The viewpoint is often posited that, as to the success of the Scandinavian countries, their political and economic systems have very little to do with it. Scandinavian countries are homogeneous, high-trust societies with a high degree of social cohesion. This view is proffered as to why the US should not bother adapting the reforms of those countries, that is, impliedly because we are not homogeneous, are a distrustful society and we lack social cohesion or a high regard for each other. But is this assessment and viewpoint true?

If we look at what makes Scandinavian societies successful, we can see that several factors are involved. First, in government and their personal lives, it is clear they understand and value transparency more than we do. They have learned, as we have not, but certainly can, that honesty and transparency not only clarify and negate secrets, but also circumscribe undesirable behavior and make for social cohesion.

But for our arrogance and unwillingness to learn from others, there is no reason we cannot learn that lesson as well and have it taught in our schools. There is no imperative for dishonesty and opacity except to get away with what we shouldn't. We can learn that nationally if we decide it is important to do so and believe in the virtues of transparency and honesty -- although we are admittedly behind the ball on this one and don't realize its fuller implications. But then there is the question of so what or does it matter that much? Reform always requires change. We can change here, I submit.

Consider what else is required.

Second, the Nordic countries have single payor national health care systems like most of the advanced countries in the world except the USA. Together with markedly higher personal income taxes and the massive savings they gain by hugely lower public health care costs, the Nordic countries fund free higher education for those qualified, a well maintained and modern infrastructure and a broad array of social services available to all requiring them. By virtually all measures of success, these countries surpass us because we tell ourselves they are more homogeneous, trusting and have more capable government than we do and therefore we can't do it.

I suggest this is patent nonsense by and large. 1) We don't have higher income taxes because our oligarchy doesn't want higher taxes and its republican and conservative patronizing minions fight higher taxes at every turn, and forever push for lower taxes on the supply side theory of "trickle down" and more needed growth.

2) We are being strangled by stratospherically high healthcare costs because our oligarchy and its patronizing republican and conservative minions fight against a single payor national healthcare system, with their typical 2 to 3 % overheads and zero profits, to protect the US healthcare, health insurance and pharmaceutical industries with their typical 20 % overheads and comparable or greater profit margins. Hugh dollars are involved here. We pay double and get less doctor hours of care and worse out comes. Our losses here are staggering. We spent $3.0 trillion in 2014 just for health care, not counting health insurance or drugs, which was 17.8% of our GDP.

Higher taxes and a single payor national health care system would pay for the free higher education, great infrastructure and extensive social services as needed, that the Nordic countries have and we don't. Now why is it our non-homogeneous population prevents this, or our relative lack of trust of each other prevents this which is reparable as I have explained, or our lack of social cohesion does as well. Indeed, the very lack of these programs and the greed of our oligarchy significant promotes, I contend, our relative lack of trust and lack of social cohesion, if not our homogeneity. Opponents are getting much backwards here in terms of causation, I submit.

What conservatives and republicans contend on these points is nothing more than a shabby apologist position for their patron saints, I think, little better than their "trickle down" economic theory. Transparency is not their strong suit. Neither is honesty. Worse, our millionaires and billionaires care only for themselves and more money. Those in Scandinavia care more about others and honesty and transparency.

Anyone want to proffer geography as the reason the Scandinavia model can't work here?