> I've just recently heard and read about the following: Norway has lots and lots of oil money, which is put away for worse times. Since the government never spends any of it, the schools rot away, the teachers (and the teachers who teach the teachers!) are underpaid, and there's problems in other sections too.

There has been a bit of debate around this, because spending the money when we both have them and need them seems like a natural solution to some of our economic troubles. But we are not a poor nation.

Yes, teachers, health personell and other people paid by the state/government are not as well paid as they should be. But it is a grave exaggeration to say that the schools rot away.

Also, I trust the experts who are given the job of managing our country's economics. If we start spending these money now while we can do fine without them, we'll start undermining our very sound economy, and have no means of putting it back on track, because we'll then have used up the money already.

Travholt.