EU = End-Stage Socialism...
Posted on 06/05/2005 7:01:27 AM PDT by voletti
THERE is a nice variant of one of Aesop's Fables which goes like this. A tiny frog shares a field with a giant ox. The frog tries to get the ox's attention by puffing himself up. The ox fails to notice the frog. The frog puffs himself up some more. The ox continues not to notice him. The frog finally puffs himself up so much that he explodes. But the ox still doesn't notice him.
Something much like this happened last Sunday. Many of the supporters of the European constitution nourish dreams of creating a United States of Europe. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the constitution's leading light, frequently spoke of his admiration for the American constitution. But the American reaction to the French non vote was a giant yawn. The news networks gave as much priority to the simultaneous vote in Lebanon, and both elections seemed less important than the result of the Indy 500.
Europe is clearly not as important as it thinks it is: that would be impossible. Yet America's indifference to it is wrong. It remains America's biggest trading partner and closest ally. Two-thirds of America's foreign investment since 2000 has gone to Europe. For all their problems, the EU and America work closely together in steering the world's economy: China is too undeveloped and Japan has failed to assume a leadership position. Since coming to office in 2001, George Bush has spent more time in Europe than anywhere else abroad—44 days, compared with 13 in Asia. And since being re-elected in 2004 he has put heavy emphasis on repairing the European relationship. For good reason: American action abroad is easier if Europe approves of it.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
yup......... that picture says it all about all things French and German.
Europe needs paint.
Europe is kind of like the lazy kid/bad example in school. Mom would say, "If you don't buckle down and study you'll turn out just like Sam".
EU = End-Stage Socialism...
I always had the impression that they turned a negative into a positive. In other words, they were so poor they couldn't afford to rebuild or upgrade, so after a thousand years or so, obsolete, decrepit buildings became antique architectural treasures.
In America, something five years old is rated obsolete, torn down and a bigger, better(?) building is created. Sometimes that's carried to extremes and some fine old architecture is torn down and replaced with some plastic and glass abomination.
That's the difference between Us and Them. We are a dynamic country, warts and all, whereas they're just a model of stagnation and the closed thinking that comes with it.
i love this Aesop fable... both the Bible and Aesop's Fables are great for teaching children to think analogically...
LOL!!! That is great! (I noticed the poodle is French :-)
Not even close. Do you remember the 2000 election? 2002? 2004? Add in 1994 for good measure. Has any European country come as close to overturning the elitests? Give us a couple more elections and things will look very different politically over here. Name even one Old Europe country that has that hope.
and like Europe's economy, the American economy is in sharp decline.
You've got to be hiding in a cave somewhere getting your information from DU.
Just for grins, compare our unemployement to say, France, Germany, or any other Old Europe country.
It's easy to poke fun at our European cousins,
The American 'cousins' self-selected themselves as more inclined to change the world than did the 'I'll stay at home and cower before my leaders' cousins still in Old Europe. We were superior to Europe 200 years ago, and still are today.
The moral or the story is that everyone who craps on you is not your enemy. Everyone who saves you is not your friend. And when yo are in sh*t over your head, keep your mouth shut.
The American Constitution consists of seven articles. The EU constitution has over 450 pages of articles, and the list of them continues to grow. Yet the European tribes are still burying it in further minutia, as in, it is not specific enough to protect the interest of truffle pickers in France.
Europe would have more influence int the US if it hectored us more often. Then its leaders should take bribe money from vicious dictators to oppose our national interests. If they could affect a superior attitude while doing the above that would be helpful too.
C'mon, are you really saying if they had more money they'd have torn town Versailles, the Hermitage, the Vatican, or St. Paul's in London or St. Mark's in Venice? Are we poor because we haven't razed and rebuilt Independence Hall, the Capitol, or the White House?
But in fact, when Europe really had no money after WWII some cities went to great trouble to rebuild their centers as they were before the war. It would have been easier and cheaper to build in the modern commercial style, but national pride dictated that they restore what had been around before, even if they really couldn't afford it at the time.
Europeans could turn this around on you and say that the reason we Americans are so quick to tear down and rebuild is because our buildings aren't as valuable or significant as theirs, and certainly for a lot of our history we didn't. But when we have a really valuable building, like Grand Central Station, and tear it down just to make more money it's not something to be proud of. Nor is seeing a whole city decay as people move out to the suburbs.
Europe is on the downswing, but that may not be so good for the US, either. We're at odds with Europe right now, but whatever our political and cultural differences with them, we still have a lot in common with Europeans. If they can't cope with their troubles, it won't make things easier for us in the world over the long haul. The alternative -- that Europe falls under the sway of some outside power -- could really hurt us.
Today, Europe is going through something close to what we went through in the Seventies, and they have been for some time. I hope they pull out of their funk -- not enough to threaten us -- but enough so that we don't have to worry about what will happen over there.
Actually the dog is a Mexican Hairless. I forget the proper name (AKC one).
1905
2005
Welcome to FR. There are excellent economic charts and data at www.economagic.com Can you tell me on what basis you say the American economy is in sharp decline?
Here's one chart for you, US Real Gross Domestic Product:
Another hilarious moment.
In the infamous words of Vicente Fox: the Mexicans are taking jobs that even the French won't take!!!! :-)
Comparing the EU Constitution vote to Perot's campaign is not the way to convince this conservative that passing it would've been a good thing.
Nor is implying Giuliani is representative of the 'right'.
Nor is lamenting that Europe's absorbing of millions of Turkish moslims is now much less likely. Sheesh.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.