World Affairs

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The Greek Problem.

The people of Greece have cast their lot into the hands of people who don't have enough will to form a government of national unity. A new election will probably result in a breakup of the EU and the Euro.

Crises like this in Europe have resulted in wars in the past.

[JanYpe 17]

The Greek Problem.

The people of Greece have cast their lot into the hands of people who don't have enough will to form a government of national unity. A new election will probably result in a breakup of the EU and the Euro.

Crises like this in Europe have resulted in wars in the past.

So what form should a government of national unity take in this case? A government like that generally relies on established, credible parties that represent a significant part of the public. This is a crisis that has largely discredited traditionally powerful parties so, apocalyptic predictions aside, who then?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Well, it seems the party that is wagging the dog is also the second largest. Sounds like there is a full scale ideological disagreement. The socialists seem to be willing for Greece to default, and would be content to leave the Euro although polls show that the man on the street disagrees.

About 12 hours later: This.

Now this is where my election system would work well. None of the people elected in the last election should be allowed to run again, especially the party leaders. This is where Mr. None-of-the-Above would suit the crime.

  Edited May 15, 2012 by A Nonny Moose  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

La Belle France.

Interesting. I did not understand that the presidency was so tied to the government. Anyone care to explain how this works? It is starting to sound the The Directory.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Spanish empire rumblings?

First the Argentine and now the mother country. I guess the Spaniards don't remember very well what happened with the last Elizabeth.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Voices silenced.

One.

Two.

I am sorry to hear more voices of my younger days go on. R.I.P.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Murky Merkel Murks Again!

Die Feurherin didn't say yes and she didn't say no. Some kind of stimulus is needed in Greece because there has been altogether too much doom and gloom. Don't we owe something to the founders of our western society?

Yeah, yeah, I know... What have they done for us lately?

[dazza262 133]

Spanish empire rumblings?

First the Argentine and now the mother country. I guess the Spaniards don't remember very well what happened with the last Elizabeth.

Just read through this one, and got to say that what jumped out at at me was the part where they explained why King Juan Carlos would not be visiting Britain.

"He is recovering from surgery last month after he fell and broke his hip while hunting elephants in Botswana"

Really ? Hunting elephants ? And there was me thinking it's 2012 not 1912 !!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Spanish empire rumblings?

First the Argentine and now the mother country. I guess the Spaniards don't remember very well what happened with the last Elizabeth.

Just read through this one, and got to say that what jumped out at at me was the part where they explained why King Juan Carlos would not be visiting Britain.

"He is recovering from surgery last month after he fell and broke his hip while hunting elephants in Botswana"

Really ? Hunting elephants ? And there was me thinking it's 2012 not 1912 !!

Maybe the Spanish nobility are still stuck in 1500.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I am descended from Spanish Nobility!

Some elephants in some areas can legally be hunted.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I am descended from Spanish Nobility!

Some elephants in some areas can legally be hunted.

And I from the Dukes of Alsace, but so what. Nothing but a bunch of hoods and boodlers.

Elephants are almost intelligent as whales and dolphins. Hunting them is murder.

[dazza262 133]

I am descended from Spanish Nobility!

Some elephants in some areas can legally be hunted.

It may be legal, but it doesn't mean that it is morally right.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Humans are omnivores and can healthily eat vegetarian diets yet many of us eat meat from animals cruelly slaughtered (maximum cruelty for minimum price! Meat is murder! Etc). Humans are morally ambiguous.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Humans are omnivores and can healthily eat vegetarian diets yet many of us eat meat from animals cruelly slaughtered (maximum cruelty for minimum price! Meat is murder! Etc). Humans are morally ambiguous.

Humans are also predators and not near the top of the food chain. I see no problem in killing to eat. I dislike killing for sport.

[airman15 4,111]

The man who helped CIA find Bin Laden gets 33 years

This little incident is going to reflect badly on Pakistan and might be another nail in the coffin for our relations with them

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Have to treat the Pakistanis with kid gloves. They are a nuclear power. Probably we should encourage the Indians to beat the living daylights out of them and take them back. Jinnah was a real pain the in donkey's bottom, and wore the Brits out in 1947. The separation caused thousands if not millions of casualties. A real religious squabble that set the tone for the next century. Pakistan is one of the world's worst examples of an Islamic state. Politically, they can never decide which side of the bread the butter is on.

This little "internal event" shows that the government of Pakistan knew where Bin Laden was all along in spite of all the unctuous denials.

  Edited May 24, 2012 by A Nonny Moose  

[airman15 4,111]

Because the Pakistanis jailed the man who pointed out where Bin Laden was, it shows they are not really our ally in the first place. There is no longer a reason to keep fighting in the middle east and I think the best idea now is to withdraw all troops and cut aid to other nations. Doing this will also kill two birds with one stone (less pressure on US-international relations and it would save billions of dollars in the long run).

  Edited May 24, 2012 by usfighter15  

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I agree, let them destroy themselves!

[Meg 368]

Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst, said Pakistan insisted that any other country would have prosecuted a citizen working for a foreign intelligence agency . . .

So . . . if an intelligence agency from ---pick a European country--- wanted my help in identifying a Nazi war criminal and I agreed to help them, would I be guilty of treason against the USA? It's difficult to see how. Unless that Nazi war criminal was in some form of witness protection over here.

If I was approached by a foreign intelligence agency, would I contact the local CIA office? Well, the only ones I know of are Langley and the branch office near the White House. I'd probably go to the local FBI office first and ask for advice. Nah, I'd ask the people I know at NSA.

Working with a foreign intelligence agency does seem to be some level of spyhood (for lack of a better work). I would be more comfortable being in contact with some federal official. Obviously, this guy felt he could not do that. Turns out he was right.

[raja_indy14 8]

Did anyone ever really think that the US alliance with Pakistan was anything more than a relationship founded on barely concealed expediency (and historically that India had been aligned with the Soviet Union)?

I agree, let them destroy themselves!

That would clearly be the end result if the US had not been doing such a good job already...

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The real solution for the Hind sub-continent is for all western countries to send them to Coventry, and stop all aid (graft?). There is no point feeding dogs that bite you.

[airman15 4,111]

Even if we were threatened by foreign nations, I would be more concerned about China and Russia as they have the capability to strike us and both are much closer to us. Even then, imposing ultimatums and pretty much dictating what the local government can or cannot do is war mongering. America has much bigger problems to worry about rather than letting the middle east be the Vietnam of the 21st century..

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

You are quite right. However, too many people with power in the United States are hawks. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

---

"Fortune passes everywhere." - Frank Herbert

Wonder if this guy will get the Savonarola treatment?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Syria. The chips go down with ambassadorial expulsions.

China and Russia are the only major powers that haven't pulled the plug as yet. Lesser events have caused major conflicts in the past.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I wonder how the global economy will fare after Greece and the USA default?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I wonder how the global economy will fare after Greece and the USA default?

With a loud and resounding crash as the entire credit bubble goes away with a pop. All the foolish people who think this can go on forever will land with a thud.

"Once I built a railroad.

"Made it run.

"All the trains were on time.

"Once I built a railroad,

"Now its gone.

"Brother can you spare a dime"

1930s Depression Song.

All the 'entitlements' will evaporate, and it will be hard to feed people, let alone house them. Pick out a good bridge to live under.

[raja_indy14 8]

The United States is unlikely to default any time soon unless the federal government utterly fails to correct structural imbalances that are relatively basic (only political posturing, irrationality, and vested interest stand in the way - admittedly these are very evident in contemporary American politics). The US has a relatively low tax rate to GDP ratio relative to the rest of the developed world, leaving it considerable leeway to raise taxes to offset deficits. Defense spending is a huge part of the federal budget that has many non-essential elements. Regulations that target private health insurance providers could significantly reduce the costs of publicly funded healthcare in the United States, since it is these institutions that make American healthcare some of the most expensive in the developed world.

The biggest problem would be the end of the dollar as the world's reserve and exchange currency. This would happen as the US Fed effectively continues to print money although given the present weakness of the Euro investors have precious few places to invest, particularly if developing countries begin to impose capital controls to prevent inflows of 'hot money'. In this situation there are very few safe havens, and one could expect speculative investments in world commodity markets etc in response.

[hym 358]

The United States is unlikely to default any time soon unless the federal government utterly fails to correct structural imbalances that are relatively basic (only political posturing, irrationality, and vested interest stand in the way - admittedly these are very evident in contemporary American politics). The US has a relatively low tax rate to GDP ratio relative to the rest of the developed world, leaving it considerable leeway to raise taxes to offset deficits. Defense spending is a huge part of the federal budget that has many non-essential elements. Regulations that target private health insurance providers could significantly reduce the costs of publicly funded healthcare in the United States, since it is these institutions that make American healthcare some of the most expensive in the developed world.

There is a lot less room to cut the defense budget than most people realize. Roughly 65% of the defense budget is spent on things that the government can't easily quit spending money on. Of the remaining 35%, significant portions of that is spent on things that could be easily cut, but likely would be unwise to stop spending money on.

As for the health insurance providers, the best thing the government could do would be to learn how they operate. When it comes to efficiency of operations, no one beats the major insurance companies for minimization of overhead costs. Many operate on 10%-20% profit margins, which aren't really that excessive.

Also, part of the reason that American health care is so much more expensive than anywhere else in the Western world is that the US effectively subsidizes the health care of everyone else. Canada's overall health care costs are artificially lowered because the US has regulations in place encouraging US health care companies to provide medical knowledge and supplies below cost. Those losses have to be recouped somewhere, and they are recouped on the backs of Americans. If those regulations were removed and the free market allowed to balance the prices, Canada's cost of health care would go up and America's would go down. The same is true for the UK also.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

^ I think that last needs some real numbers to verify that statement. Canadian health care takes up 30% or more of our current tax revenue.

Because of the way the cost of living index (COLI) is calculated, I've lately noticed that rampant inflation in some price sectors is being ignored. Both food prices and fuel prices are excluded because they are "too volatile". My $50 bag of groceries of two years ago costs $80 now, and increase of 60%. Because my income is controlled by the COLI I haven't had a raise in quite a while that was significant enough to cover the jump in groceries. I do not have a car.

[airman15 4,111]

To cut back on the US deficit, wouldn't be helpful to get rid of federal bureaucracies such as Department of Education, TSA, and also pull the plug on wars in the middle east? And while we are at it bring back manufacturing and other types of employment we sent overseas?