Political Discussion

[banca rotta]

but if I would have to vote for one of the remaining candidates of the Republicans, I'd probably vote for Ron Paul. We don't need to (and can't afford to) play the Sheriff all over the world and he seems to be the only one who got that right.

And a big Meow to you too IBroke.

[banca rotta]

I don't see the connection.

I'm not surprised.

Here it is below. I can make the connection and couldn't have said it better.

"In practice, a banana republic is a country operated as a commercial enterprise for private profit, effected by the collusion between the State and favoured monopolies, whereby the profits derived from private exploitation of public lands is private property, and the debts incurred are public responsibility. Such an imbalanced economy reduces the national currency to devalued paper-money, hence, the country is ineligible for international development credit and remains limited by the uneven economic development of town and country. Kleptocracy, government by thieves, features influential government employees exploiting their posts for personal gain (embezzlement, fraud, bribery, etc.), with the resultant deficit repaid by the native working people who “earn money”, rather than “make money”. Because of foreign (corporate) manipulation, the government is unaccountable to its nation, the country’s private sector–public sector corruption operates the banana republic, thus, the national legislature usually are for sale, and function mostly as ceremonial government.[3]

. . . a money class fleeces the banking system, while the very trunk of the national tree is permitted to rot and crash". . . .

[jacko]

Then, why don't we just cut $1.2 billion instantly off the federal budget. Everyone on SS and medicare will have their monthly benefits cut in half. Will see how that works out. You are a simpleton. What would you cut to balance?

[GoingDown]

Somehow, I don't think Banca Rotta would care if they cut these benefits.

I wonder if his mom or dad are on SS and Medicare, and would he want to pick up the slack if their benefits got cut?

[shark66]

There are other places one could start cutting budget from without destroying SS and Medicare overnight...and Ron Paul would be the first one to agree with that...

As for Germany...no it's not doing great, but for reasons that no one wants to openly talk about. It's called "negative birth rate", once known as "the white plague" which is about to destroy Europe as we've known it once *very* soon.

Occupiers from the Middle East are already there in droves, and creating havoc.

No, I'm not politically correct. I refuse to become anything of a kind.

Because that's what has brought this once great country down over the past 70 years, without majority of its population ever noticing...and those who did notice, and dared to speak openly about it were tarred and feathered and exiled...just ask Pat Buchanan...

Good luck to us all.

[IBroke]

As for Germany...no it's not doing great

No? By what standards?

[shark66]

No? By what standards?

By the standard of one simple fact: Germans are likely to become a minority in their own country in about 30 years or less.

Do a little research on that one...or maybe you don't see it as a big deal...

BTW, I'm NOT German, so don't read more into what I've written than my words openly state.

Good luck to us all.

[banca rotta]

Then, why don't we just cut $1.2 billion instantly off the federal budget. Everyone on SS and medicare will have their monthly benefits cut in half. Will see how that works out. You are a simpleton. What would you cut to balance?

On this issue there are no easy answers. We have passed the point of no return for a reasonable solution. Any fix now would require pain.

I DO NOT want to cut senior citizens benefits!!!!

A good start would be to bring home the jobs (good jobs) which will increase the tax base since current unemployed people would not only not be collecting benefits, but they would pay the payroll taxes that would help with these programs.

I would also bring all military personnel home and cut off foreign aid.


There are no cuts big enough however that will close the deficit.

[IBroke]

By the standard of one simple fact: Germans are likely to become a minority in their own country in about 30 years or less.

This might very well be an issue in the FUTURE, but right now, Germany IS doing great. And defining the term "German" is everything but simple. Just look at our own country: Without immigration, the USA wouldn't exist in the first place. I agree that there is a big shift going on in Germany - but I'm not that pessimistic about it.

[shark66]

This might very well be an issue in the FUTURE, but right now, Germany IS doing great.

No they're NOT. Ask anyone who runs a business over there: the taxes have been going up and up and up for the past 20 years, mostly because the newcomers come with entire tribes and hang themselves on this country's generous welfare system...

All jokes aside, that's pretty much like saying that one was not going to deal with the tumor that was discovered during a colonoscopy right away, because they were feeling great...

And defining the term "German" is everything but simple.

It's actually quite simple: German not necessarily by birth, but by choice that is being shown by speaking the language and accepting the long-established social and cultural norms.

Just look at our own country: Without immigration, the USA wouldn't exist in the first place.

There can be *NO* comparison between U.S. and any Old World country when it comes to this aspect. As for immigration - immigration without assimilation is a path for destroying a society. Mind you, I'm an immigrant, albeit a legal one...

I agree that there is a big shift going on in Germany - but I'm not that pessimistic about it.

You don't have to be. You don't live there.

Good luck to us all.

[GoingDown]

There are other places one could start cutting budget from without destroying SS and Medicare overnight...and Ron Paul would be the first one to agree with that...

As for Germany...no it's not doing great, but for reasons that no one wants to openly talk about. It's called "negative birth rate", once known as "the white plague" which is about to destroy Europe as we've known it once *very* soon.

Occupiers from the Middle East are already there in droves, and creating havoc.

No, I'm not politically correct. I refuse to become anything of a kind.

Because that's what has brought this once great country down over the past 70 years, without majority of its population ever noticing...and those who did notice, and dared to speak openly about it were tarred and feathered and exiled...just ask Pat Buchanan...

Good luck to us all.

I am curious about your opinion about this, since you once lived there.

What do you think will eventually happen in Europe because of these "Occupiers" from the Middle East?

[shark66]

I am curious about your opinion about this, since you once lived there.

What do you think will eventually happen in Europe because of these "Occupiers" from the Middle East?

If they are not stopped, it will be Ottoman Empire all over again, on a whole another level.

And that is *not* going to be pretty for any non-Muslims.

Good luck to us all.

[IBroke]

No they're NOT. Ask anyone who runs a business over there: the taxes have been going up and up and up for the past 20 years, mostly because the newcomers come with entire tribes and hang themselves on this country's generous welfare system...

I couldn't disagree more.

I spent more than half my life in Germany. My mother is German, I have a German passport along my US-passport and I went to school in Germany for more than a decade. The "newcomers" have nothing to do with the higher taxes. You might have forgotten that Germany reunited and introducing the same standards was very, very expensive. That was the time when many jobs were lost and THAT was the time when Germany was in bad shape. And that was the time we decided to go back to my country of birth.

As of today, Germany is doing great. They still have an AAA-rating and they wont lose that any time soon. Unemployment is going down as well. As of today, the biggest problem of German employers aren't taxes - it's actually the lack of qualified workers to get all the work done which Germany - as of today - has plenty of.

It's actually quite simple: German not necessarily by birth, but by choice that is being shown by speaking the language and accepting the long-established social and cultural norms.

I agree that this is a problem in some areas. That's the downside of globalization.

[shark66]

I couldn't disagree more.
The "newcomers" have nothing to do with the higher taxes. You might have forgotten that Germany reunited and introducing the same standards was very, very expensive.

I most certainly haven't forgotten that fact. Between 1984 and 1993 I was in Germany a lot, all of which was business-related. Still have a lot of friends there, some of which I speak with on weekly basis. Those people - mostly small business owners - are the source of the facts I'm basing my evaluation on...

As of today, Germany is doing great. They still have an AAA-rating and they wont lose that any time soon. Unemployment is going down as well. As of today, the biggest problem of German employers aren't taxes - it's actually the lack of qualified workers to get all the work done which Germany - as of today - has plenty of.

The first and last sentence in this paragraph contradict one another, if you seriously think about it.

The last sentence (which I underlined) also proves my point about "the white plague" from a couple of posts ago...

Good luck to us all.

[IBroke]

Those people - mostly small business owners - are the source of the facts I'm basing my evaluation on...

Evaluating the economical condition of a country like Germany based on the opinion of a few small business owners is a bit far fetched. I can imagine that they still have some complaints and ideas about what could be done better - but that doesn't change the economical data from 2011 that clearly supports my POV:

- The German economy expanded faster than any other Group of 7 nation last year.

- Germany expanded by 3 percent last year from 2010, Canada, a little over 2 percent and the United States about 1.7 percent.

- German assets are considered the safest in the euro zone.

- Exports rose by 8.2 percent over 2010, while imports rose by 7.2 percent.

- Employment rose in 2011 to an all-time record, with an average of 41.1 million people at work — up 541,000 from a year earlier.

- The country’s jobless rate fell to 6.8 percent in December.

- The deficit was at 1 percent of G.D.P., far below the 3 percent reference value set by the Maastricht Treaty.

The first and last sentence in this paragraph contradict one another, if you seriously think about it.

Not at all. There is always a "biggest problem" - no matter how great things are. I can assure you that Greece would be quite happy if the problem I described would be their biggest issue. And no, it isn't directly related to the "white plague" because there are (still) plenty of native Germans who lack the right qualification for certain high skill jobs. The educational system needs an update.