Wall Street Financial Truth

Chapter 38 How the Common People Protect Their Wealth (8)
On the other hand, no matter which economic indicator you use to measure them, these countries can maintain the top three positions in the world.Let’s take Norway as an example. For the GDP indicator, Norway has not deliberately pursued it, but it has always been able to maintain the top three per capita GDP in the world for a long time; The Human Development Index (HDI) compiled by the Program ranks first in the world; its per capita income in 2001 ranks first in the world; in the past four years, Norway has been selected by the United Nations as the place with the highest living standard in the world and the most suitable place for human habitation.

And it is very important that according to the Gini coefficient of the United Nations Development Program, the countries with the smallest gap between rich and poor in the world are Denmark, Sweden, Czech Republic, Norway and other Nordic countries. Due to the relatively balanced distribution of social wealth, companies in these high-welfare countries in Northern Europe, The difference between the salary of its CEO and the minimum wage of workers is generally 2 to 3 times, and at most no more than 7 times. Not only is the hourly labor productivity and average hourly wages among the best in the world.

But don't forget that the Nordic countries have a good free education for everyone (university fees in the US are high), so the employment rate is high.For Nordic people, work seems to be no longer a means of earning a living (you can choose any career you are interested in); and for top executives like CEOs, due to high income taxes (up to 83%), their after-tax income In fact, it is only a little taller than the cleaner.Clearly, they care about reflecting their personal worth while contributing to society.In view of this, even after the financial turmoil, according to the statistics of the International Monetary Fund in 2009, Norway's per capita GDP is still as high as 79085 US dollars, second only to Luxembourg among Western developed countries; Denmark ranks fifth, reaching 56115 US dollars; Only 46381 US dollars, ranking ninth; Norway and Denmark are much higher than the United States.However, the unemployment rate is only 2.6% in Norway, 4.2% in Denmark, and 9.7% in the United States (8.3% in Canada, 7.8% in the United Kingdom).

Norway is in fact a barren and varied landform, mainly composed of mountains and highlands, containing many glaciers and waterfalls; the geology is mostly granite and gneiss rocks, slate, sandstone and limestone are also common.Due to Norway's high latitudes, daytime seasonal variations are very large.

In the 20s, a large amount of oil and natural gas was discovered in Norway, and the economic prosperity continued to grow. The export revenue of oil and natural gas accounted for 60% of the export value, which was only less than Russia and Saudi Arabia, two crude oil exporting countries, while exports accounted for 45% of the export value. Norway's entire GDP is about 20%.

Norway is so rich in oil resources, its per capita income ranked first in the world in 2008, and Germany is not far next door. It is the country most qualified to develop the automobile industry.But the Norwegian government does not encourage a "driving culture".In the Norwegian concept, no car is "green" (the so-called eco-car).In Norway, car advertisements must be "truth-telling advertisements," and the National Consumer Watchdog issued new restrictions in January 2008, prohibiting automakers from using the words "green," "clean" and "environmentally friendly" in their car advertisements.

Therefore, "walking to school" has been a municipal plan of the Norwegian capital Oslo for decades: parents are explicitly asked not to drive their children to school in order to promote an active lifestyle for their children.To ensure children's walking routes are safe, the government has passed legislation to minimize traffic congestion, even in city centres.The natural living environment and the correct guidance of the government have enabled Norwegians to pass on their hiking (walking or jogging to where they want to go) and skiing habits from generation to generation.

There are few limousines competing on Norwegian roads, and people don't regard driving a luxury car as superior.The municipality of Oslo recently purchased 3000 bicycles for the use of the general public. The speed of the municipal government’s purchase of bicycles is still rising. The road is completely surrounded by cyclists and pedestrians. Looking up at the city’s sky, blue sky and white clouds, this is simply amazing. A beautiful landscape.

Oil exports have brought a lot of money to Norway, but the Norwegian government has not spent money lavishly.On the contrary, the Norwegians are very rational. They know that one day the oil under the ground will be dug out, and the income from oil in the future is uncertain.The Norwegian government has stored oil revenues in a sovereign wealth fund account since 1995, the Global Government Pension Fund.Forecasts show that the Norwegian pension fund may become the largest investment fund in the world. According to conservative estimates, the Norwegian pension fund may be as high as US$2017 by 9000, and every Norwegian old man will be a millionaire.

What's more, you will never believe that such a rich Nordic people are so frugal that we Chinese are unbelievable.

It must be known that Nordic countries such as Norway, Denmark and Sweden have almost ensured that every citizen can fully enjoy the social wealth created by them: receiving good free education (primary, secondary and university), free medical treatment, Under the influence of the value of human equality, the distribution of social wealth is relatively balanced, and the elderly are provided for. It can be said that life is carefree.

In 2010, based on Canada's "Business Prosperity Potential Index", the International Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicted 10 countries whose economic development will show prosperity in the next 30 years.According to the indicators of population, trade, energy, technology, and education in each region, Sweden, Norway, and Finland rank among the top three countries among the countries that will achieve sustainable economic development in the future, and the United States ranks No. 12.Unfortunately, China is not among these 30 countries.

Judging from the ranking, the top three are all Nordic countries.Especially Norway, its geographical location, relatively slow economic development and the development direction of transportation technology make it immune to the influence of the way of life in the United States and other European countries, and its economic development potential is greater than that of the United States.Because the values ​​and traditions of the Norwegians are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, we cannot imagine that such a wealthy Nordic people are so frugal to the extent that we can't imagine it, but there is no chance for financial hegemony.

Thrift stores (thrift stores of the past in China) can be seen everywhere in Norway on street corners.Believe it or not, living in Norway, if one day you celebrate your child’s birthday, open the gift box and see old washed clothes inside, don’t make a fuss, this has become a common practice in the local area.Of course, if this scene is moved to China, we can't imagine what kind of face the gift giver has.In today’s China, couples go to a banquet (regardless of birthday or wedding) with thousands of yuan per seat. Sijin’s father-in-law and mother-in-law just attended a friend’s [-]th birthday, and the gift money they gave was almost half a month’s retirement for my mother-in-law salary.

Rousseau said that temperance and labor are the two true physicians of mankind: labor stimulates appetite, and temperance prevents gluttony.Norwegians' sports habits have not changed (they rarely drive, and the government does not promote a driving culture), nor have their traditional eating habits.Norway's traditional food fish, meat, potatoes and vegetables are still the protagonists on the table.Even with the money, eating out is hard to come by for them.Norwegian restaurants are generally smaller than those in the United States, and the food they serve is also smaller than in the United States. In the United States, a dish for one person becomes a three-person dish in Norway.Until now, the fast food culture of McDonald's and KFC in the United States has never been popular in Norway.

Writing here, it is necessary to insert a sentence here. Originally, the eating habits of Chinese people are very healthy, with whole grains as the staple food, and then supplemented with soy products, vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs, poultry and a little meat; Chinese food culture It has a long history, eight major cuisines are world-renowned, and the cooking technology is the most developed. Many traditional famous dishes and local snacks have unique flavors, which are not only loved by Chinese people, but also attract many foreigners.But we have somehow discarded traditional Chinese food and imported American junk food.At present, KFC has opened more than 450 restaurants in 2000 cities in China, and McDonald's has more than 400 branches.These typical American fast foods like beef burgers, cheese, French fries, chicken nuggets and Coca-Cola are high in fat, fat, salt and sugar.The president of McDonald's died young in his 50s, and Clinton, who loved junk food, had 50% of his cardiovascular blockages in his 80s, and he just had his second surgery recently. These all highlight the impact of American food culture on human health. harm.

However, many Chinese film and television works promote taking children to eat McDonald's, KFC fast food and drink Coke as a fashion, which will train the next generation in China to be fans of junk food and junk culture.Regular consumption of the "four high" eating habits has prompted the growth rate of diabetic patients in China to rise to the second in the world.Taking Beijing as an example, among people over 45 years old, the prevalence of diabetes has reached 16%. At the same time, a large number of people with impaired glucose tolerance have become the "reserve army" of diabetic patients.This prevalence rate exceeds that of the United States.In this way, American culture penetrated into China little by little, gradually crowding out China's excellent traditional culture without knowing it.

According to the data collected by the World Health Organization in 2007, in the previous two years, the number of diabetics in the United States increased by almost 15%, to nearly 2400 million, accounting for 7.8% of the total population, especially diabetes caused by overweight, which has plagued Americans for a long time.The Norwegians' healthy living habits naturally make them less likely to get sick. In this way, not only the government reduces medical expenses (by the way, the American medical system is facing collapse), but also the quality of life of individuals. improve.Norway has the fewest cases of diabetes among Western countries, accounting for only 3.6% of all cases.A survey five years ago found that only 15 adults in Norway were overweight and had diabetes, one of whom was a recent immigrant.

Looking at the lifestyle of the Norwegians, isn’t it just the consumption pattern left by the Chinese ancestors of thrifty housekeeping, grain accumulation to prevent hunger, reaping what you sow, and never eating more than what you need?It is precisely because of the traditional economic model that these Nordic countries have escaped the economic crisis and become the richest countries in the world.It proves that their economic model is sustainable.

Therefore, in any case, it is not the turn of the United States to question Nordic countries like Denmark. Facing Denmark and Norway, which have the most equitable distribution in the world, those economists who say that high welfare must support lazy people should re-examine their conclusions ?

And China should re-examine whether to continue to move closer to the American life, or to learn from the Nordics and return to the life style of their ancestors from a higher level.

(End of this chapter)