3 ms·

Honestly, There probably needs to be a Federal type government for Europe, much as the US is setup. The EU kind of reminds me of the US when the US was run unde

by vondur 4y ago

Honestly, There probably needs to be a Federal type government for Europe, much as the US is setup. The EU kind of reminds me of the US when the US was run under the Articles of Confederation before the current Federal system was adopted. It was very messy.

nopehnnope 4y ago
Some problems with that: * The US had a single national language (despite regional linguistic minorities). In the EU, the closest would be English, which is the universal second language but very few people’s first language. * Relatedly, the US in 1789 was very culturally homogenous by modern standards. Europe is not. * The wealth disparity between countries inside the EU is absolutely massive. Federation would lead to unfathomably massive wealth transfers from the North and West to East and South. This would lead to resentment and rekindled nationalism that would create extreme political strife and tear the whole continent apart.
- lostmsu 4y ago
  I think the only real problem in this list is convincing countries to adopt English (people tend to be self-important). Culturally, EU is quite homogenous. There may be 1-2 small countries with moderately different approach, but if you compare to the rest of the world, it is basically the same. The wealth disparity in the US does not cause what you describe, so why would it happen in EU?
  - nopehnnope 4y ago
    The disparity is much greater among EU countries. The average Bulgarian income, for example, is well below bare survival income in Western Europe. US geographic disparities are much smaller, and less geographic than racial (which then bears out geographically through different demographic mixes). Also, for the first 150 years of existence, the US was not a federal welfare state. The federal government was even limited to taxing states at an equal per capita rate until after the 16th amendment, ratified in 1909.
philistine 4y ago
Said like an American. Believing that the oldest, creakiest, least efficient democratic system of government in the world ought to be exported. Europeans are not looking at the US for democratic inspiration; they are looking inward, and good for them.

by vondur 4y ago

nopehnnope 4y ago

Some problems with that: * The US had a single national language (despite regional linguistic minorities). In the EU, the closest would be English, which is the universal second language but very few people’s first language. * Relatedly, the US in 1789 was very culturally homogenous by modern standards. Europe is not. * The wealth disparity between countries inside the EU is absolutely massive. Federation would lead to unfathomably massive wealth transfers from the North and West to East and South. This would lead to resentment and rekindled nationalism that would create extreme political strife and tear the whole continent apart.

lostmsu 4y ago
I think the only real problem in this list is convincing countries to adopt English (people tend to be self-important). Culturally, EU is quite homogenous. There may be 1-2 small countries with moderately different approach, but if you compare to the rest of the world, it is basically the same. The wealth disparity in the US does not cause what you describe, so why would it happen in EU?
- nopehnnope 4y ago
  The disparity is much greater among EU countries. The average Bulgarian income, for example, is well below bare survival income in Western Europe. US geographic disparities are much smaller, and less geographic than racial (which then bears out geographically through different demographic mixes). Also, for the first 150 years of existence, the US was not a federal welfare state. The federal government was even limited to taxing states at an equal per capita rate until after the 16th amendment, ratified in 1909.

philistine 4y ago

Said like an American. Believing that the oldest, creakiest, least efficient democratic system of government in the world ought to be exported. Europeans are not looking at the US for democratic inspiration; they are looking inward, and good for them.