European Union

Well, it's news and politcs, isn't it? So, what do you guys think about the EU? About the euro killing the dollar's butt right now? The Charter of Fundamental rights? Debates over the admition of Turkey? Do you guys even know what I'm talking about? If you do, please post something.
Do you guys approve of the EU? (I thought that'd be ridiculous--of course you would--but I met someone last week who didn't think so)

Does George Bush know what the EU is?

I live in Ireland and this country has blosomed greatly due to the initial help of the EU. The Celtic Tiger has changed this country very rapidly in the past twenty years. The big cities in Ireland today have everything that the big cities in the USA have and maybe better.

It's only right that now that we have a very strong economy that we expand the EU and bring on board the poorer countries such as Turkey. The growth of the Irish economy is better than that of the US at present. The Irish economy does not have any national deficit at all. We are one of the few countries in the world with a credit balance in the exchequor. The US economy as a crazy deficit of several billion $$$. The oil resources in the US are being wasted and this has a signiciant influence in the US "interest" in the oil reserves of Iraq.

A strong EU can defend itself and feed itself without needing assistance from the US. And the euro is kicking the $ because the economy's in the EU are all strong with everyone apying their fair share of taxes and we are not spending billions on armaments to use on third world, or smaller countries.

I'm feed uplistening to the American's who cry about the price of gas. We call it petrol and a gallon costs well over $10. Most of that is going to the government as tax but we don't belly ache about the cost because it acts as a catalist to encourage economical use of the earths precious resources. 1400 cc cars are the norm with average fuel consumption of 60 miles to the gallon. In the US whatis the average cc of car engine and what's your average mile per gallon?

Ever wonder why your country is in such a economic mess?

Give you a few things to think about?

well said bendover
us sign the agreement help planet earth

If the EU works for europe than YAY EU but I wouldn't say my country is in an economic mess, not even close.

The figures are there to be seen Reiko.

The US budget deficit is many billions of dollas.

A wee country like Ireland hcan have budget credit.

If you equate that back to an individual. If your debts way outmatch your income your in an economic mess. The oil that America is trying to steal from other countries is because the powers to be in the US know just what a mess you are all in.

Why did the US not sign up to the treaty to save the world's resources?

If you country is not in an economic mess why has the promised reconstruction "on a scale never seen before on this planet" as George W said to the poor black people of New Orleans many months ago not kicked in straight away?

Can the US government not afford to get these homes rebuilt immediately?
Or are the money brokers seeing how many more millions in profits they can give to their friends who supported getting them into the Whitehouse in the first place.

America needs to wake up and smell the roses.

Do the American people not see that their government are despised by so many right thinking people in the rest of the world?

America is an economic mess. If it wasn't, then there would be so much unemployment. There wouldn't be the whole issue with Social Security. There wouldn't be problems with taxes and all that crud . . . in Tennessee, the taxes are 9.25%, which was quite an increase compared to our former taxes. Yet people still go over to Kentucky and buy their groceries. The problem isn't solved - Tennesee draws in less money because people would rather drive half an hour and save money on groceries (essentials) than pay an exorbanant amount for milk and bread. If the state lowered the taxes a bit, then the state would likely make more money since people would actually be willing to stay in the state and pay for their stuff. Seriously, who wants to spend $200 on food when you could pay $150?

And that's just my state - as stated by bendover, the deficit is huge and getting even bigger. Money is being spent supporting the war and frivalous avenues instead of helping the people inside the country. Our current president does not know how to spend money appropriately - but, what do you expect from a man who has been rich his entire life, a man who ran a business into the ground, a man who committed insider-trading and got away with it?

Ugh, to say that America isn't an economic mess . . . that's why so many people are so bad off, isn't it?

No offense, but, ha!

Well I guess having an economy growing above 3% for the past 11 quarters and an unemployment rate hovering around 5% is mess then what is considered good?

Oh yeah, amen to everything bendover said. Bush Doesn't know who the EU is, or the UN, apparently. The EU is great because there are several levels of accountability and management. (European Council, Council of the European Union, Parliament, the Commission, Court of Justice, Court of auditors, etc.)
The U.S. is overrated, and past its prime in some places. As long as we have bull-headed leaders that refuse to acknowledge that there are nations and powers outside of themselves, things will only get worse.
I'm so glad I have dual.

May I ask where you got your stats? (I'm not be aggresive, I'd just like to know)

And is that 5% is in the nation, correct? I find that hard to believe since most individual states have a higher percentage.

Here are a couple of sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_unemployment_rate
https://www.bea.gov/bea/glance.htm

Here is another.
https://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/12/1econ.html

Here is unemployemt rates for each state as of Nov. 2005.
https://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm

As of Dec. 2005 the national unemployment figure was at 4.9%
https://www.bls.gov/cps/home.htm

Of the first two, one acknowledged that its stated information is not absolute. The second one is done by the government, who, of course, is not going to acknowledge how deep we are. The third one is just dandy, buy I don't own any industries (and neither do any of my neighbors, last time I checked) so it doesn't help us out much.

So what if those figures say we're great. YOu know what, I'm still poor. I still know people who spent years in colleges and are working at Wal-Mart or driving buses. The deficit is still growing at the speed of light, and is an amount larger than the actual dollars ever printed off. The prices of things and taxes are still occuring just about as fast as pay cuts are--frequently.

Ok, when did this become about the U.S.? It's supposed to be about Europe. *sighs*

Of course because the economy is in constant flux.
So because the numbers don't fit with what think it is then they MUST be lying? When you consider the enormous amout of people watching the economy I doubt they could get away with making up those figures.
It's a big assumption on your part I would like to see you prove.


Well i'm not poor and doing very well with just two year degree. And that goes for everybody I know.

You asked where I got my numbers and then say they are lies because they don't correspond to what you think they should be.