The consensus here is that "socialism" (a catch all term used for systems as divergent as communism, Stalinism, socialism and social democracy) is ruinous to a country's economy. That's why we need fewer regulations, or none at all. Laissez-faire capitalism means a competitive economy. Any sort of regulations or social programs will necessarily create an economic disaster, drive businesses away and plunge the country into a deep recession or depression.
This dogma is beyond question, at least here in the United States. Scandinavia is widely seen as the heart of social democracy. One would expect to read of their economies being crippled by such "socialistic" policies like universal health care and the higher taxation that pays for it.
Needless to say, I was surprised to read of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) ranking of the most competitive economies. While the United States was ranked #2, Finland topped the charts. Sweden (whose economy one of my readers vehemently insists is "on the verge of collapse") is #3. Denmark and Norway are 5th and 6th respectively.
The lead story on the WEF's website is entitled: Nordic Economies Most Competitive In the World.
Crippled, indeed.
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