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- Jan 28, 2005
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Gandhi>Bush said:My complaints about countries in Europe are the same complaints I have about my own country.
GarzaUK said:I am intrigued of how Americans feel towards Europe, as the US and Europe are the bastions of the free world as such.
Where do you think and how do you want Europe to go for decades to come?
Squawker said:The only problem I have with Europe in general, is the trend toward Socialism. .
Urethra Franklin said:That is it's strangth.
We don't have such an atrocious rich/poor gap as the US, or people who find themselves without health coverage or pensions because they're too poor. You claim that's not sustainable, because of your blinkered view that profit is all. There are other measures of a successful society, and most European ones are far more humane than the US.
In any case, as Soviet Guy rightly points out, the Euro is whipping the dollar's ass, and even European nations with difficulties are still experiencing steady growth.
Quertol said:Socialism is not sustainable... The proof is in the Soviet Union... Look at how they fell... Capitalism is always the better way... The free market... The Euro might be higher now, but lets compare unemployment rates...
Urethra Franklin said:But those unemployed have decent levels of unemployment benefit to live off, and are only unemployed because of the shortcomings of the capitalist system. You ignore the European nations, like the UK, with far lower unemployment rates than your own.
The Soviet Union proves nothing. You want to get off on anecdotal one-offs? Sweden prospered under 50 years of socialist government, which left them with one of the world's highest standards of living AND an enviable social welfare system. They got into trouble when they started electing conservative governments.
Quertol said:Socialism is not sustainable... The proof is in the Soviet Union... Look at how they fell... Capitalism is always the better way... The free market... The Euro might be higher now, but lets compare unemployment rates...
Comrade Brian said:Soviet Union lasted for 70 years Cuba's still around, and the USSR collapsed because it tried to compete militarily with the US, and capitalism is strengthened from war because money goes to businesses for the cost of the war, socialism generally has no businesses to profit so socialism would lose. And wasn't the USSR collapsed in a coup or something. So socialism is sustainable with small military, capitalism under huge military
nkgupta80 said:Capitalism by itself is not sustainable either.
Squawker said:The only problem I have with Europe in general, is the trend toward Socialism.
Urethra Franklin said:In any case, as Soviet Guy rightly points out, the Euro is whipping the dollar's ass, and even European nations with difficulties are still experiencing steady growth.
Quertol said:http://www.ibeurope.com/Factfile/78unemp.htm
I would say that the US is doing better than the EU on the whole...
Urethra Franklin said:According to this, you're doing worse than the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands. Besides, such statistics say nothing about the life of the people.
You can become unelmployed in Europe and not have to worry about losing your health care benefits or pension cotributions, and know that your level of unemployment benefit will be enough to live on. Many United Statesians don't have that safety net. And you ignore the point that unemployment exists because it is a necessary feature of capitalism, which unfortunately, we haven't eliminated in Europe.
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