The Norwegian Connection
Do a majority of our United States Senators and Representatives have 'selective amnesia"? That is surely a possibility. In fact, maybe we all do.
Many American citizens, especially high-ranking elected officials, have developed a finely honed talent for 'sort of" revealing their annual income and net worth as required by confusingly complex Federal-State regulations. To successfully do this year after year requires not only sharp accountants and slick tax attorneys, it also requires selective amnesia bolstered by creative recall.
Personally, I don't get too upset by Congressmen and those other public officials for playing games when publicly reporting the private side of their lives. Legally acquired assets are to most of us … nobody's business.
If we play games in America, WHAT DO YOU THINK GOES ON IN NORWAY? Over there, anyone with a computer can go online and find the "overall wealth and income" of nearly every individual citizen in the country and "how much they paid in taxes." This isn't just elected officials, it is everyone from reindeer milkers to sardine canners. Does that sound strange to me? "Ya sure, ya betcha."
According to the AP report many of us read in late October, a situation that seems "unthinkable" to us in America is an acceptable reality in Norway. It is not considered a gross violation of privacy, but a necessary law to "uphold that country's tradition of transparency." The Norwegian media go ape over the annual release of vast compilations of information because they can run titillating exposes about anyone from the richest persons, corporations, celebrity couples, and even lutefisk lye-ers.
The AP story did not give any information about how the average man or woman on the street, i.e., Ole and Lena, feel about all this, nor does it say how people get along with each other, knowing they cannot keep personal financial secrets from nosy neighbors. Maybe that's where those Norskys do a bit of game-playing. We can only speculate how accurately they fill out those annual government questionnaires, but I suspect they have to be more careful and crafty than Americans because they are all on the government dole to a greater extent than most of us are.
Talked to a first-generation American who has relatives in Norway. He is worried about his father's homeland because of what happened after vast oil fields were developed in the Norwegian Sea. The government gives substantial payment to all citizens from the revenue, similar to the situation in Alaska … but bigger. This has caused many Norwegians to ease off on their ambition and coast along on income they don't really earn. The few he observed were not buying yachts or building trophy homes, just continuing to live modestly… while not having to work as hard as in times before the oil bonanza.
As in all government blessings, "There's a kicker." The amount of oil bonuses, including full government health care, is based on each individual's assets and income from any source. My friend and I believe: "That is why the government requires full disclosure of all personal financial information."
After reading the October news out of Oslo, I fully intended to write a Swede's humorous analysis of the Norwegian situation, but alas … can't seem to find much funny stuff in there.
Only thing I could think of was the fact there are "tousants' of Norwegians in North Dakota, and we've all heard a lot lately about discovery and development of big new oil fields over there.
"Nah! That could never happen… could it?"
G. George Ostrom is a Kalispell resident and a national-award winning Hungry Horse News columnist.