> What incentive people have to work harder than average to innovate if there's no measurable reward at the end and you end with the same QoL as people doing th

> What incentive people have to work harder than average to innovate if there's no measurable reward at the end and you end with the same QoL as people doing the bare minimum? The quality of life at all social levels is higher in the EU than the US. This can't be measured in dollars, but is clear across all other HDI metrics. > Asia and the US ate half of the EU's pie of the global GDP in the last 20 years and it's only gonna get worse from here. This is because of global wealth redistribution and is a good thing. Rich Europeans extracting wealth from the global poor was (and is) a bad outcome. The same will happen to the US, and again it's a good thing. > Then why does it need NATO bases of the US on its turf, if it's so strong by itself? I think the real question is why does the US need bases around the world? > Secondly, even if you consider it as one, all of EU militaries combined can't hold a candle to US military in terms of tech and logistical capabilities and sheer numbers. The EU members are individually and combined no longer able to field expeditionary armies. This is a good thing, as the former colonial powers didn't use them wisely in the past. However, there is no military power globally who can threaten the integrity of the EU militarily, not even the US. The US military is a source of endless death and destruction in the world. It's not something you should be proud of. The current forever wars and the unbroken chain of foreign invasions are a series of crimes against humanity. > Ah, so no augments, just insults. OK buddy, thanks for the red flag, I'm out of this discussion. I think you may fail to see the irony in this comment?