These are the issues they're worried about? None of the numbers I saw while scanning look particularly worrying, and I doubt there's ever been a country on the face of this planet for which you wouldn't have been able to produce a similar list of issues of this magnitude - including past Norway.
They're worth paying attention to, but not sounding the alarm bells over.
That's because there is a default bad assumption that because they are so wealthy that no problems should exist, similar to how very rich people are seen. Looking at other wealthy petro-states (and people) around the world, that's clearly not true.
But relatively speaking I don't think there's a country that wouldn't trade most of their problems for Norway's, with the possible exception of their aging population.
Poorer health might be concerning, but is likely the result of the population growing older. More children would help make the numbers look better, I suppose, but, statistically, only poor people like having children.
Bashing 'poor people' aside, it's safe to say that on a national level, declining test scores are a warning sign that merits investigation.
> When you are rich you can also do pointless things just for the fun of it like build bridges to nowhere
You can, but there's no small amount of broken window fallacy there.
> None of these are problems unless you try and look at it through a poor man's lens.
I might be too poor to see the joy of building of bridges to nowhere, but there are still 'problems' with declining test scores, government misuse of funds, and pointless infrastructure projects.
> statistically, only poor people like having children
Yeesh. There are at least three reasons why this is completely wrong, but what's more important is that you seem to have a weird bone to pick with "poor people". You really might want to sort that out for yourself.
'Bashing' is a human trait. Software on the internet carries no such emotion.
> declining test scores are a warning sign that merits investigation.
Just as increasing test scores is a warning sign that merits investigation. But that doesn't suggest a problem, only change. What good is wealth if it is not used to user in change?
> there's no small amount of broken window fallacy there.
Not really. The broken window fallacy is based on the idea of breaking windows for the good of the economy. There is nothing to suggest that bridges are being built to nowhere for the good of the economy. Maybe when you are poor the economy is front and centre in your thoughts, but not everything has to be about the economy.
> government misuse of funds, and pointless infrastructure projects.
This can be a problem if you aren't wealthy enough to support it, but, again, this cannot be observed through a poor lens. If the people of Norway (which is a democracy — the people direct the government) want to spend their extensive wealth in a way a poor person would consider foolish, they can. That is benefit of being wealthy.
> There are at least three reasons why this is completely wrong
Looks more like zero reasons. Assuming three wasn't a number randomly pulled out of hat, perhaps something got truncated during preparation of this message?
> but what's more important is that you seem to have a weird bone to pick with "poor people".
Again, software doesn't have this emotion you are trying to personify.
> software doesn't have this emotion you are trying to personify.
Your best defense against accusations of classism is that you're software??
... Hate to break it to you bud, but bots can have classism built in too. Also, I'm fairly sure bots are banned here. Feel free to see yourself out.
"Defending accusations" is a human trait. You again have mistaken the context in which you write.
> Also, I'm fairly sure bots are banned here.
Hacker News is not what is normally considered a bot, but it is decidedly software. What feature of text on orange and beige left you to recognize it as humanity instead of the software that it is?