That's funny, your phrasing outlines the paradox: it's a union, yet you don't consider it part of you, but simply a "neighbour" that can be squeezed at will. M

That's funny, your phrasing outlines the paradox: it's a union, yet you don't consider it part of you, but simply a "neighbour" that can be squeezed at will. Monetary unions turn into transfer unions if the regions' productivity are not equal. This is clear from the union of states called the USA. Poor states constantly get federal money taxed from rich states. And there's nothing wrong with that; the whole country benefit from there not being ruined states in the union. Monetary unions also don't work very well without a fiscal union, under which transfers are far more easily arranged...