Still your average right wing Scandinavian is fairly deep pink when compared to the moderate Republicans here in the United States.

We lifties like to hold up the Northern Tier of European countries as examples of “how it could be”, a world where hardworking, industrious funny talking folk put in a sold 25 hour work week, while they happily pay 62% of their earnings to their caretaker governments who in turn provide the cradle to grave services which keeps our Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian friends from having to worry about college bills, catastrophic health expenses, lost pensions or educational funding. Sure the climate can suck, but they make up for it with glorious summers with nearly 24 hours of daylight, beautiful cities that are well served by inexpensive and efficient mass transportation and some of the freshest and most delicious herring recipes you could ever want.

Driving around in Volvo’s, talking on Nokia phones, teakwood everything, it’s paradise.

Now that I’m about halfway through the last of the Steig Larson novels, and having seen the first two movies, subtitled from the original Swedish I’m imagining countries that are like giant Ikea showrooms, fantastic design, small but ingeniously furnished condo’s, beautiful handcrafted summer homes on remote lakes equipped with attached sauna’s and cozy home made quilts and feather beds.. and everyone is so danged friendly.

Based on my media consumption, the only issues Scandinavia come from Eastern European mobsters and the occasional white supremacist who takes the whole “Nordic” way to far.

I’d move there in a heartbeat, wouldn’t you. Except, now there’s a fly in the Scandinavian ointment, seems that all is not perfect and the occasional crisis do occur. I referring of course, to what had to be the biggest story on earth for about 8 minutes back on December 21; what is being termed the “Great Norwegian Butter Crises” of 2011. Norway, one of the worlds wealthiest countries with vast resources of oil, timber and ski jumps has almost completely ran out of butter. And this was before Christmas, the height of Norway’s butter season. Apparently the Norskies like their Christmas treats covered in curdled cow milk.

What gives..

The government blamed the shortage on “unexpected demand due to increases in low carb dieting.”

Go ahead, read that one again. I had too.

That uh.. could have come out of our White house. This in a country that eats little but cod, smoked Atlantic salmon, moose and reindeer. BTW.. lutefisk is on that list, the famous lyed, as in the stuff that opens drains and to make soap, codfish. But.. what does a good Norwegian put on their plate of reconstituted cod flavored jelly, which BTW you can get in Minnesota but you wouldn’t want too.. what do you put on it? Butter.

Bottom line, the Norwegians don’t eat many carbs anyway, those that they do eat are very high in nutrients and wouldn’t could count on a low carb diet.. so that’s not it.

Turns out the underlying cause has to do with protectionist tariffs designed to keep Norwegians producing milk in a place that frozen half the year. This drove up price of milk since the country is not self-sustaining in dairy production. However the backlash is everyone went into the cow business so the government set quotas, fined people who tried to produce “to much” milk and now you have tariffs and a shortage and no butter for your grovbread.

The Danes were sending extra butter to their cousins up North. Makes sense, I think their kings are 1^st cousins. I can imagine the scene around Danish tables “Anders, you must eat not be greedy with the butter for your ableskievers, there are children in Norway who won’t have butter this Christmas.” Yes Momma…. “lets put three pats in a envelope and send to your Uncle Lars for Christmas.

In Sweden, well in Sweden I’m sure they they have a different take on Norwegians being out of better. Not like there’s a lot of love lost there, I bet the Swedes are going out and stocking up on extra butter, which they get from EU countries with more pastures and cows than Sweden, slathering it onto everything and then taking pictures of it and sending to friends and family in Norway. The Swedes are particularly upset about Norway kicking their ass at skiing these days and, the worst insult of all, young unemployed Swedes who are crossing in to Norway in droves to get menial jobs picking up after their former subjects who had the good fortune to find huge wealth beneath their oceans and now can snub the sophisticated Swedes.

So I imagine there a lot of enjoyment this year in Goteburg and Stockholm and Malmo. The pesky Norskies may be wealthy, but they’re going to choke on their dry toast while their cousins across the border curl up with a Stieg Larson book, stuffing mouthfuls of butter covered cookies and breads into their faces and appreciating their government for not getting in stupid protectionist economic policies.

And this Is what we worry about in Minnesota.

That is just a little background on the topic. It sounds like an unfortunate thing to happen, around Christmas, but hopefully it will be sorted out for them soon.

The reason I am talking about this at all, is because of a very funny video I watched on YouTube the other day talking about the shortage of butter around Christmas.

I am sure there is some truth to this person’s anger, but I am pretty sure this video was made jokingly.