Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It costs thousands of dollars for a family to travel to travel to Mexico and most Americans don't even have a passport.
I guarantee that low income families are not traveling abroad for vacations. That doesn't even make any sense. They don't have thousands of dollars to waste, and can't travel to Mexico anyways without a passport.
You don't seem to have understood my posts. You and I are in agreement. Except for the passport thing. Passports are easy to get, and until 9/11, weren't even required for travel to Mexico.
Does Switzerland have a problem with the Roma, like France, Italy and other countries? Or is that limited to the EU?
It's interesting, this talk about "direct democracy" in Switzerland. The US government has been carrying out projects in what it calls "participatory democracy" in select countries for about 15 years, as a way to combat corruption. I'm not sure where they got the model for the program, as it seems to be copied after the Cuban model, but that wouldn't make sense. Maybe they took it from Switzerland.
In 1995 the Schengen agreement was introduced which means that people without papers can move freely within the Euro-Zone. The Roma did increase in certain countries within the Euro-Zone but were still rather uncommon outside Southern Europe. It has it reasons. Until 2004 the European Union was an exclusive union for Western, Northern and Southern European countries or what was under the Cold War called Western Europe. Most Roma live in Eastern Europe so the Roma was not seen as a significant problem and those Roma who lived in Western Europe was assimilated to a certain degree and were not plenty in numbers. In 2004 Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Malta, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Estonia, Czech Republic and Cyprus joined the European Union. In 2007 was Romania and Bulgaria allowed entering the union and in 2013 was Croatia made a member. The last ten years there have been an influx of organized Roma-gangs from Eastern Europe. It is what I understand a massive immigration of them.
The former president of France, Mr. Sarkozy tried to have deported back to Eastern Europe but he couldn’t because of the liberal elites in Brussels who had him overrun. At that time Sarkozy was one of the most powerful men in the world and he couldn’t stand up against Brussels. Switzerland is also members of Schengen which means that they are also forced to house Roma-Gangs. I will point out that not all Roma are criminals but they are heavily overrepresented in crime. There were a referendum in February in Switzerland which introduced quotas of EU migrants and it will be in effect in 2017. The European Union has of course refused to change their contract with Switzerland which actually means little to Switzerland who will just give them the finger. Switzerland has the financial instruments and infrastructure to in a moment turn into the same tax haven they were before 2008. They don’t need Brussels. Norway and Iceland have already left their plan to join the European Union. United Kingdom will within a few years leave. There are a lot of people in all Western European countries who see the European Union as a threat to their way of life but also their security. When it comes to Roma beggars they are rather few in numbers in Switzerland and cannot be compared to Eastern Europe.
I think United Kingdom has an Anglo-Saxon system while it is Germanic democracy system in Switzerland. The main difference is just that the people make laws in Switzerland through public referendums on political issues while in United States, elected politicians make laws. The good part is that in Switzerland you don’t have to listen to some BS from politicians. You just get a few thousand people to sign and then you state hold a public referendum. It means that liberal political can be forced to implement a conservative agenda or visa verse. The bad part with the Swiss Democracy is that people just don’t care of voting on certain issues because they don’t care about it or don’t have time to vote. Personally, I think the Swiss system is a great system because you reduce the power of the politicians and keep people always political and opinionated.
Romas aren't that of a big deal in Switzerland. It's more about immigrants from neighboring countries "stealing" work from them. Germany, Italy and France mainly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skylock
The former president of France, Mr. Sarkozy tried to have deported back to Eastern Europe but he couldn’t because of the liberal elites in Brussels who had him overrun. At that time Sarkozy was one of the most powerful men in the world and he couldn’t stand up against Brussels.
France is expelling ~10.000 Roma a year. For quite a while now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skylock
I think United Kingdom has an Anglo-Saxon system while it is Germanic democracy system in Switzerland. The main difference is just that the people make laws in Switzerland through public referendums on political issues while in United States, elected politicians make laws. The good part is that in Switzerland you don’t have to listen to some BS from politicians.
The US has elements of direct democracy, too. Anyone can put any initiative on the ballot if they gather enough signatures. This doesn't always work out for the better, though. The public often doesn't understand the complexities of state budgets, for example. So you get tax revolts, where the public votes to reduce this or that tax, sometimes with disastrous results. Then the state is stuck with that constraint on the budget, and services, even university education, start falling apart.
The public can also vote to remove a state governor.
The US has elements of direct democracy, too. Anyone can put any initiative on the ballot if they gather enough signatures. This doesn't always work out for the better, though. The public often doesn't understand the complexities of state budgets, for example. So you get tax revolts, where the public votes to reduce this or that tax, sometimes with disastrous results. Then the state is stuck with that constraint on the budget, and services, even university education, start falling apart.
The public can also vote to remove a state governor.
Yeah. Direct democracy isn't a feature that distinguishes common law from civil law jurisdictions.
With all respect, but our Mountains in Germany are basically foothills compared to what Switzerland has to offer. I agree that they are beautiful nontheless.
I've seen the Swiss Alps and I prefer Germany's mountains, and Germany in general over Switzerland - but to each his own!
Yes. Sure. The only way lower-income Americans can afford to vacation in the US is by going camping, i.e. foregoing the hotel altogether. Even then, the cost of driving to their destination can be prohibitive, if they even have a car. If they fly to their destination, how do they get from the airport to the national park or their preferred campground? Rent a car? Not at all realistic. Public transport or some kind of private bus service to a popular camping or hiking area isn't always available. Besides, sleeping on the ground and cooking over a campfire isn't everyone's idea of a vacation. So for a lot of people, it's cheaper to go to Mexico. If a discounted airfare can be found, it's cheaper, even, to go to Taiwan or SE Asia for vacation.
If you say so.
I was a "lower income American" with four little kids for many years and I never found a vacation package to Mexico or Asia that was more affordable than driving up to Hot Springs, Arkansas or down to Ship Island, MS but I'll take your word for it. I guess it could be less expensive for one person, but definitely not for a family.
It costs me about $600 round trip, not counting stopping in cheap hotels en route, to drive from NM to the Bay Area, including food from grocery stores, not restaurants. That's about the price of a ticket from San Francisco to Mexico City or Guatemala City.
You have to stay what? one night on the way?
$600 for gas plus $100 for a hotel room and about $50 for food during the whole road trip is no way more than a trip to Mexico City... sorry i just don't believe it.
You have to stay what? one night on the way?
$600 for gas plus $100 for a hotel room and about $50 for food during the whole road trip is no way more than a trip to Mexico City... sorry i just don't believe it.
2 nights in a hotel each way. But remember, that's not counting a place to stay in CA for the actual vacation. Vacationing in the US isn't affordable unless you have a free place to stay, or you live in your car, or you sleep on the ground in a camping spot. In Mexico I used to pay $5/night for a spacious hotel room with private bath.
I was a "lower income American" with four little kids for many years and I never found a vacation package to Mexico or Asia that was more affordable than driving up to Hot Springs, Arkansas or down to Ship Island, MS but I'll take your word for it. I guess it could be less expensive for one person, but definitely not for a family.
People keep glossing over the part where I said I'm talking about singles and couples, not families. Once you have to start paying airfare for other people, naturally it doesn't add up.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.