America Is Becoming Ungovernable.

Why does the US have 44 bases in Germany? Who are protecting Europe from?

Ungovernable is going to be a serious issue. There seems to be some basic disconnect in logic when a very few elected officials who have all their medical needs fulfilled FOR LIFE want to deny all others of lowest mean from attaining even a modicum of insurance coverage.

The fact that there is a global economy, doesn't even remotely make us all world citizens, and whether you like it or not, we very definitely are the biggest kid on the block....

Government Shutdown Cost $24 Billion, Standard & Poor's Says
10/16/2013

WASHINGTON -- The government shutdown has taken at least $24 billion out of the United States economy, the financial ratings agency Standard & Poor's said Wednesday.

The firm said the shutdown caused it to cut its forecast of gross domestic product growth in the fourth quarter by at least 0.6 percentage point. The agency lowered its estimate for GDP growth to close to 2 percent from 3 percent.

The estimate represents a staggering cost to the economy of a completely self-inflicted political catastrophe. Unlike the 2008 economic crisis and other past recessions, the government shutdown had nothing to do with larger economic trends. The numbers show Washington's brinksmanship caused real damage beyond furloughed government workers and the Washington, D.C., region.

The shutdown came after the Federal Reserve reported modest growth in the economy in September. "Reports from the 12 Federal Reserve districts suggest that national economic activity continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace during the reporting period of September through early October," the Federal Reserve wrote Wednesday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/government-shutdown-cost_n_4110818.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

Ceili wrote:

Like it or not, you are citizens of the world, not the rulers.

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The concept of "citizen of the world" is really a newish concept, in my opinion.

Cleary, I was referring to you in the global sense. Not you or Finn, definitely not tea-partiers or your Sarah Palins. But your business community, those that supply jobs and what not. I think, if you bothered to read what I've written, none of this is about you, in the singular sense.

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not to mention liberating it from Naziism in WWII. It would all be a non-issue, if Europe was just more productive, and then the U.S. would not be the economic superpower that it became after WWII, due to it fortunately being unscathed after WWII.

Would that you would.. not mention it again. I dare you. Try not to bring it in to every argument. It took place 70 years ago. SEVENTY. It's history.
It took place before the advent of computers. Where surprisingly, in the day of age google you, and others like you, whole heartily refuse to see the bigger picture.

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I think part of the attitude towards the U.S., from many non U.S. citizens, stems from the fact that many people see the U.S. as one big Grand Central Station, without an authentic American national identity, the way people see Germans, Irish, Spanish, Italians, etc

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Are you serious. Do you honestly think that?
Of course the US has a culture. Million of people round the world go to see your movies, buy your music and magazines and tv. Your's is one of the most dominant cultures in the world.

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So, might seem counter-intuitive for the U.S. to act as though it was acting self-serving,

when doesn't it ??
The rest of your post was just too weird to respond to.

I

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t certainly not a case of "poor us." I just like to call a spade a spade, and an anti-American an anti-American.

Face it, you cant handle the truth or any criticism.

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I'm not sure where the middle ground may be but I am sure that most of the people who believe they reside there are deceiving themselves.

Really, so every Republican is a gun toting, abortion hating, immigrant spurning, confederate flag waving, death penalty pushing, homeschooling, drug war advocate.

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Thanks for appearing to be a bitch so as to "knock some sense" into people like Foofie and me. Alas your sacrifice has clearly been in vain and holds virtually no promise of ever being successful, so you might as well revert to your true doe-like self.

Now, now Finn. I haven't resorted to calling you names. Does the truth sting? You were bullied as a kid. I get it.

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I can't speak for Foofie but I'm not arguing that the US should tell the rest of the world to pound sand, I'm arguing that it shouldn't (and in the main doesn't)
care what supercilious pissants in foreign media, mid-level government positions and elected bodies say.

Keep up the attitude. These pissants will be your kid's boss one day.

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Of course there are quite a few Americans who do care, but they tend to be liberals, and they have always had an inferiority complex when it comes to Europeans...or at least Western Europeans.

Us v.s them. Black v.s. white. Libs v.s Cons... Yada, yada, yada.

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Eric Idle is, of course, free to think whatever he pleases, and to express it as well (at least in this country), but why should anyone give a damn? Do you imagine that he has a better understanding of what is happening in this country than the average American?

Nope, he's not suffering from the shutdown stupidity.

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We are not citizens of the world any more than Canadians, Brits or Germans are. It's a nice conceit, but it isn't so.

Read what I wrote in response to this above. Not you, Finn. Corporations. Persons under your laws. They are the so-called citizens. Even as I write this, I can't believe how much of your government is bought. I mean, corporations as citizens, who-da-thunk?

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The fact that there is a global economy, doesn't even remotely make us all world citizens, and whether you like it or not, we very definitely are the biggest kid on the block. That may not always be the case, of course, but asserting that it isn't so right now is simply nonsense.

Sure, as long as your dollar holds. You are the biggest consumers now because you are large in size and you still have money in your pockets, but that pocket is getting thinner for a big portion of your population. India and China are on the verge of over taking you and then your bargaining power is lessened. Arrogance is the last thing I would display.
Canada is your largest trading partner, but even we are looking for better markets. Trade wars, tariffs, taxes... free trade has meant nothing. The US doesn't play fair. Other nations now know that and are bargaining harder and are shopping other markets. The US is on tenious grounds on so many fronts, and instead of worrying about it, you stand there with fingers in your ears. Ya, I used a bat. So what? It obviously didn't get through.

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If what Americans want of their governments seems to be fairly irrelevant, then what foreigners want is totally irrelevant,

On this we agree.

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and the people that trot out their opinions as if they should be dispositive ("See, even the Brits think the tea-baggers are crazy!) are, in my opinion, insipid...and if they happen to be foreigners themselves, laughable.

Whatever.

"LAST MINUTE DEAL STRUCK, JUST AS 300 BILLION PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN!"