16-01-2005 03:04									#31
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

You don't go to Starbucks I take it?

	16-01-2005 03:05									#32
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

quote: Originally posted by JohnT Actually, OP stands for "Original Post", i.e., the first post in a thread. Did I actually just respond to Fez?

Well anybody could of easily mixed that up. OP/Ed usually stands for Opinion/Editioral... which the original article was. Opinion/Editorial.

	16-01-2005 03:07									#33
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

New to the internet, I see.

	16-01-2005 03:10									#34
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

quote: Originally posted by JohnT New to the internet, I see.

Me? Are you out of your mind?

	16-01-2005 03:14									#35
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

Hey Imran, if you read this please AIM me. PMing seems to be screwed at the moment.

I have something that may interest you.

	16-01-2005 03:26									#36
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

I don't think Sweden is on the edge of bankruptcy.. I see it as a pretty balanced and stable country. Taxes COULD BE LOWER though.. pretty high there too.. about the same as in here. I would also like to see some beefing up of the military rather than the opposite. But other than that.. it's pretty cool. Definitely stable. I don't see it changing any time soon.

	16-01-2005 03:59									#37
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

quote: Originally posted by Pekka I would also like to see some beefing up of the military rather than the opposite.

Do you want Swedish rule over Finland again?

	16-01-2005 03:59									#38
	Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: wedish chain stores as H&M and Ikea, whose aesthetic quality limits their range in the United States to a handful of sophisticated metropolitan areas.

What I hate about foreigners is that they think IKEA is classy. In any sane world the above piece would mean that the US outside a handful of sophisticated metropolitan areas was Somalia-style wasteland.

	16-01-2005 04:14									#39
	Get a bigger avatar today!

Just damn, Alabama has a higher gross domestic product then Sweden? Also the US taxes around 15 to 16 % of GDP, not 33% as the article states. This is an aberation though and it will likely go back up to 20%.

	16-01-2005 04:16									#40
	Get a bigger avatar today!

LC, true The only GOOD thing about IKEA is that their products are cheap, and that's the whole idea behind it too.

	16-01-2005 04:37									#41
	Tired of ads?

I'm glad that our rebellion province is doing good, but I don't want them to reunite yet - they first have to get their economy back on the track, and politically they have to get out of the one party mode, but there are hope hat it will happen next election.

	16-01-2005 04:40									#42
	Remove this text

quote: Originally posted by Agathon In Socialist Sweden ---

Actually, our Social-Democrat governent has slided towards liberal politics in the last decades. So don't use Swden as some kind of proof that "socialism works". The Swedish system works, but we don't have socialism. Not the kind the real socialists want anyway.

	16-01-2005 04:47									#43
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by Giancarlo Sweden... headed to bankruptcy in a decade or two..

We have a surplus in our government budget. That can't be said of so many others. How about Germany, France and USA?

	16-01-2005 04:53									#44
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Last Conformist quote: wedish chain stores as H&M and Ikea, whose aesthetic quality limits their range in the United States to a handful of sophisticated metropolitan areas. What I hate about foreigners is that they think IKEA is classy. In any sane world the above piece would mean that the US outside a handful of sophisticated metropolitan areas was Somalia-style wasteland.

Yeah, here we go to H&M to buy cheap but good-enough clothes made by cross-eyed Pakistanian child laborers. There's nothing classy about that, really

	16-01-2005 05:13									#45
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Like saying in an American mall: Wow, a GAP store! This town must be really prosperous!

	16-01-2005 05:25									#46
	Put an end to popups!

Exactly.

However, IKEA has almost the optimal trade off. Quality is not really there, BUT it's ENOUGH quality considering the price. And they aren't competing in the same markets, the prices are _considerably_ lower, so consumers really do think.

For people like me, students etc, it's a life saver. Well I still can't afford IKEA prices either but once I get some money, then I can and it's the only place I could afford, first. They have huge collections, so what ever you need, IKEA should have it, and have it with the lowest prices, yet with the quality that the trade off is OK. That's the key.. they really can do that good.

Same with H&M.. their prices are low enough. It's really not designer clothing, but they try to imitate it, and then put them the lowest prices. Trade off again is OK. And the average consumer does care about the prices, comparing to designer prices, the choice is easy with lower income households and individuals. You can still look nice.

And for furniture etc, expensive area for consumers, well.. it's pretty clear. Of course the young indiviuals are even more to it, because they don't have a lot of money to consume. Furthermore, I'm not buying furniture next that I think will last my whole life, so I'm willing to make the trade off. The other option is to be without furniture.

	16-01-2005 08:27									#47
	Increase the size of your Attachments

@ European egalitarians with royal familes

So Sweden was 4th and now its in the teens? Give us a call when you hit 20th.

	16-01-2005 09:11									#48
	Increase Your PM Length

Looking at GDP figures alone can be quite short-sighted.

Programs such as free education and enjoyable sex ed will keep Sweden populated long after the rest of the West becomes a ghost town.

	16-01-2005 09:25									#49
	Remove this text

Hey Aggie, how do you feel about Sweden free-riding on the security provided by the US military?

	16-01-2005 09:27									#50
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

What security?

	16-01-2005 09:35									#51
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Hey Aggie, how do you feel about Sweden free-riding on the security provided by the US military?

From who?

I mean, there are many desperate men who want to invade the country in order to ravish the lovely Swedish women.

Fortunately invasion has been averted by the fact (it's true, I've seen it in films) that Swedish women are happy to let you ravish them if you only ask nicely.

	16-01-2005 09:42									#52
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Especially if they're on vacation.. VAVAVOOM!

	16-01-2005 09:44									#53
	Support Apolyton

You really need to ask? WWII & Cold War. Hearing how some podunk country can spend more on social welfare because it has capitalists to protect it reminds me of Karl Marx living off his capitalist father while criticising capitalism. **** em!

	16-01-2005 09:48									#54
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

Norge er bedre

	16-01-2005 09:52									#55
	Got spare money?

So how hittable are the girls in Norway? Have an uncle that just moved there so might visit (since I have a research gig in Germany over the Summer).

quote: You really need to ask?

Referring to the contemporary situation, actually, where the actions of our military is doing the exact opposite of contributing to Sweden's security.

	16-01-2005 09:55									#56
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

quote: Originally posted by Gangerolf Norge er bedre

Yet another rebellion province.

	16-01-2005 09:59									#57
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Freedom of the sea is one example.

	16-01-2005 10:00									#58
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

dp

Last edited by Gangerolf on 16-01-2005 at 17:23

	16-01-2005 10:03									#59
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

So 50 years dont count, what have you done for me lately? Sweden could afford that welfare state because other countries fought the wars needed for Sweden's security. Now that other countries have recovered from the war the Swedes sat out, its slipping because its welfare state cannot compete. Notice how the Swedes began cutting back on their system when globalisation exposed flaws?

	16-01-2005 10:09									#60
	Support Apolyton

I'd bet that the US was more of a welfare state than Sweden during WW II.