phoenix80
Banned
Awesome movie
Hahahaha nicely put
Seriously, would you pay 6 bucks a gallon for gas like British people do in UK?
EU should join America if they want to have better life and economy
America joining the EU
Seriously, would you pay 6 bucks a gallon for gas like British people do in UK?
EU should join America if they want to have better life and economy
Damien435
Active member
The British also have an affordable alternative to their high gas prices, mass transit. They have buses and subways where as most of America is too sparsely populated to make those things feasable, sure we have subways in the major cities, but look at AMTRAK, it is on the verge on bancruptcy from the cost of trying to maintain a nationwide railway system.
phoenix80
Banned
Compare price of cars in the States and europe. Or compare price of public transit tickets of US and europe.
Would you pay 35 USD to travel from, say, San Francisco to San Jose California? Last time I was there (3 weeks ago) I paid 6.75 dollars, but you have to pay around 30 dollars in the Netherlands to travel from Amsterdam to Deventer which is like 1.5 hr travel by train... (same period of time)
It's wrong to compare the US with Europe.
By the way, if you want European public transit, then you'll have to pay 60% income tax as well. Will you do it? Cuz if you do, you can also get socialized health care like most european countries but I wonder if any American would really want to give up 60-65% of his/her gross income for these useless stuff.
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Damien435
Active member
Phoenix, look at a map, what's the biggest differences between the United States and say The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, France? Let's see, the United States has roughly twice as many people spread out over ten times as much area with 51% of the population living withing 50 miles of the Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico or Great Lakes, a lot of empty area in between. Mass Transit systems don't work when there isn't a large enough population to support it.
phoenix80
Banned
While I agree with you to a certain point I disagree with the notion that if US joins useless EU, it would be better and more prosperous.
And the reason I brought the San Francisco-San Jose example, was the concentration of masses in that region which resembles any European region. Yet the cost of travel between San Francisco to San Jose is way cheaper than the same route/travel in Europe.
bulldogg
Milforum's Bouncer
The EU is more than a simple economic commune. It is also a system of borderless countries which can no longer keep control of immigration. There would be no benefit to the US to join the EU. It is most telling that the UK has abstained and the pound is doing better than the euro. The dollar is only losing ground because we are spending money we don't have to fight terrorists in the cat box with no financial support from the EU... why? Not because they don't believe in the fight but because they like the economic effect it is having on the US weakening its position while strengthening the EU's. With allies like these who needs terrorists?? This of course is my personal opinion as no one in the EU has been stupid enough yet to admit to this publicly.
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Damien435
Active member
Ah, but we were more honest and quite pointedly said "We are doing this to protect American jobs." not fabricating evidence that European steel causes the deaths of little children.
Phoenix, I don't think I ever said that the US should join the EU and I certainly don't think it would bring prosperity and wealth to all, it will merely lower the prices of a Mercedes in America and Cadillacs in Germany, since the only difference between the two cars is the name and the $10,000 in extra taxes you have to pay for a Mercedes.
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fingolfin361
Active member
Damien said:
Rofl! Quite tongue in cheek.
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mmarsh
Active member
Damien
Bush was not as nearly as concerned about the jobs (he's been sending thousands of them overseas) as he was about the votes he needed in West Virginia for his reelection. His interest was political not economic. Remember Bush lifted the tariffs only because the automobile industry complained about having to buy more expensive US Steel, which in turn drove up the cost of the cars. So Bush wasn't completely on the level either...
The point remains that all countries in the world will bend trade rules to their favor, thats why the WTO is there to arbitrate such disputes.
Bulldogg
I agree with most of what you said except the last part. In truth the EU has been fighting terrorism far longer than the US. In the case of France, its been going on 30 years. What is different is the approach thats used. The EU prefers a more law enforcement style while the US favors a military one. Personally I think the EU method is more effective. Because it forces the terrorists to play in our court whether they are at a major disadvantage.
For example, In France, a young arab man cannot walk around without being eyed suspiciously or without the police demanding ID on the spot. 5 years ago German-French police stopped a group wanting to blow up the WTO meeting in Strasbourg. While the target was in France, they operated just across the border in Germany because they said that they were terrified of the French Police as their methods made it extremely difficult for terrorists to operate within France. As opposed to having the terrorists have homefield advantage in places like Afganistan and Iraq where than can conduct operations far more easily. We only need to watch the TV for proof of this.
Bush was not as nearly as concerned about the jobs (he's been sending thousands of them overseas) as he was about the votes he needed in West Virginia for his reelection. His interest was political not economic. Remember Bush lifted the tariffs only because the automobile industry complained about having to buy more expensive US Steel, which in turn drove up the cost of the cars. So Bush wasn't completely on the level either...
The point remains that all countries in the world will bend trade rules to their favor, thats why the WTO is there to arbitrate such disputes.
Bulldogg
I agree with most of what you said except the last part. In truth the EU has been fighting terrorism far longer than the US. In the case of France, its been going on 30 years. What is different is the approach thats used. The EU prefers a more law enforcement style while the US favors a military one. Personally I think the EU method is more effective. Because it forces the terrorists to play in our court whether they are at a major disadvantage.
For example, In France, a young arab man cannot walk around without being eyed suspiciously or without the police demanding ID on the spot. 5 years ago German-French police stopped a group wanting to blow up the WTO meeting in Strasbourg. While the target was in France, they operated just across the border in Germany because they said that they were terrified of the French Police as their methods made it extremely difficult for terrorists to operate within France. As opposed to having the terrorists have homefield advantage in places like Afganistan and Iraq where than can conduct operations far more easily. We only need to watch the TV for proof of this.
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DTop
Active member
I'll echo the sentiment to get back on topic. If someone wants to start another thread about smoking/nicotine or related topics, feel free to do so.
As for the US joining the EU, I don't see what purpose that would serve for either party. I do, however see such a move or even the consideration of it as fodder for New World Order theorists. But, that might be a topic for yet another thread, wouldn't it?
As for the US joining the EU, I don't see what purpose that would serve for either party. I do, however see such a move or even the consideration of it as fodder for New World Order theorists. But, that might be a topic for yet another thread, wouldn't it?
AlphaHound
Active member
Dear God NO!
Remember when my country joined the EU monetery union in the 80's and the UK interest rate on mortages shot up to 15%? Thousands were forced out of there reposesed homes. I could not afford to buy a house with my wife!
The UK Tory gov was forced to leave the monetery union and things settled to 6%.
Think on this, if a "Third World" member of the EU goes "belly up" and it has in the past!
What will happen to the value of the "paper" in your pocket? Now think on this.
The UK gov, refuses the Euro and continues with Pounds Sterling..Why?
Not because we are nationalistic..because gold and money rises above "European Democracy" , if one falls so shall all (wall street crash!) we look after our own..please god may america hold out too!
:?:
Remember when my country joined the EU monetery union in the 80's and the UK interest rate on mortages shot up to 15%? Thousands were forced out of there reposesed homes. I could not afford to buy a house with my wife!
The UK Tory gov was forced to leave the monetery union and things settled to 6%.
Think on this, if a "Third World" member of the EU goes "belly up" and it has in the past!
What will happen to the value of the "paper" in your pocket? Now think on this.
The UK gov, refuses the Euro and continues with Pounds Sterling..Why?
Not because we are nationalistic..because gold and money rises above "European Democracy" , if one falls so shall all (wall street crash!) we look after our own..please god may america hold out too!
:?:
The Other Guy
Spam King
$2.03 to a pound sterling... $1.38 to a Euro...
yup, terrific.
yup, terrific.
AlphaHound
Active member
Taxation
Taxation, is that where other countries pay to import goods to the US, but are not allowed under trade agreements, to tax US companies importing into other countries?
:wink:
Taxation, is that where other countries pay to import goods to the US, but are not allowed under trade agreements, to tax US companies importing into other countries?
:wink:
Donkey
Active member
It is where many companies from around the world set up shop in other countries to avoid higher taxes or tariffs in a particular country, which in the past has hurt competing companies in certain markets. Some of the down sides to globalization...