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You know why Europeans get away spending pennies, coz Uncle Sam will come to their rescue when the big bad bear attacks them!
by sremani 10y ago
You know why Europeans get away spending pennies, coz Uncle Sam will come to their rescue when the big bad bear attacks them!
- yongjik 10y agoIt amuses me when Americans make this claim as if it's a badge of honor. I wonder what would they think if, say, America subsidizes Denmark's public schools so that Danish kids would pay less for textbooks than American kids.
- theseatoms 10y agoIf Americans got to choose the textbook content, they'd likely be very pleased with that arrangement.
- sremani 10y agoInstitutions have larger life, NATO is not dissolved after Cold-war, so we are on the same page when it comes to US should push its so called allies to pay more into NATO and do more, but for now the things are that way. It is not a badge of honor, I am stating the facts.
- monkmartinez 10y agoThank you for posting this. I was stationed in Germany for two years.
- gkya 10y agoHopefully better than how it dropped the ball all around the world since Vietnam.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- josho 10y agoBut, if US citizens didn't want this then the US could clearly work with Europe to transition away from being protector of Europe. So, I'm left wondering why Americans want to subsidize Europe in this regard?
- pm90 10y agoProbably because it justifies having American forces stationed in Europe and ready to deploy against Russia. While not the feared enemy of the Soviet Era, Russia remains a large geopolitical adversary of the US and is the only non-western country capable of manufacturing sophisticated armaments (although China is getting there).
- monkmartinez 10y agoI can tell by your posts that you're idealistic, probably young. If you think citizens of any country really have a "say" or "seat at the table" when it comes to big decisions, you are in for some good life lessons. That is not how the world works at this time. "Citizens" are here to provide work for the state. Voting is illusory and until the masses wake up (not holding my breath), it will remain the case.
- serge2k 10y agoCan I ask why you feel the need to act condescending and dismissive? Just old and bitter?
- monkmartinez 10y agoRather than get into a "feelings and perception" contest... let's talk about the facts. Citizens are allowed to vote. For the sake of this argument, lets leave out the actual process of voting. Citizens elect official. Citizens are NOT consulted for major decisions post election of said official. Citizens can bluff and buster all they want. Elected official can do as they please. Lobby groups have more access to decision making process than citizens, and way more pull as they control the purse strings to re-election and keeping elected official with a job. Therefore, I posit that it is simply naive to think "citizens" could demand the US to retreat from Europe anymore than they could demand an invasion of Europe. The world simply doesn't work that way. I am not saying it can't... it is going to take a whole lot more than electing Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump or Hillary or some horrible clown to get the power into the hands of the Citizens. The bigger question(s) are; has power EVER been truly in the hands of the masses/citizens? Why do people cling on to that as a good way forward? Leadership by committee in my experience has been horrible beyond reproach...