What makes you think we want computer-driven cars? I can't ride in one without Dramamine due to a messed up inner ear. Does this mean the only way I could get to work would be drugged and hazy?
Actually, the Constitution was designed to make the government as inefficient as possible. I kinda like it that way. It limits the abuses of power. After all, if you don't like a company, you don't have to give them your money. Try doing that with Uncle Sam.
Or, 3/4 of the people thought they were all douchebags, and couldn't bring themselves to vote for the lesser of two evils as they'd still be voting for evil.
Yeah, they'd "be stupid not to" but they were stupid to begin with!
I'd also wager that if you're too stupid to know that someone you're paying is lying to you, you probably are too stupid to earn a living good enough to be able to afford a house, too. Not a guarantee, but I bet the odds favor it.
Why does it have to be only one side to blame? If I can't afford a house but a banker tells me I can, that still doesn't change the fact that I can't afford a house, so I shouldn't be trying to buy one.
Heh, I believe the fine people of California are experiencing the dictatorship of the proletariat right now, since they're using a simple majority to change the state constitution to discriminate.
Ahh, I didn't realize you grew up over here and then went to Finland.
As for the higher education, it's also not open to stupid people, and I'd wager stupid people make up a much larger group of people than the group the Academies don't usually let in.
Still, though, I'm convinced that Alabama, Philly and Michigan aren't what I'd call the best examples of the USA. Next time you visit the USA again, my I recommend northern New England: VT, NH and ME. I work a nice, leisurely 40 hours and get paid a fair wage, and I'm not wanting.
Interesting to hear about your library experience. My town is quite rural and our library has a much smaller fiction section than non-fiction section. At least, it did the last time I went there. It's been a while.
I have another question about your European experience: how do you deal with the language barriers? North America has what, three main languages, while Europe has an imperial crapload. Do y'all find a common one or just hope for the best or use lots of gesturing or what?
Thanks for your time. Though we don't seem to agree on much, it's been an enjoyable conversation for me.
The United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs are all free for everyone, at taxpayer expense.
As for vacation by state, I don't know. I've only ever lived in two, one left-leaning (MA) and one Libertarian-leaning (NH). NH doesn't mandate ANYTHING, we're all free to do as we wish. MA mandates everything... and people seem to emigrate to NH to escape it all.
Which states are you friends and family living in? Like I said, it REALLY matters a great deal. Ask most Vermonters and they'll tell you they're happy and talk to most people from Louisiana and they'll prolly tell you life sucks (but then again, the whole South does anyway). I'm sorry to hear they're unhappy with their lives. I hope it works out for them.
The travel part is interesting. It's well known that a low percentage of Americans have passports. I just got mine for the first time this year. But there are some interesting reasons for that. For one thing, the US is HUGE. You can drive 72 hours in a straight line going 80 kph and still be in the same country.... and that's not counting Alaska. Outside of Russia, I don't think that's possible in Europe (and I believe the European part of Russia is also not that large). I think my town is larger than several principalities y'all have over there, too.
The different parts of the US also offer different types of attractions, vacations, etc. For example, it's tough to ski in Florida but it's popular in the Northeast... and you don't need a passport for that (yet). If I want to visit a rain forest or tropical location, I can go to Washington State or Hawaii... and still no passport needed. The only thing about the USA, though, is that everything is still young. We have no man-made tourist destinations here that's particularly popular that's thousands of years old like y'all have in Europe, Asia or Africa.
If people are truly unhappy about the way things are over here, they are welcome to vote at the ballot booth and with their wallets. But if they like how it is and they are happy, who am I to disagree? That's how democracy works in the ideal, anyway.
Besides the social safety net Scandinavia has, what are the other parts you are the most proud of?
Have you researched all 50 states and territories?
After all, we have lots of free universities, vacation time differs by state (as does maternity leave). I don't know what they're like in other states, and barely my own for that matter.
Also, that's the way you guys (assuming you're Nordic) voted. We voted for something different, and it works for us. How does that make you (or us) better?
I'd like to see the comparison down to US state-by-state level and EU states (and their states/ districts), since the (intentional) patchwork federal system we have makes it really difficult to lump the USA all together, where all our different laws don't make us as homogeneous as it appears many other countries are.
That is, if the laws in an EU country are all the same, compare them to say New Hampshire or California or Vermont or Florida. All four US states have vastly different population levels and densities, income levels, employment rates, health levels, and all the other things that make up quality of life indexes.
Does each country/ jurisdiction in the Eurozone have the same labor laws?
'Cause in the US, each state gets to set their own which have drastic effects on the unemployment rate. For example, my state has an unemployment rate of about 3.8%, which I believe most economists consider to be full employment.
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I'll be sure to tell that to the MA State Police officer riding my ass on I-90 or I-495.
What makes you think we want computer-driven cars? I can't ride in one without Dramamine due to a messed up inner ear. Does this mean the only way I could get to work would be drugged and hazy?
Doesn't McCain/ Fiendgold just limit commercial speech, like what politicking has become?
Actually, the Constitution was designed to make the government as inefficient as possible. I kinda like it that way. It limits the abuses of power. After all, if you don't like a company, you don't have to give them your money. Try doing that with Uncle Sam.
Oh, I agree. But that doesn't mean THEY do.
Or, 3/4 of the people thought they were all douchebags, and couldn't bring themselves to vote for the lesser of two evils as they'd still be voting for evil.
If only half the people voted and only half of them voted for W, isn't that only 1/4 of the people who like him? Seems like a small minority to me.
So doctors shouldn't enable self defense for themselves or others?
Yeah, they'd "be stupid not to" but they were stupid to begin with!
I'd also wager that if you're too stupid to know that someone you're paying is lying to you, you probably are too stupid to earn a living good enough to be able to afford a house, too. Not a guarantee, but I bet the odds favor it.
Why does it have to be only one side to blame? If I can't afford a house but a banker tells me I can, that still doesn't change the fact that I can't afford a house, so I shouldn't be trying to buy one.
Heh, I believe the fine people of California are experiencing the dictatorship of the proletariat right now, since they're using a simple majority to change the state constitution to discriminate.
Like Karl Rove, right?
If there are limits, how is it free? After all, speech has never hurt anyone. Only actions do.
If it's got a British slant, doesn't that in fact mean it's biased from a British point of view?
Eh, it would only take a Constitutional Amendment. Let's get started!
But as soon as we get infrastructure, our "neighbors" from the south will move in. Is that something we really want? :-)
In all fairness to the U.S., we know they had WMDs because we have the receipts.
Isn't Texas at the state level and China at the federal level?
Ahh, I didn't realize you grew up over here and then went to Finland.
As for the higher education, it's also not open to stupid people, and I'd wager stupid people make up a much larger group of people than the group the Academies don't usually let in.
Still, though, I'm convinced that Alabama, Philly and Michigan aren't what I'd call the best examples of the USA. Next time you visit the USA again, my I recommend northern New England: VT, NH and ME. I work a nice, leisurely 40 hours and get paid a fair wage, and I'm not wanting.
Interesting to hear about your library experience. My town is quite rural and our library has a much smaller fiction section than non-fiction section. At least, it did the last time I went there. It's been a while.
I have another question about your European experience: how do you deal with the language barriers? North America has what, three main languages, while Europe has an imperial crapload. Do y'all find a common one or just hope for the best or use lots of gesturing or what?
Thanks for your time. Though we don't seem to agree on much, it's been an enjoyable conversation for me.
The United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs are all free for everyone, at taxpayer expense.
As for vacation by state, I don't know. I've only ever lived in two, one left-leaning (MA) and one Libertarian-leaning (NH). NH doesn't mandate ANYTHING, we're all free to do as we wish. MA mandates everything... and people seem to emigrate to NH to escape it all.
Which states are you friends and family living in? Like I said, it REALLY matters a great deal. Ask most Vermonters and they'll tell you they're happy and talk to most people from Louisiana and they'll prolly tell you life sucks (but then again, the whole South does anyway). I'm sorry to hear they're unhappy with their lives. I hope it works out for them.
Over here we seem to have chosen the "more risk, more reward" method. At least, my state works that way. In MA, they have more labor laws (and more laws in general) and while it's easier to get fired in NH, we have a statistically significant and a lower unemployment rate. Our crime rate is low, too (and would be lower if we stopped letting the Massholes in, but I digress).
The travel part is interesting. It's well known that a low percentage of Americans have passports. I just got mine for the first time this year. But there are some interesting reasons for that. For one thing, the US is HUGE. You can drive 72 hours in a straight line going 80 kph and still be in the same country.... and that's not counting Alaska. Outside of Russia, I don't think that's possible in Europe (and I believe the European part of Russia is also not that large). I think my town is larger than several principalities y'all have over there, too.
The different parts of the US also offer different types of attractions, vacations, etc. For example, it's tough to ski in Florida but it's popular in the Northeast... and you don't need a passport for that (yet). If I want to visit a rain forest or tropical location, I can go to Washington State or Hawaii... and still no passport needed. The only thing about the USA, though, is that everything is still young. We have no man-made tourist destinations here that's particularly popular that's thousands of years old like y'all have in Europe, Asia or Africa.
If people are truly unhappy about the way things are over here, they are welcome to vote at the ballot booth and with their wallets. But if they like how it is and they are happy, who am I to disagree? That's how democracy works in the ideal, anyway.
Besides the social safety net Scandinavia has, what are the other parts you are the most proud of?
Have you researched all 50 states and territories?
After all, we have lots of free universities, vacation time differs by state (as does maternity leave). I don't know what they're like in other states, and barely my own for that matter.
Also, that's the way you guys (assuming you're Nordic) voted. We voted for something different, and it works for us. How does that make you (or us) better?
I'd like to see the comparison down to US state-by-state level and EU states (and their states/ districts), since the (intentional) patchwork federal system we have makes it really difficult to lump the USA all together, where all our different laws don't make us as homogeneous as it appears many other countries are.
That is, if the laws in an EU country are all the same, compare them to say New Hampshire or California or Vermont or Florida. All four US states have vastly different population levels and densities, income levels, employment rates, health levels, and all the other things that make up quality of life indexes.
Invasion of privacy is a criminal act, while speeding is a civil offense. Invasion of privacy has a victim, speeding does not.
Apples to oranges.
It couldn't include sales taxes, because we don't all pay sales taxes.
At least, the best states don't have them. Income tax is for suckers, too.
Does each country/ jurisdiction in the Eurozone have the same labor laws?
'Cause in the US, each state gets to set their own which have drastic effects on the unemployment rate. For example, my state has an unemployment rate of about 3.8%, which I believe most economists consider to be full employment.