I have no argument over who is better. I just say that its not as bad as some make it out to be. No need to get defensive.

‘When has family, language, career or even money stopped people from immigrating before? When the tradeoff doesn’t equal greater personal freedom.’

It stops people all the time. Its stopping me right now from moving from DC to new mexico. My career and family and here. Its part of the equation. Economics isn’t everything.

‘Ya’ll talk a good talk about how great Euroland social policies are, but not willing to walk a mile or two, let alone commit your future to it. Hmmmm…’

Oh I’ll commit to it. I live in US cities, which are more like europe than non-cities. I vote and hope for more euro-like policies in terms of worker protection and unionization, as well as vacation times and working hours.

There’s just something about packing up and ‘walking a mile or two’ to a different continent. (its a bit more than that)

Again, no argument over who is ‘better’, i think there are plenty of incommensurables, and personal value distinctions. I just think its not as bad as some make it out to be. Which doesn’t stop people from getting defensive.

For most of Euroland, especially Germany, if the law doesn’t explicitly permit it, you can safely assume that it isn’t allowed, with penalties to follow close behind. Kinda puts a whole new perspective on personal/social freedom/interaction/responsibility.

“Mother, may I” gets tiresome for the independent types real quick.

More specificlly, pro-people policies couldn’t prevent folks from going into bankruptcies — of which 50% were estimated to be directly linked to loss of jobs and/or declining purchasing power. Leading credit card vendor is the Eurocard, which is Euroland’s answer to AmEx, MasterCard & Visa — one can always use a EC anywhere in Europe, while not even MC or Visa is so widely accepted. So credit card debt is not unique to capitalist money-mongers, but socialist grubbers as well.

When has family, language, career or even money stopped people from immigrating before? When the tradeoff doesn’t equal greater personal freedom.

Ya’ll talk a good talk about how great Euroland social policies are, but not willing to walk a mile or two, let alone commit your future to it. Hmmmm…

There is no EU model to emulate, only lessons to be learned (at their cost)and avoided like the plague.

Sorry to break it that way to ya.

What kind of rates of bankruptcies and consumer debt are we seeing here?

‘You better hurry and migrate here while the getting is good. They’d love to see another Ami settle here to offset the Islamic-boomers.’

Why does it have to be about migration? Lots of things keep people from moving. such as family, language, career, etc…

Never mind that it is a French economist from the Govt’s own party that is ringing the alarm bells.

Just heard on the news (N-24 — a German CNN)last night that Germans are having unprecedented personal bankruptcies, as in credit cards debts etc (doubled over the last 5 years). And likewise, German deficits have crossed the 50% of GDP threshold. Yes, life is good here in Euroland and it’s only gonna get better.

You better hurry and migrate here while the getting is good. They’d love to see another Ami settle here to offset the Islamic-boomers.

No, it’s worse. Almost like watching a train wreck in slo-mo.

http://www.techcentralstation.com/010405D.html

I don’t think they have it made. I think its not so bad as many people make it out to be.

But of course, the grass is greener on the other side of the pond, hence the mass influx of immigrants, both legal and illegal to the EU.

Ireland is an exception only in the sense that they got started on their pro-capitalist economy before joining the EU and now fighting tooth & nail to hang on to what they’ve accomplished. That being primarily tax-harmonization that France & Germany are eager to see forced upon Ireland, Poland, Spain etc. To force their tax rates up and increase the redtape to eliminate competition and mitigate capital outflow.

That vibrant green grass of Ireland is quickly fading thanks to meddling bureaucrats in Brussels trying to micromanage Irish affairs and it won’t be long before it’s as brown as the cowpats that is Germany or France. Unless, big if, the smaller countries revolt from Brussel’s planned economy.

Really? Ireland has been pretty hot over the last decade.

and the US gdp per capita growth has been 2.0 percent from 1990 to 2002. tied with or beaten by a couple of euro countries.

That low birth rate is good for something.

http://hdr.undp.org/statistics/data/indic/indic_125_1_1.html

Lets. Nice cozy GDP per capita, lower work hours. And in some countries, more effiency than here — in terms of GDP per man-hour of work.

What regulated banking system? the Fed reserve? Thats not very regulated.

Lola:
‘Pro-corporate? Has it occured to these folks that Corporations Employ People? ‘

All the more reason to be pro-people.