In The Future Looks Like Sweden Vlad points out the progress the Swedes intend to make toward elimination of oil dependency:
The UK Guardian has a short, excellent business article on Sweden’s plans to be the first oil-free economy. The plans call for a complete move to renewable energy for Sweden’s populace of nine million people… within fifteen years.
The United States can’t even move toward more efficient vehicles, yet Sweden’s going to be oil-free by 2020. How can a country described as “the world’s only remaining super-power” get faced by a small nation of nine million people? It’s comparable to the Soviets throwing down a moon-shot challenge and the United States trying to bounce higher on pogo sticks.
...and then goes on to succinctly answer the question:
In Sweden, people are seen as people, not just consumers. Sweden works for the good of her people, because Sweden is her people.
Isn’t this what America was meant to be?
It should probably be noted that the Democrats have laid out an agenda for energy independence by 2020, which, while not of the magnitude of what the Swedes are proposing, is better than doing nothing and probably more achievable for a nation the size of the U.S. versus tiny Sweden. Unfortunately, because the U.S. no longer works for the good of her people, this agenda is unlikely to go very far.
I’ve discussed the amazingly progressive nature of Scandinavian welfare states in the past. While I’m more than happy to concede that there are significant material differences between the U.S. and Sweden, Norway, and Finland, the fact remains that these social democracies have managed to do what U.S. politicians claim is impossible – create a functioning welfare state that also allows positive economic growth. Great things are happing in Scandinavia, and we refuse to even look at what they are doing and try to figure out how to make it work here. The combination of the contempt our elites hold for the citizenry and their arrogance towards ideas developed outside our shores is stunning.
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