Sweden

[skidman]

lol I think it more than just ABBA. Of all the nordic countries they have the highest death rate. Could it be said the Swedish government and King have blood on their hands when they placed more importance on its economy than the lives of its citizens. (sound familiar? )

Right. You got a point there. I think the Swedish way of dealing with the big C is the wrong way. Their high death rates are no surprise. The reason for doing it differently, however, is not economical but epidemiological. But yes: The Swedish government have blood on their hands.

I do not want to comment on Your "Stalin and the Swedes" approach. You can do better than that, but one thing is for sure (And maybe Markus can add some remarks here, cause he is much more nordic than I am.):

There is a cultural difference between Scandinavia and the rest of the world: There is a strong feeling of belonging together in nordic societies. Don't call it Socialism, it's something else. When I spent a few months in Norway it was a big surprise for me that you could look up the amount of taxes your neighbor paid last year on a public website. Tax burdens in nordic countries are high and they are extremely high in Sweden, but most of the wealthy people are OK with this. Social insurance institutions are strongly supported. Lots of public money is spent on promotion of cultural activity, that is why so many fantastic (metal-)bands originate from Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

Putting the "Socialistic" label on Scandinavian societies is inadequate and ignorant. They have produced a high level of social cohesion, maybe this is a strange concept for a US citizen, but Scandinavia is standing strong.

So maybe you should cross the pond, sit at the midsummer fire, listen to blond girls singing and strumming their guitars while the moonshine schnaps is circulating. Man, I had a good time there...