[shermantanktop]

There are also those who believe the opposite. They constantly point out Scandinavian countries as somehow having solved every problem that exists in the US…despite being very different in almost every dimension one can think of.

Simplistic thinking doesn’t help.

[greggoB]

The way I've seen Scandinavia referenced has been more of a counterpoint to dysfunctional aspects of the US having to be the way they are.

There is nothing definitively different about the US that prevents it from solving a lot of its social issues by doing the same as is done elsewhere. We know this because the social contract in the US post WW2 was quite similar to modern day Europe - e.g. 91% top marginal tax rate under Eisenhower [0].

[0] https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2015/nov/15/bernie-san...