many times a much bigger danger/burden to deal with than the actually storm or natural disaster itself without many essential services restored yet. Especially for people not well off. I am a lucky one who gets to leave and stay away most of the time until all is back to normal. I will ask you to think about this. Just because you deem something a "red herring," does that make it so for anyone/everyone else?
 
Last edited:
SammyChevelleTypeS3 said:
...Just because you deem something a "red herring," does that make it so for anyone/everyone else?
Click to expand...
Apples for apples, it's a red herring.

A prepared EV owner (fully-charged EV) will go further (or at least as far) in dense gridlock than an equivalent ICE vehicle with a full tank of gas.

Yes, the ICE will go further in regular traffic, but in a gridlock with stop and go's, it will have its mpg halved or worse. Especially if for any reason the AC has to be used and the engine is not turned off at every stop.

Yes, a prepared ICE owner with a diesel truck and extra cans of fuel will go further than a distracted EV owner with 50 miles of charge remaining. But the same applies for a prepared EV owner vs an unprepared ICE owner with a nearly empty gas tank. But that's no more apples for apples.

Emergency refueling for stragglers is also no longer as bad as it used to be. Emergency mobile EV chargers are deployed during evacuations the same way emergency gas fill stations are. And the slower "fill-up" on these chargers might still be faster for the limited amount of EVs that will stop there, vs all the unprepared people with ICEs fighting for gas.

EV will become an issue if the evacuation is 300+ miles, but if it is - we're in a whole different heap of trouble.

It's all about being prepared. A savvy craftsman can use various tools. A lousy one will get hurt with gas powered tools as much as with electric ones :)
 
fdcg27 said:
There is no student debt in Norway because university education is free of cost there for citizens, just as it is almost everywhere in the developed world outside of our own country.
There is also no medical bankruptcy there, because the cost of care is limited to a low annual deductible, as is the case everywhere in the developed world, except for here.
Maybe we really can learn from other countries rather that trying to tell them how they should run things?
Click to expand...
Only the best go to college there (we push along way too many idiots). It's pretty easy to pay nothing for community college. Most avg house holds don't make enough so kids pay nothing.
 
SEBZX79 said:
Only the best go to college there (we push along way too many idiots). It's pretty easy to pay nothing for community college. Most avg house holds don't make enough so kids pay nothing.
Click to expand...
If my recent experience is worth anything - you still need to be admitted - even with community college.
 
Ah, yes.
Well, that's a whole different topic, and a vast one. Not sure if they have admittance exams for colleges in Norway.

I've lived in countries where college is free but you have to get through (difficult) exams to be accepted, and in France where it's also free and you need(ed) just a high school diploma to get in (most) colleges.

These colleges were still good, but the admittance system had the perverse effect of making them spend the first and second years on weeding out the wanabees, making these years the most difficult.

Make it to third year, and it was a breeze. I guess it is what it is.
 
goblin said:
Apples for apples, it's a red herring.

A prepared EV owner (fully-charged EV) will go further (or at least as far) in dense gridlock than an equivalent ICE vehicle with a full tank of gas.

Yes, the ICE will go further in regular traffic, but in a gridlock with stop and go's, it will have its mpg halved or worse. Especially if for any reason the AC has to be used and the engine is not turned off at every stop.

Yes, a prepared ICE owner with a diesel truck and extra cans of fuel will go further than a distracted EV owner with 50 miles of charge remaining. But the same applies for a prepared EV owner vs an unprepared ICE owner with a nearly empty gas tank. But that's no more apples for apples.

Emergency refueling for stragglers is also no longer as bad as it used to be. Emergency mobile EV chargers are deployed during evacuations the same way emergency gas fill stations are. And the slower "fill-up" on these chargers might still be faster for the limited amount of EVs that will stop there, vs all the unprepared people with ICEs fighting for gas.

EV will become an issue if the evacuation is 300+ miles, but if it is - we're in a whole different heap of trouble.

It's all about being prepared. A savvy craftsman can use various tools. A lousy one will get hurt with gas powered tools as much as with electric ones :)
Click to expand...
Below is part of what I wrote just to discuss another reason why EVs are not going to work right away for everyone. Those are not the only reasons either. Yet, the very same thing has happened again. Every single time anyone brings up the fact the EVs may not be the best option for some people. EV owners instantly start telling all about laughing and waving at gas stations as they pass. Or it is the stories of how very far they went on a trip. How good & much better the charging is etc.... One last time. :rolleyes:There are OTHER reasons besides the range and battery charging. If range and charging are (which keep improving) the only reason. Why are the masses still not running over one another to purchase them now? Some folks can sound as if they have an agenda to make everyone own an EV.
SammyChevelleTypeS3 said:
I just mentioned a couple angles to think about that I have not seen discussed. Things that I learned from living thru several natural disasters. The aftermath many times is a much bigger danger/burden to deal with than the actually storm or natural disaster itself without many essential services restored yet. Especially for people not well off. I am a lucky one who gets to leave and stay away most of the time until all is back to normal. I will ask you to think about this. Just because you deem something a "red herring," does that make it so for anyone/everyone else?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
What will happen to the value of non-Tesla EVs coming off lease?
Replies
18
Views
477
Brons2
Back
Top Bottom