Oddbean

The differences between the de facto economic systems in Norway and what it was like in the USSR are much smaller than people think. That's also probably why we almost never see socialists marching in our streets - they are largely happy with status quo. I'll show you: Grok estimates that the black market economy in the USSR made up around 15-20% of the official GDP. https://image.nostr.build/9cec4900feb05a73f691efc64255b798e46220291d4a993cd4b24322c7fab97e.jpg The public sector made up most of the rest, about 80-85%, meaning that it controlled about 4/5 of the economy directly. The public sector in Norway spent about 62% of mainland GDP last year, and in 2022 it was 66%. https://image.nostr.build/17c10a58d0a93edaa93ef1adfe92a0cd74c44491c6dba9522d404a1a51e9aeaf.jpg The real tax rate for the average wage earner in Norway is 68%, a number that grows even higher when you factor in a number of special taxes. This means that the Norwegian public sector probably directly controls between 2/3 and 3/4 of the economy. Since the amount of regulations is staggering, the indirect control of the economy is also significant. Mandatory military service, which represents more than a 100% tax, is 19 months. It doesn't matter whether it's left or right that has political power. Both sides hike taxes, regulates more and more, and continuously make the public sector grow. They're all de facto socialists. So what on earth should Norwegian socialists protest against? The need to replace the cross with the hammer and sickle, perhaps?