The American dream is a fundamental component of our folklore and our policy goals. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness may not be technically part of the Constitution, but when America became a beacon of economic mobility for the world in the nineteenth century, Thomas Jefferson’s creed might as well have become the shared DNA of a multi-ethnic, multi-creed, geographically dispersed nation.

All that life, liberty, and happiness, it takes a lot of hard work. But could it be that the American dream is actually not being lived in America anymore? Could it be alive and well, not in our free market, diverse, high stress, high opportunity culture but… in Scandinavia?

That’s the argument offered by Anu Partanen, a New York-based Finnish and American journalist, in her book “The Nordic Theory of Everything.” Hosted by James Pethokoukis of AEI.

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  1. JimGoneWild Coolidge
    JimGoneWild
    @JimGoneWild

    To Anu Partanen, the solutions you seek for everyone, would be provided by the free market. Next time you come to America to live, try a fly-over state.

    • #1
  2. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    I love Anu logic.  In order to meet each other in love on an equal basis we need to take out the money factor.  So instead of relying on your parents or your family for financial support to be equal you must force the tax payers that make more money to pay for you so you do not have daddy issues.  REALLY?

    There there is the whole thing about high quality service from government agencies.  I might buy into this belief if I ever experienced any indication of it.

    Personally I think she needs to go back home since she obviously misses it so much that she want to bring it here.

    • #2
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