[ScaniaBoy]

Another irony that Ambrose didn't mention:

The EU's top financial watchdog has not been able to give the EU's accounts the all clear for the 10th consecutive year. (Euobserver 16.11.2004)

[PeterFinn]

Just another step towards creating a federal government in Europe.

Kiss off your sovereignty you Euroweenies.

[RightWhale]

a "vast enterprise of looting" by top officials

Following the model of their former colonies in subsaharan Africa and the Middle East no doubt.

[ScaniaBoy]

It was because he blow the covers of that affair that Mr Tillack a German reporter in Brussels was arrested:

Hamburg court rules against Tillack (Freedom of press dead in EU)

It looks like RightWhale is right and the EU powers "follow the model of their former colonies in subsaharan Africa and the Middle East".

[longtermmemmory]

translation: ALL the member states are cooking the books and trying to screw over the EU as much as possible in their individual favors.

[Congressman Billybob]

Precisely what I thought of, also, when I read the article. The EU itself is a cesspool of unaudited corruption, and it seeks the right to look into PRIVATE accounts? As Arlo Guthrie said in "Alice's Restaurant," "Sergeant, you've got a lot of gall...."

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "Death in a Courtly Manner"

[Publius6961]

If I were a Euroeunuch, I would start using the "Bomb Brussels Now!" bumper sticker immediately.<p.How did a little non country ever get such a exaggerated sense of self-importance? How did it happen?

[Red6]

Most Europeans will deny this. They don't even comprehend the concept when confronted with it. But they are centralist thinking people. Some central body per committee makes all decisions at echelons beyond reality.

The idea of a decentralized system where there is a high degree of autonomy is foreign. Again, France and Germany are perfect examples. How much power, money, and influence does the state legislature really have? Little. It’s all centrally decided in Berlin or Paris. EVEN THEIR LANGUAGE is reformed by a panel of experts and government officials who per committee decide the changes. So a kid in Cameroon used to get his school curriculum dictated by a bureaucrat out of Paris. The content of instruction may not even be tailored to the needs anymore, but more important that “function” is “form” or in this case “process”.

Why the US works as a nation yet have different religions, races, political movements, culture and more? Because we are a decentralized nation that allows these differences to persist yet harmonizes those aspects only that are necessary to succeed economically and in the collective defense of our nation. WHO DOES A HEADSCARF AFFECT AN AVERAGE FRENCH PERSON? Why is there a need for such a law? How are my rights limited, the security of the nation threatened, trade hampered or ANY thing else if some woman wants to wear a headscarf? This law is a perfect example of when all power is at the top, when some morals or values are viewed as lesser than others. You CAN NOT bring many different people together under one umbrella with such a world view. There is a connection between centralized thought, headscarves and the problems plaguing Europe today. But the European does not see this.

In parts of the US there is more Spanish-Chinese-French/Cajun spoken than English. Who cares? We are still all bound together and we know this. We intentionally give 40% of the whole US defense to the states to manage (National Guard). We intentionally allow the states to make their OWN laws (abortion-death penalty-gun control-what’s illegal and not), hire and train their police and version of FBI. The states run the schools, teacher’s certification and curriculum. Unemployment and other aspects of social services (example WIC) are state managed. The Europeans when they come to the US (And then claim to be experts on us) have no concept of how varied we are, how decentralized we are. Fact is; my governor in Alaska affects my life MORE in my day to day routine than the President of the US. My state elected officials have MORE influence than the Federal Government in near every aspect (My kids school to the taxes I pay to the building codes my home must meet, even the inspection standards of my car). Who has the money? In Germany the Federal government gives the states (Bundeslaender) their money. Their FED also transfers money from one state to another. Those states that are poor basically get subsidized. In the US the State has its OWN income tax which the Fed does not get or control. The state levies its own sales tax which goes straight to the state without FED control. The states in Germany are powerless, their governors powerless compared to ours. The fact that we allow for the differences in Utah, Texas, or New York makes it possible that we survive as a nation of such varied people. France and Germany do not see it this way. It MUST be one way. And of course they are sitting behind the wheel, so guess which way it’ll be? Eventually this will lead to problems.

Red6