Move Over Snowball And Napoleon, There Are New Pigs In Town

One of my favorite bloggers is Henrik Alexandersson. He's always on point and isn't afraid to speak his mind. But I also hate how fast he is. Whenever I see something in a Swedish newspaper that I feel is worth blogging about, you can be sure that he beat me – and everyone else – to it. However, this is a piece of news that I think might be of interest even to those of you who don't speak Swedish.

Residents in the new Stockholm city district of Royal Seaport will be faced with severe regulations regarding their lifestyle, Stockholm politicians have announced. This would include not only sorting waste and participating in carpools, but also exercising, buying only eco-friendly products  - even socializing with neighbors. They will even tell you what route to take when you go to work, just to make sure you're as eco-friendly as possible.

To ensure you're thinking the right thoughts, they will "offer" courses in "green living". Think about this for a minute. They will force you to carpool and socialize with your neighbors. Even if these courses are voluntary, how many people will have the courage to refuse to attend them? Just as with the public school system this is nothing but a way for the government to make sure their propaganda gets out there.

I am all for privately owned communities of like-minded individuals, but this is the State telling us how to live our lives. Stockholm is a city in desperate need of more housing, and they plan on building 5,000 homes in the Royal Seaport area. With housing in such high demand, we will see people having to choose between having every aspect of their lives controlled by the government's latest whim, or not being able to live in Stockholm.

It's ironic that the district is called Norra Djurgårdsstaden in Swedish. Literally translated it means North Animal Farm City. I would laugh at the obvious Orwellian connection if it weren't for the fact that the Stockholm politicians really do think that we are all equal, some are just more equal than others.