Like Britain, France, Germany, and others, America is slowly learning it must join the world community instead of trying to dominate it. This learning period can seem long to many, but America is still a young country compared to those in Europe. 8 years of George W Bush have taught many in America that:
1. America does not have the resources to police the entire world.
2. Working with other countries to solve problems involves comprimise.
3. Embracing some elements of socialism for the good of the masses is not an evil thing.
4. Enriching the rich is not always the answer to economic problems.
5. Caring for one's natural resources can be done with little "harm" to the economy.
6. Treating other countries with respect is a good idea
...so be paitent with America, it is slowly learning. 😏
Originally posted by bill718I'm not sure why you always feel the need to apologize for the US. Have we made some mistakes? Yes. All countries make mistakes. Europe's made plenty of mistakes too.
Like Britain, France, Germany, and others, America is slowly learning it must join the world community instead of trying to dominate it. This learning period can seem long to many, but America is still a young country compared to those in Europe. 8 years of George W Bush have taught many in America that:
1. America does not have the resources to police th ...[text shortened]... tries with respect is a good idea
...so be paitent with America, it is slowly learning. 😏
1. Agree
2. Agree
3. "some elements" is too vague. I despise socialism as an economic philosophy, but of course, things like publicly funded fire fighters are a good idea. I need something more specific before I can comment
4. No one ever said it was. If your implication is that Reaganomics simply meant "always enrich the rich to solve all economic problems" then you need to learn more about Reaganomics
5. Jury's still out on that one. Unless new technology is developed in the area, cutting carbon emissions drastically will do harm to the economy. It may be worth it, but it will do harm.
6. The countries? Yes. Their leaders? Not necessarily. I see no need to treat Kim Jung Ill respectfully.
We don't have anything more to "learn" than does the rest of the World. Maybe other countries could stand to learn a thing or two from us as well.
Originally posted by bill718Would I be right in saying that France, even with its shorter working week and longer annual holidays, has higher productivity than the U.S.A.? It certainly used to be true. Is it still the case?
Like Britain, France, Germany, and others, America is slowly learning...
Originally posted by sh76I agree that the rest of the world can learn from us, but we definitely could learn some things from at least some parts of the world.
We don't have anything more to "learn" than does the rest of the World. Maybe other countries could stand to learn a thing or two from us as well.
The one thing I have seen in US politics that I don't doubt happens elsewhere, but I just don't remember it being as pronounced in Canada for example, is that people label things as "socialism" or even "european" and hence that's somehow in itself a reason to just dismiss the idea.
One thing I've heard in the health care debate over and over is that "we have the best system in the world" - but if we do then why do we have a lower life expectancy than so many other countries? Why do we have a higher infant mortality rate than so many other countries?
It seems that there are a lot of people that seem to think that just because an idea isn't american (or even worse - is "European socialist"😉 then it's automatically a bad idea.
We don't have to just become France (just used as an example), but it would greatly help to see why so many European countries do rank higher in life expectance and lower in infant mortality.
Originally posted by PsychoPawnWell, apparently, according to some American Libertarian thinkers on this web site, those "many other countries" you mentioned are but a few short steps away from being Zimbabwes and North Koreas. Not the sort of thing European Libertarians say. I have somewhat of a penchant for ludicrous leaps of logic myself. And yet I feel I still have so much to learn from these American Libertarians.
One thing I've heard in the health care debate over and over is that "we have the best system in the world" - but if we do then why do we have a lower life expectancy than so many other countries? Why do we have a higher infant mortality rate than so many other countries?
Who says we have the best healthcare system in the World? Well, I guess sometimes politicians and dogmatic talk show hosts say it to audiences because they love to say jingoistic things that appeal to patriotism and don't actually require any thought.
In any case, the question isn't whether we have the best healthcare system in the World. We don't need the best healthcare system in the World (whatever that even means). What we need is the system that will work best for us at this time. How other countries do it can be used as an indication of how things might work here, but they're not dispositive.
Also, you have to look at the whole picture and not just a few numbers in a vacuum. Many European countries' healthcare numbers look better than ours (and may very well be). However, it's also undisputed that many of the most prestigious and advanced hospitals in the World are in the US. Would Sloan-Kettering or the Mayo Clinic be as successful as they are under a single payer system? Who knows? But that's a question that has to at least be addressed in the healthcare debate.
An outfielder might have a great batting average. But, to be a truly great player, he needs to be able to hit the ball out of the ballpark now and then as well.*
* Sorry; I tried a European sports analogy already... 🙂
Originally posted by sh76Why is saying, (let's say, for the sake of argument) incorrectly, that one has the best healthcare system in the World considered to be "patriotic"? If it is patriotic to hold beliefs in things that are not true, doesn't it then follow that all "patriotism" is undermined, diluted, ridiculed? Why isn't adhering to the truth considered to be "patriotic"? What exactly is the own-country-loving virtue in being willfully wrong?
Who says we have the best healthcare system in the World? Well, I guess sometimes politicians and dogmatic talk show hosts say it to audiences because they love to say jingoistic things that appeal to patriotism and don't actually require any thought.
Originally posted by FMFI agree with you. It's not "really" patriotic. But, it sounds patriotic and appeals to patriotic emotion to say you're the best at something. Also, if you're a politician and you say how great the country is, people feel better about you than if you say our country's policies stink.
Why is saying, (let's say, for the sake of argument) incorrectly, that one has the best healthcare system in the World considered to be "patriotic"? If it is patriotic to hold beliefs in things that are not true, doesn't it then follow that all "patriotism" is undermined, diluted, ridiculed? Why isn't adhering to the truth considered to be "patriotic"? What exactly is the own-country-loving virtue in being willfully wrong?
It's like baseball*. You may not really believe that your team has the best pitching in the league. But you say so anyway because you're a fan. It only becomes a problem when people let that nonsense actually affect their planning and policies.
* Sorry for the baseball analogies. Hey, Yankees-Red Sox tonight and the Empire is getting ready to strike back. I'm in a baseball mood.
Originally posted by SeitseHuh?
USA! USA! USA! USA!
We kick butt! You tell 'em the chauvinist76! You tell 'em damn euros!
Yeeee haaaaaaaaaaa
Look, buddy, I don't know if you're still upset that I ridiculed your line about Bush's IQ this morning or what, but my post was not chauvinistic by any stretch of the imagination.
Originally posted by sh76Ridiculed? LOL
Huh?
Look, buddy, I don't know if you're still upset that I ridiculed your line about Bush's IQ this morning or what, but my post was not chauvinistic by any stretch of the imagination.
You really have a high concept of yourself. How can your lips manage to reach your butt? Wow.