>>It's interesting to me that my email pal in Finland seems to have the benefit of more comprehensive and less-biased news and media coverage than I. And while I continually complain about taxes and the shrinking American middle class, she seldom writes similar concerns, even though general tax rates are much higher in Finland. Perhaps it's that in Finland people get something in return from the government for their tax contributions (medical coverage and college tuition subsidies for instance), whereas here the average working person gets zilch.<<

I have also read that Finland spends more per person on the arts than any nation in the world--about $96. Americans spend about $6 per person and still complain that it's too high--it's the lowest of any industrialized nation and lower than many war-torn nations. We're talking about culture, science, literature, art, music, philosophy--all those wonderful things that make the soul stir and achieve greatness. In America, all we want is entertainment and, dammit, we shouldn't have to pay 6 hard-earned bucks for it. We are putting ourselves in a little bubble of disjointed information, pop culture and entertainment geared to immediate gratification and calling it our arts.