Text 14253, 73 rader
Skriven 2011-02-20 08:22:58 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
  Kommentar till text 14226 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: Defector admits to WMD lies that triggered Iraq war
===========================================================
Ward Dossche wrote to Robert Bashe on Saturday February 19 2011 at 19:29:

WD> Spain, Portugal and Greece are sham-economies, they never should have
WD> been admitted in the Eurozone and you will probably agree to that.
WD> Same as the last handfull of additions to the EU are nonsens.

Only problem is, they're in and that's that. So either we "hang together or we
hang separately", as Benjamin Franklin once remarked.

WD> Ireland apparently also crashed on the housing-industry problems
WD> exactly as the US.

Maybe. From what I've read, their problem was the cost of the bailout for the
financial sector to prevent major bank collapses. Otherwise, their economy
appears to be reasonably stable.

Actually, the EU country with a problem most similar to that in the States
would be England, where there was really _massive_ housing speculation
(Remember the flap when Sherry Blair bought a condo for speculation?), but of
course England is not in the Eurozone.

RB>> Anyway, the Euros are presently seeing the downside of clapping their
RB>> hands joyfully about "people power" - talk to the people on
RB>> Lampedeusa about the Tunesian "refugees" streaming to the Italian
RB>> island and wanting to get into the EU... and that's only the
RB>> beginning.

WD> Italy is doing a good job of taking care of these people ... What I
WD> always wonder about is "how bad does it need to be for someone to flee
WD> and leave everything including family behind?"

Easy, when you're going to the promised land where you get more money for not
working than you would for hard labor at home, assuming you could even get a
job.

The only thing I wonder about is why the Italians don't simply fill up
transport ships at Lampedeusa and cart everyone back to Tunesia. That would end
things pretty fast. But as things go, with the EU eating out it's heart about
"humanitarian problems", we'll likely get to support everyone who makes it to
Lampedusa for the rest of his/her life. Some people apparently never realize
that you can't bear the whole world on _one_ pair of shoulders, even if they
are broad and powerful. Accepting still more "asylum seekers" into the EU is
_not_ the way to a better world.

WD> Real help is scarce these days. The Haitians are still waiting for
WD> whatever the US promised them. The EU lived-up to its promises.

Gimme, gimme, gimme... yeah, the Hatians are good at that. Have been for nearly
all their history. Never anything but incompetent dictators and an ignorant
population, but good at holding out hands for charity. The interesting thing is
a comparison with the Dominican Republic on the same island. At least the
dictators there have been competent.

By the way, the US has had to keep that particular ship (Haiti) afloat for over
100 years, certainly longer than the EU has existed.

WD> The world is for those who don't sit on their asses ...

Which should be tattooed on the foreheads of several million people on the
so-called "developing nations".

RB>> The irony is that some berate the Americans for _not_ putting more
RB>> pressure on authoritarian regimes (such as Saudi Arabia). Damned if
RB>> you do, damned if you don't.

WD> Do you still remember the story of Khaled-al-Bassam, ex-RC54?

No. Please tell the story.

Cheers, Bob

--- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-0613
 * Origin: Jabberwocky System - 02363-56073 ISDN/V34 (2:2448/44)