Sweden’s shift right is a warning for US

Sweden has been long considered a model for progressive ideas and policies for the last few decades, and its welfare state has been looked to as a sort of ideal for liberal-leaning thinkers. Here’s the catch: the Swedes themselves are getting tired of it.

Forbes has an eye-opening articlewith the finance minister of Sweden, Anders Borg (Heads-up from Skanderbeg at Red State). The son of Social Democrat parents, Borg drifted away from the welfare state when he realized it was creating a “boring, stagnant society.” He sees the 70’s and 80’s as Swedish lost decades which saw increased government spending coupled with a decline in real growth. Now, he and his boss, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt are talking tax cuts, privatizing numerous industries, and letting a free market rule as more and more Swedes recognize the dangerous futility of an all-out socialist society.

What’s happening in Sweden is further proof that Europe is beginning a shift to the right, and shows that the EU parliamentary elections were more than a blip on the radar screen. Furthermore, Sweden should serve as a model not of a socialist utopia, but of the failures of bloated government. Consider this quote:

Next year Sweden’s government is projected to be on the hook for gross financial liabilities equal to 57% of GDP, which is up from 48% two years ago. The debt of U.S. government entities, by contrast, is expected to nearly equal GDP by next year, versus 63% in 2007, says the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development.

So we might be there already if you take government debt as a percentage of a nation’s economic output, in which we already surpass Sweden. Sweden’s economic reawakening should serve as a model for what American government should be doing – cutting taxes, reducing governmental influence and shrinking government. Sadly, with bailouts, stimulus packages, and government takeover of industry, we’re doing precisely the opposite.

CBO knocks health care package once again

The Congressional Budget Office on Sunday gave another scathing analysis of the health care bill being considered in Congress, saying that “the probability is high that no savings would be realized by the plan.” Under the CBO’s scoring, the plan would save only a measly $2 billion over 10 years, a minuscule percentage of the $1-2 trillion price tag of the program.

The continued negative analysis has resulted in a kind of war of words between the independent CBO and the White House-controlled Office of Management and Budget, whose director Peter Orszag accused the CBO of a bias toward “exaggerating costs and underestimating savings.” The negative CBO report comes after President Obama invited its director Doug Elmundorf to the White House for a “discussion” after a report that concluded that the health care plan would add billions to the deficit.

Americans of every ideological stripe recognize the need for health care reform. They want the costs of health care lowered, but the bill being worked on by the Democrats does nothing to change the fundamental costs of health care and instead shifts the burden of those costs to the government (i.e. the taxpayers). It’s a losing proposal that merely shuffles money rather than attacking the root causes of health care costs, it’s why the CBO will continue to score the plan poorly, and it’s why the American people are losing faith in the idea of a government-run and taxpayer-funded public option health care plan.

Zelaya’s sizzle is fizzling in Honduras

In an encouraging sign that massive unrest in Honduras may yet be averted, a border protest called for by ousted President Manuel Zelaya has fizzled out, attracting only 100 supporters with many more trickling back to the capital of Tegucigalpa in discouragement. The turnout is a disappointment for the pro-Zelaya movement and a win for the Honduran military, who were able to keep the border clear with relatively little incident.

Ed Morrissey conjectures that Zelaya may have overplayed his hand in exile, with his border-jumping antics and increasing bombastics illustrating to many Hondurans that Chavez’s pal might have had no qualms being reinstated at the head of a Nicaraguan or Venezuelan army. He may have also burned his bridges with the Obama administration, who through State Sec. Clinton called his actions “reckless” and have as yet not taken harsher action against Honduras than slashing aid. They may be backing off their original stance, which is the correct thing to do in my opinion given that Zelaya seemed on the path toward violating the Honduran constitution and setting up a Chavez-style permanent electoral base.

The declining appeal of Zelaya both in Honduras and abroad gives renewed hope to both the interim government under Roberto Micheletti and for the prospects of negotiations under Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. The prospects of Zelaya’s return seem to be ebbing at the moment, which is all the better for the folks in Honduras.

Voinovich on the GOP’s struggle: “It’s the Southerners”

The Columbus Dispatch has an interesting snippet from outgoing Republican Sen. George Voinovich. The main thrust of the article was to highlight Voinovich’s upcoming involvement in opposing gambling, but Weepin’ George also offered up this choice quote on the recent downturn in the GOP’s fortunes (Heads-up from Right Ohio):

We got too many Jim DeMint’s (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn’s (R-Ok.). It’s the Southerners. They get on TV and go ‘errrr, errrrr.’ People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?

Errrr, errrr? Way to completely denigrate an entire section of the country, Senator. It’s apparent that Voinovich has a problem with Sen. Jim DeMint and Sen. Tom Coburn (Is Oklahoma really the South?). That’s amazing, because those two have been the most able communicators on behalf on conservatism and the GOP. I suppose Voinovich is more concerned with looking erudite and learned – never mind that Midwestern values jive a great deal with the conservative values that DeMint and Coburn are trumpeting.

With this kind of backward and self-defeating thinking, Ohio will be better off without Voinovich representing them in the Senate.

Update: The bigger blogs have picked up on this story. Voinovich is going to have some explaining to do.