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In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

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Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#11

Post by johnohara »

zdw wrote: post #7

If you have less to lose, you're more willing to take risks. Thus having the government take care of basic welfare and health care benefits frees people to be entrepreneurial, in a sense. Compare to the US, where people are tied to a job based on the benefits they have through that job, and before the health care legislation's removal of preexisting conditions clauses, if you had a medical condition and lost your job…

I don't know what constitutes "basic welfare" in Norway, but were the U.S. Dept. of Commerce to reimburse the health care premiums of anyone starting a new business, up to 100 weeks, I believe you would see a marked increase in the creation of new businesses in this country.

If anything, it would grease the rails to becoming "ramen profitable."

Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#12

Post by michael_dorfman »

lawfulfalafel wrote: post #10

This was posted 9 days ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2124799 I do congratulate you on linking to the mobile site to bypass the url conflict, that is pretty smart.

That was inadvertent, not clever. The person who sent me the link did it via mobile phone, so he used the mobile link, and I didn't see it when it was posted previously.

Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#13

Post by michael_dorfman »

beoba wrote: post #5
awt wrote: post #2

Wheras in enlightened california, we only pa a measly 40% of our income in taxes.

The first thing I learned is that Norwegians don't think about taxes the way we do. Whereas most Americans see taxes as a burden, Norwegian entrepreneurs tend to see them as a purchase, an exchange of cash for services. "I look at it as a lifelong investment," says Davor Sutija, CEO of Thinfilm[...].

Exactly. I've been living in Norway for over a decade, and I've never heard anyone complain about their taxes, or paying $9/gallon for gas.

Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#14

Post by dantheman »

beoba wrote: post #5
awt wrote: post #2

Wheras in enlightened california, we only pa a measly 40% of our income in taxes.

The first thing I learned is that Norwegians don't think about taxes the way we do. Whereas most Americans see taxes as a burden, Norwegian entrepreneurs tend to see them as a purchase, an exchange of cash for services. "I look at it as a lifelong investment," says Davor Sutija, CEO of Thinfilm[...].

If that was what they truly thought then there would be no reason to use force to collect taxes, they could just have a recommended donation and collect that. For some reason, I don't think that would work.

This form of mental gymnastics, is very comparable to Nietzsche's analysis of the slave morality - where one alters their values in reaction oppression, so that it becomes moral, or even desirable, to act in a subservient way.

Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#15

Post by michael_dorfman »

bobo99 wrote: post #9
zdw wrote: post #7

If you have less to lose, you're more willing to take risks. Thus having the government take care of basic welfare and health care benefits frees people to be entrepreneurial, in a sense. Compare to the US, where people are tied to a job based on the benefits they have through that job, and before the health care legislation's removal of preexisting conditions clauses, if you had a medical condition and lost your job…

But if you have less to win, why should you take risks anyway?

Speaking as one who has started several start-ups in Norway, I'd say: there is still quite a bit to win, there is much less risk, and at the end of the day, we're not really in it for the money, are we?

Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#17

Post by dantheman »

michael_dorfman wrote: post #13
beoba wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first thing I learned is that Norwegians don't think about taxes the way we do. Whereas most Americans see taxes as a burden, Norwegian entrepreneurs tend to see them as a purchase, an exchange of cash for services. "I look at it as a lifelong investment," says Davor Sutija, CEO of Thinfilm[...].

Exactly. I've been living in Norway for over a decade, and I've never heard anyone complain about their taxes, or paying $9/gallon for gas.

I'm not from norway, but here's a few articles I found in a minute of searching:

* http://www.newsinenglish.no/2010/08/24/more-tax-trouble-for-... * http://www.norwaypost.no/news/higher-taxes-for-many-pensione...

I assume these don't represent the general view, but it does show that at least some people in norway dislike the level of taxation.

Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#18

Post by [deleted] »

bobo99 wrote: post #9
zdw wrote: post #7

If you have less to lose, you're more willing to take risks. Thus having the government take care of basic welfare and health care benefits frees people to be entrepreneurial, in a sense. Compare to the US, where people are tied to a job based on the benefits they have through that job, and before the health care legislation's removal of preexisting conditions clauses, if you had a medical condition and lost your job…

But if you have less to win, why should you take risks anyway?

[deleted]

Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#19

Post by zdw »

bobo99 wrote: post #9
zdw wrote: post #7

If you have less to lose, you're more willing to take risks. Thus having the government take care of basic welfare and health care benefits frees people to be entrepreneurial, in a sense. Compare to the US, where people are tied to a job based on the benefits they have through that job, and before the health care legislation's removal of preexisting conditions clauses, if you had a medical condition and lost your job…

But if you have less to win, why should you take risks anyway?

Fiscal policy aside...

Money isn't the only motivation for work, and frankly is a pretty poor/easily corrupted one, if the housing crisis and wall street shenanigans are any indication.

Finding an intrinsic motivation (learning new stuff for the joy of it, doing something hard just to prove you can, etc.) is probably more personally satisfying in the long term, and helps avoid burnout.

Re: In Norway, Start-ups Say Ja to Socialism

#20

Post by tallanvor »

michael_dorfman wrote: post #13
beoba wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first thing I learned is that Norwegians don't think about taxes the way we do. Whereas most Americans see taxes as a burden, Norwegian entrepreneurs tend to see them as a purchase, an exchange of cash for services. "I look at it as a lifelong investment," says Davor Sutija, CEO of Thinfilm[...].

Exactly. I've been living in Norway for over a decade, and I've never heard anyone complain about their taxes, or paying $9/gallon for gas.

Oh, come on, I hear it all the time. Generally they're either Americans or support the FrP (the so-called "Progress Party").
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