Actually, I don't start with the premise that static typing is bad. I actually prefer static typing and if I was designing a language from the ground up it would probably be statically typed. In my day job I work largely in C# and JavaScript and much prefer C# (though it could be better). Unfortunately, we have an dynamically typed foundation (in JavaScript) to work from which makes it very difficult. None the less, dynamically typed prototype based languages can be powerful and have their advantages.

I actually really like Haskell though I have never had the chance to do a project in it. I appreciate the strong type inference and its flexibility in static typing. I occasionally find myself frustrated my C#'s limitations around complex typing. Like that there is nothing close to existential types and you can't create more complex generic type constraints.

Scala seems cool in what little I have read about it. I really respect Martin Odersky who designed it. I'd like to learn more about it, until I do I can't speak much to it.