Re: Replies to Ron h and John Clark regarding the nature of socialism, capita...

From: Amara Graps (amara@amara.com)
Date: Thu Nov 21 2002 - 15:59:33 MST

Dehede011@aol.com wrote:
> But, you refer to stable socialist societies like you have in
> Scandinavia. I don't want to insult your country. I suppose you are
> reasonably happy there. You have referred to extremely high levels of
> taxation which doesn't sound idealic to me. But none of that gets to
> the real problem. You are referring to countries that are small
> enough and far enough away that most of us haven't a clue what you are
> doing over there.

~ 6 000 000 000 World population

   ~ 300 000 000 U.S.A. population

There exist on this planet almost 200 independent states (i.e. countries)
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/independent_states.html

Each have their own culture, most with independent languages, long
histories. They have their own governments, many of them democratic
and quite free (in it's common definition, rather than a rewritten
definition with the opposite meaning.)

Here is the present top 20 in economic freedom:

http://cf.heritage.org/index/indexoffreedom.cfm
(wide lines .. I hope these go through the email)

*Year: 2002

Overall Overall FiscalGovernment Monetary
Foreign Banking/Wages/Property Black
   rank Country Year Score Trade Intervention
Investment Regulation Market
                                      Burden Policy
Finance Prices Rights
1 Hong Kong 2002 1.35 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.5
2 Singapore 2002 1.55 1.0 2.5 3.0 1.0
1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
3 New Zealand 2002 1.70 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
4 Estonia 2002 1.80 1.0 3.5 2.0 2.0
1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.5
4 Ireland 2002 1.80 2.0 3.5 2.0 2.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5
4 Luxembourg 2002 1.80 2.0 4.0 3.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0

4 The 2002 1.80 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0
         Netherlands
4 United 2002 1.80 2.0 3.5 2.0 1.0
2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5
         States
9 Australia 2002 1.85 2.0 3.5 2.0 2.0
2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
9 Chile 2002 1.85 2.0 3.0 1.0 2.0
2.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5
9 United 2002 1.85 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0
2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5
         Kingdom
12 Denmark 2002 1.90 2.0 4.5 3.5 1.0
2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
12 Switzerland 2002 1.90 2.0 3.5 2.5 1.0
2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0
14 Finland 2002 1.95 2.0 4.5 2.0 1.0
2.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
15 Bahrain 2002 2.00 3.0 2.0 3.0 1.0
2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 2.0
15 Canada 2002 2.00 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0
3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
17 The Bahamas 2002 2.05 5.0 1.5 2.0 1.0
3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 2.0
17 El Salvador 2002 2.05 2.0 2.0 1.0 1.0
2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 3.5
17 Sweden 2002 2.05 2.0 4.5 4.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0
20 Austria 2002 2.10 2.0 4.5 2.0 1.0
2.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.5
20 Belgium 2002 2.10 2.0 5.0 2.0 1.0
1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 2.0
20 Germany 2002 2.10 2.0 4.5 2.0 1.0
1.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.5

This next top 20 list is broken down by Economic Freedom in Property
Rights: (as another example)

Overall Overall FiscalGovernment Monetary
Foreign Banking/Wages/Property Black
   rank Country Year Score Trade Intervention
Investment Regulation Market
                                      Burden Policy
Finance Prices Rights
1 Hong Kong 2002 1.35 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.5
2 Singapore 2002 1.55 1.0 2.5 3.0 1.0
1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
3 New Zealand 2002 1.70 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
4 Ireland 2002 1.80 2.0 3.5 2.0 2.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5
4 Luxembourg 2002 1.80 2.0 4.0 3.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0

4 The 2002 1.80 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0
         Netherlands

4 United 2002 1.80 2.0 3.5 2.0 1.0
2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5
         States
9 Australia 2002 1.85 2.0 3.5 2.0 2.0
2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
9 Chile 2002 1.85 2.0 3.0 1.0 2.0
2.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5

9 United 2002 1.85 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0
2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.5
         Kingdom
12 Denmark 2002 1.90 2.0 4.5 3.5 1.0
2.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
12 Switzerland 2002 1.90 2.0 3.5 2.5 1.0
2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0
14 Finland 2002 1.95 2.0 4.5 2.0 1.0
2.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
15 Bahrain 2002 2.00 3.0 2.0 3.0 1.0
2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 2.0
15 Canada 2002 2.00 2.0 4.0 2.0 1.0
3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
17 The Bahamas 2002 2.05 5.0 1.5 2.0 1.0
3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 2.0
17 Sweden 2002 2.05 2.0 4.5 4.0 1.0
1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.0
20 Austria 2002 2.10 2.0 4.5 2.0 1.0
2.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.5
20 Belgium 2002 2.10 2.0 5.0 2.0 1.0
1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 2.0
20 Germany 2002 2.10 2.0 4.5 2.0 1.0
1.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 1.5

And here is a list of the 'top' countries in their press freedoms:

Worldwide Press Freedom Index
http://www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=4118

1 Finland 0,50
- Iceland 0,50
- Norway 0,50
- Netherlands 0,50
5 Canada 0,75
6 Ireland 1,00
7 Germany 1,50
- Portugal 1,50
- Sweden 1,50
10 Denmark 3,00
11 France 3,25
12 Australia 3,50
- Belgium 3,50
14 Slovenia 4,00
15 Costa Rica 4,25
- Switzerland 4,25
17 United States 4,75
18 Hong Kong 4,83
19 Greece 5,00
20 Ecuador 5,50
21 Benin 6,00
- United Kingdom 6,00
- Uruguay 6,00
24 Chile 6,50
- Hungary 6,50
26 South Africa 7,50
- Austria 7,50
- Japan 7,50
29 Spain 7,75
- Poland 7,75

Amara

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