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Americans have been turning into a militaristic bully for a long time, and I am happy the Chinese are rapidly becoming a serious counterpart and the Russians are awaking so as to keep the US at bay. Europe is part of NATO, unfortunately. So they are always kind of dragged into America's problems and dubious foreign politics. Do you really think Germany WANTS to send a single person to a hopeless ****hole like Afghanistan?!
Germany is a big nation. Germany didn't roll over on Iraq, when it decided it didn't want to get involved there.
The United States' power is unprecedented in world history. What it has done with its power (as opposed to, say, the Soviet Union, which steamrolled and expanded right after WW2) is historically REMARKABLE for its RESTRAINT, not its abuse. That is a fact.
There are dozens of incidents of stupid uses of American military force. A lot of it has been done in the name of capitalism, which is a Euro-American interest, often done with the explicit or implicit cooperation or consent of European power brokers and leaders --- who --- believe it or not ---often also don't do what their "people" want.
Can't have democratic socialism without a sound capitalistic system.
People who applaud China's rise (and the re-rise of Russia) may someday learn that the devil you know, is better than the devil you don't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling
To Americans socialism and communism are the same anyway. Most of them know the meaning of neither one.
THAT is true.
But for every hyperventilating, breathless indictment of "European socialism" by a clueless American, is an equally as annoying, equally as cluelss European issuing indictments of "American imperialism and capitalist brutality!"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling
No, Russia has more land and resources than it can handle. They don't have any appetite for tiny Europe. Europe had just become the battleground for the US - Russian penis size contest. America's foreign politics put Europe at risk.
Yeah, the Russians NEVER demonstrated an appetite for territory. Ever. They just historically have kept to themselves, especially the last 100 years.
That's all quite a long time ago. Americans don't remember what it's like to have their own country in ruins. Thus the horror at 9/11.
In Europe on the other hand they still have to defuse bombs from WWII even today. The memory is much fresher.
Do you remember what it was like to have your country in ruins? Because I highly doubt you were born back then. The defusing of bombs is an extremely lame comparison. The point stands though that the US does have a history of fighting bloody wars in its own back yard and wouldn't shy away from it if it needed to do so again. Unlike Europe with Yugoslavia.
No Germans don't consider Russians there enemies but Eastern European countries do.
The not considering Russia your enemy is a German idea.
Even with the Eastern European countries the fault lies with NATO. Russia is keeping an eye on them as NATO is trying to push into Russia's front yard with missile shields and what not. It's similar to the Cuban crisis on the other side decades ago.
It is the European position. We sell lots of our products to Russia and we buy lots of their resources like oil and gas. We have an interest in good relations with them and vice versa.
How would we know? The GOP attacked it outrageously with lies about
"death panels" and "killing Granny" until we got a watered-down version.
People in Massachusetts seem to be happy with Romneycare, however.
Before Romneycare:
-Massachusetts had a low percentage of people who didn't have health insurance, it was below 8%. Well below the national average.
-Massachusetts had the highest percentage of employers who offered coverage in the nation.
-Massachusetts also has the highest number of physicians in the nation on a per capita basis.
I don't have a major problem with getting as many people covered as possible but it should be done on the state level with each state crafting it's own law.
When Europe crafts a single healthcare system for all 27 member nations then they can criticize.
Last edited by Mr. Joshua; 04-06-2012 at 08:53 AM..
Considering the way things are going right now in the EU with people burning that flag and the UK wanting to withdraw and Greece eventually defaulting I have to wonder if the flag will even be around in the next 10 years.
They don't. It's made up by conservatives to score a cheap political point.
Check out european news. They don't care about our Healthcare. They think they have the best in the world. Just like we do. Both Americans and Europeans are ignorant in terms that they think their countries are the greatest on earth.
No, third parties, are plural. In other countries, the is no third party, it is one party the government. They don't "insure", they run the healthcare system.
For profit insurance companies pay healthcare providers in the US, they, for the most part, do not provide the care. In Countries with single payer systems they pay and provide the service.
Sounds like we need to copy that system.
By the way, other countries with universal healthcare systems do have countless third parties working together to provide health care to their populations.
France for instance (repeatedly ranked as having the best healthcare system in the world) has government funded health insurance that pays for up to 80% of any healthcare need. If the citizen desires, then they can contract with a private insurance company to cover the additional 20%. Millions of people in France buy the supplemental private insurance because even if the government pays 80% of a $200,000 hospital bill, you are still left with a $40,000 bill to pay.
The only universal healthcare system that I can think of where the sole third party is the government is the UK.
Yes, the Europeans fail to understand the concept of inalienable rights that no government can take away. A continent of serfs is what they remain.
Yep, our inalienable right to die because we don't have affordable healthcare because the loonies who are in charge of our government feel money that would be spent on that is better spent blowing up 3rd world countries and then rebuilding them. The Europeans are very, very right in their view of us being complete nutjobs.
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