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Finland

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Too much of Finnish reality depends on uniquely Finnish circumstances. Finland is as big as two Missouris, but with just 5.2 million residents, it’s ethnically and religiously homogeneous. A strong Lutheran work ethic, combined with a powerful sense of probity, dominates the society. ~ Robert G. Kaiser
Homogeneity has led to consensus: Every significant Finnish political party supports the welfare state and, broadly speaking, the high taxation that makes it possible. And Finns have extraordinary confidence in their political class and public officials. Corruption is extremely rare. ~ Robert G. Kaiser
Koli National Park in North Karelia

Finland (Finnish: Suomi), officially the Republic of Finland, is a country in the northern European Union, a peninsula with Gulf of Finland to the south and Gulf of Bothnia to the west. It has land borders with Sweden and Norway to the north and Russia to the east. Finland is part of the geographic region of Fennoscandia, which also includes Scandinavia and parts of Russia. It is a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, and NATO. Its current head of state is President Alexander Stubb, and its current head of government is Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

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B

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  • America is a founding member of NATO, the military alliance of democratic nations created after World War Two prevent -- to prevent war and keep the peace. And today, we've made NATO stronger than ever. We welcomed Finland to the Alliance last year. And just this morning, Sweden officially joined, and their minister is here tonight. Stand up. Welcome. Welcome, welcome, welcome. And they know how to fight. Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to NATO, the strongest military alliance the world has ever seen.

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I

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K

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  • Finns live in smaller homes than Americans and consume a lot less. They spend relatively little on national defense, though they still have universal male conscription, and it is popular. Their per capita national income is about 30 percent lower than ours. Private consumption of goods and services represents about 52 percent of Finland’s economy, and 71 percent of the United States’. Finns pay considerably higher taxes — nearly half their income — while Americans pay about 30 percent on average to federal, state and local governments.
  • I was bothered by a sense of entitlement among many Finns, especially younger people. Sirpa Jalkanen, a microbiologist and biotech entrepreneur affiliated with Turku University in that ancient Finnish port city, told me she was discouraged by "this new generation we have now who love entertainment, the easy life." She said she wished the government would require every university student to pay a "significant but affordable" part of the cost of their education, "just so they’d appreciate it."

L

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  • Finland to the Finns! (Elias Lönnrot)
    • Suuri Sitaattisanakirja. Toimittanut Jarkko Laine. Helsinki: Otava, 1989. ISBN 951-1-10961-8

M

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  • We are proudly conscious of the historic duty which we shall continue to fulfil; the defence of that Western civilisation which has been our heritage for centuries, but we know also that we have paid to the very last penny any debt we may have owed the West.
  • Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay, [hoping steps to take the decision would] be taken rapidly within the next few days.
(answering question: would joining NATO provoke Russia) My response would be that you caused this. Look at the mirror.

N

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  • Finlande is called a fayre Countrye, because it is more pleasanter than Swecia ... Muche wyne is transported thither; out of Spayne, by the sea Balthic, which the people of the Country much desyreth, onely to exhillerat their myndes ... The Finnons have continual warres with the Muscouites in the arme or bosome of the sea Finnonicus: usyng in Summer the ayde of Shyppes, and in Wynter they combat upon the Ise.
    • George North in 1561 (Jonathan Clements, An Armchair Traveller's History of Finland, 2014, bookHaus, ISBN 978-1-909961-00-5)

P

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  • Finland is deep sleep. (Erno Paasilinna)
    • Suuri Sitaattisanakirja. Toimittanut Jarkko Laine. Helsinki: Otava, 1989. ISBN 951-1-10961-8
Randy Marsh: Not Finland! Hey, guys? Finland's dead.

R

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S

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  • Our legislation in this area needed to be updated, and especially in light of France’s request for armed assistance after the attacks in Paris. We realized that our existing legislation was not flexible enough. We live in a fast changing world, and our laws on overseas military support must reflect new realities.
  • There is faith in Finland. We have a strong history. We have always gotten our economy into shape, and there is still confidence in that abroad. There is faith that the government's measures are correct and that Finland will be able to get its economy onto a growth track and its public finances into order.
  • This spring will be make-or-break for the Finnish economy. We’ll see Finland again move towards an economic miracle. In Finland we were used to increasing the size of the welfare state because we had so many people in the labour force

T

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  • It was like discovering a complete wine-filled cellar filled with bottles of an amazing wine of a kind and flavor never tasted before. It quite intoxicated me….

U

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  • Finland is a great country / and Russia is it's province. (Kaarlo Uskela)
    • Suuri Sitaattisanakirja. Toimittanut Jarkko Laine. Helsinki: Otava, 1989. ISBN 951-1-10961-8

Z

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