[matsemann]

The economy may be well-boosted by the oil, but note that all the money is put into a fund and invested globally, and only a small percentage may be used in the government's budget each year. So no, free healthcare isn't funded by oil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_Pension_Fund_of_Nor...

And while I don't support our continued extraction of oil, I feel like your comment is quite weird. How is it relevant in this context? Lots of other nations have public health care without having oil. Besides, the US produces many, many times more oil each year than Norway, so your argument is a complete non sequitur.

Whatever beef you have, please don't include me in it.

[socalgal2]

I guess I'm missing it. You linked to wikipedia which says it's called "Oil Fund" (Oljefondet). Further down it says "As of June 2011, it was the largest pension fund in the world, but it is not a pension fund in the conventional sense, as it derives its financial backing from *oil profits*, not pension contributions"

> the US produces many, many times more oil each year than Norway, so your argument is a complete non sequitur.

The US isn't funding health care through oil profits. If it was going to fund public health care (which it does) it does it through taxes.

You basically have a free money fountain and get free stuff it (while you burn down the rest of th world) and then you come on here and say "things are great over hear! surprised they aren't great over there" without acknowledging that you have a free money source.

[matsemann]

Yes, you're not understanding how it works: The oil profits go into the fund, not government budgets. So we're also not funding health care through oil profits, that oil money is locked away for the future in that fund.

I do think your attacks are quite unwarranted. Every time something good about the US is mentioned, should I then swoop in and mention how you're bombing the world, the tech profits are made on algorithms destroying society, your constant one-day delivery is flooding the world in plastics? How is that even relevant?

Also note, I only mentioned how the union here managed to remove non-compete clauses. Then someone else brought in health insurance and then oil. Not me.

For the record, I have been voting for the green party, that wants to disallow opening new oil rigs. Your beef isn't with me, don't harass a whole country, that's just unfair of you.

[WhyNotHugo]

To add to this, the government fund also deliberately avoids investing in oil, tobacco, military weaponry and a few similar industries.