Study Highlights Plight of Europeans

[saxitoxin]

A new study highlights problems of increasing Atlantic poverty; European per capita GDP has fallen below even Mississippi. Only Luxembourg and Norway are not officially impoverished nations.

Perry has compared the per capita output of the 50 US states to European countries and found that as a group Europe — in terms of GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) — has a $32,700 PPP GDP per capita, and could likely benefit from learning a little something from even humble Mississippi, the poorest US state, at $32,764. Only two European countries — Luxembourg and Norway — even make the top 20.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-D ... Stories%29

In the immediate postwar period the United States and Canada generally and Americans and Canadians individually were - thanks to the absence of war damage - the richest nations in the world, but now scramble in competition for that status against Asia and the oil sheikdoms. Europeans, meanwhile, seem to be stuck in 4th place - chronically lagging behind in a kind of lingering squalor. Popular discontentment with chronic poverty is kept off the front pages through admirable equalizing mechanisms of social welfare that don't exist in the wealthier United States. But this is just the national equivalent to sweeping the dirt under the rug.

What is the root of Europe's burgeoning poverty and how can it be rectified?

[saxitoxin]

As an expatriate, here are some ways I try to help --

WorldVision allows one to sponsor a poor child in R(o)umania for $35 each month. That's less than cost of a cup of coffee each day.
http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/x ... arch_B.jsp?

Whizz Kids is a great organisation that provides wheelchairs to needy English chidlren. One can donate online.
http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/why-we-nee ... hat-we-do/

[Symmetry]

A new study highlights problems of increasing Atlantic poverty; European per capita GDP has fallen below even Mississippi. Only Luxembourg and Norway are not officially impoverished nations.

Perry has compared the per capita output of the 50 US states to European countries and found that as a group Europe — in terms of GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) — has a $32,700 PPP GDP per capita, and could likely benefit from learning a little something from even humble Mississippi, the poorest US state, at $32,764. Only two European countries — Luxembourg and Norway — even make the top 20.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-D ... Stories%29

In the immediate postwar period the United States and Canada generally and Americans and Canadians individually were - thanks to the absence of war damage - the richest nations in the world, but now scramble in competition for that status against Asia and the oil sheikdoms. Europeans, meanwhile, seem to be stuck in 4th place - chronically lagging behind in a kind of lingering squalor. Popular discontentment with chronic poverty is kept off the front pages through admirable equalizing mechanisms of social welfare that don't exist in the wealthier United States. But this is just the national equivalent to sweeping the dirt under the rug.

What is the root of Europe's burgeoning poverty and how can it be rectified?

A new study highlights problems of increasing Atlantic poverty; European per capita GDP has fallen below even Mississippi. Only Luxembourg and Norway are not officially impoverished nations.

Perry has compared the per capita output of the 50 US states to European countries and found that as a group Europe — in terms of GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) — has a $32,700 PPP GDP per capita, and could likely benefit from learning a little something from even humble Mississippi, the poorest US state, at $32,764. Only two European countries — Luxembourg and Norway — even make the top 20.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-D ... Stories%29

In the immediate postwar period the United States and Canada generally and Americans and Canadians individually were - thanks to the absence of war damage - the richest nations in the world, but now scramble in competition for that status against Asia and the oil sheikdoms. Europeans, meanwhile, seem to be stuck in 4th place - chronically lagging behind in a kind of lingering squalor. Popular discontentment with chronic poverty is kept off the front pages through admirable equalizing mechanisms of social welfare that don't exist in the wealthier United States. But this is just the national equivalent to sweeping the dirt under the rug.

What is the root of Europe's burgeoning poverty and how can it be rectified?

Indignation.

As an expatriate, here are some ways I try to help --

WorldVision allows one to sponsor a poor child in R(o)umania for $35 each month. That's less than cost of a cup of coffee each day.
http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/x ... arch_B.jsp?

Whizz Kids is a great organisation that provides wheelchairs to needy English chidlren. One can donate online.
http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/why-we-nee ... hat-we-do/

Concern

A new study highlights problems of increasing Atlantic poverty; European per capita GDP has fallen below even Mississippi. Only Luxembourg and Norway are not officially impoverished nations.

Perry has compared the per capita output of the 50 US states to European countries and found that as a group Europe — in terms of GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) — has a $32,700 PPP GDP per capita, and could likely benefit from learning a little something from even humble Mississippi, the poorest US state, at $32,764. Only two European countries — Luxembourg and Norway — even make the top 20.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-D ... Stories%29

In the immediate postwar period the United States and Canada generally and Americans and Canadians individually were - thanks to the absence of war damage - the richest nations in the world, but now scramble in competition for that status against Asia and the oil sheikdoms. Europeans, meanwhile, seem to be stuck in 4th place - chronically lagging behind in a kind of lingering squalor. Popular discontentment with chronic poverty is kept off the front pages through admirable equalizing mechanisms of social welfare that don't exist in the wealthier United States. But this is just the national equivalent to sweeping the dirt under the rug.

What is the root of Europe's burgeoning poverty and how can it be rectified?

Apologies, mild rebuke.

[PLAYER57832]

Poor deprived Europeans... we really ought to have a telelthon.

[saxitoxin]

Here's an interesting position on the problem of Europe being poorer than Mississippi. Paul Roberts says it's America's fault. I'm not entirely convinced of that but I'm willing to consider the argument.

(Roberts, for those who don't know, was a former Asst. Secr'y of Treasury for Ronald Reagan but has pulled a bit of a Ramsey Clark in recent years. If one is not familiar with him it's worth a gander at his Wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Craig_Roberts).)

The growing political instability in Europe is the result of forcing the poor to pay for the mistakes of the rich, says former assistant secretary of the US Treasury.

“Whenever there is a situation where the governments makes the poor pay for the mistakes of the rich... you do implicate political instability,” Paul Craig Roberts told Press TV on Thursday.

Roberts said the current financial crisis across Europe was ultimately brought about by “Wall Street -- the unregulated greed -- which produced so many fraudulent instruments.”

He said that people in European countries would not accept the solution that their governments are imposing on them, predicting that the sort of protests that have been seen in Greece and Spain are likely to occur in Ireland and the UK.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/181974.html

[saxitoxin]

Rumbling of a planned military coup in Greece.

Western Europe has an historically high degree of political instability and general apprehension toward modern democratic norms and institutions. Many European states (except for those in eastern Europe) have faced recent military regimes or civil dictatorships in the last 50 years - Spain, Greece, Portugal, Finland, Northern Ireland, etc. - is the Hellenic Army getting ready to overthrow the Greek government again? Will this prompt Germany to invade Greece to secure their investments? (IIRC, didn't something like that happen before?)

from the Daily Mail -

[saxitoxin]

Athens in July?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL3iQWf5jUk&t=9m19s

[Phatscotty]

Athens in July

[saxitoxin]

Athens in July

Don't ol' Saxi wish!

But the Greek communists, unfortunately, are kind of sell-outs. Sadly, the most popular Greek social justice activists, like Alex Giotopoulos, have been detained in the Greek regime's Korydallos concentration camp.

[natty dread]

Many European states (except for those in eastern Europe) have faced recent military regimes or civil dictatorships in the last 50 years - Spain, Greece, Portugal, Finland,

Care to elaborate?

[saxitoxin]

Many European states (except for those in eastern Europe) have faced recent military regimes or civil dictatorships in the last 50 years - Spain, Greece, Portugal, Finland,

Care to elaborate?

a benevolent dictator is still a dictator

[Dukasaur]

A new study highlights problems of increasing Atlantic poverty; European per capita GDP has fallen below even Mississippi. Only Luxembourg and Norway are not officially impoverished nations.

Perry has compared the per capita output of the 50 US states to European countries and found that as a group Europe — in terms of GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) — has a $32,700 PPP GDP per capita, and could likely benefit from learning a little something from even humble Mississippi, the poorest US state, at $32,764. Only two European countries — Luxembourg and Norway — even make the top 20.

What is the root of Europe's burgeoning poverty and how can it be rectified?

I take it you're looking for the predictable answer, "they are lazy." I suppose it's true; the dominant theme of European life since WW II has been powerful trade unionism and social welfare, which has bred a culture of what here in North America is generally called laziness. But there's a lot more to it than that. Leisure time and quality of life are values which GNP fails to measure, and if you take that into account, Europeans are a lot wealthier than we are.

Two years ago on a trip to France I had a conversation with an American expat living in France which really opened my eyes. The previous night I had been in a restaurant with my wife. The waiter was in the middle of taking our order when his girlfriend walked into the room. Forgetting all about us he rushed over to hug and kiss her. My wife thought it was unspeakably rude and was outraged; certainly one can't imagine such a thing happening in North America. I was telling this to the American on a TGV train the next day, and he said something that put it into perspective:

In America you're considered an employee first, a citizen second, and a person last of all. Here in France they believe that you're a person first, a citizen second, and an employee last.

The waiter who, by our standards, was not only rude but grossly inefficient, was living his life. He had a job to do, yes, but greeting his girlfriend took precedence. No doubt his inefficiency costs him. He makes less than his American counterpart, has only 0.4 cars instead of 0.7, and lives in an apartment which by American standards would be called a broom closet. But he's enjoying his life.

In Paris I watched a garbage man working. He was whistling a tune, and paused to smile and exchange friendly greetings with people on the street. Can you just imagine such a scene in Canada? On my street the garbagemen rush by, desperately stressed out. Company spies check on them regularly to make sure they are averaging less than 0.8 seconds per garbage can or whatever the standard is. Yes, they make a hell of a lot more money than their French counterparts. When they finish their shift they hop into big-ass Silverados and drive home to watch their 52" TV in their central-air-conditioned house. The French garbage man probably hops onto a moped and goes home to his broom closet to watch his 14" TV. His air-conditioning unit is an open window. But is his life better or worse? I suspect it's better. He enjoys his whole day, not just the portion spent in front of the TV. The Canadian garbage man hates every minute of every day until he gets home.

Everyone I know in Canada spends half their time worrying about when they will annoy some nabob in their company and be summarily dismissed. They would love to unionize but they're scared shitless that if they vote for a union their job will be outsourced to Malaysia. The ones that make decent amounts of money pay for it with days under stress and near panic. Every year their company comes up with a new excuse to reduce their benefits, shorten their breaks, and demand more work for the same pay. We have a Labour Board to enforce protection for workers and Workmen's Comp if you're injured, but everyone knows damn well that if ever they use either of those that they will never get another job. Everyone has some horror story about the guy they heard about who's exploiting Workmen's Comp, but I've never met this guy. On the other hand, I've met lots of guys who go to work with sprained ankles taped up, gobbling pain killers to conceal their torn rotator cuff, scared shitless that if someone finds out about their injuries they'll be let go. So you tell me, is the 52" flat screen worth the days of fear and loathing?

So yeah, if your only point in creating this thread was to back up your hatred of social democracy and prove that Europeans make less money, well, in cash terms you're right. But in real terms, with leisure time and quality of life factored in, Europeans are far better off.

[saxitoxin]

I take it you're looking for the predictable answer, "they are lazy."

If that's the answer for which I were looking, I'd imagine I would have made it one of the poll options.

That said, you make excellent points. Who is happier, the fellow in Bristol or Bruge who gets by on canned cabbage and modestly enjoys his small black & white television, but takes a month off each year to go to EuroDisney, or the one in Toronto or Houston who has a plasma screen TV and dines-out four nights a week but works 12 hour days? I suppose that's a judgment call. I guess the impetus of the thread, though, was to discuss the most desperately poor who live in great squalor, not the relative differences of the middle grounds.

I consider Mississippi to be a place of great deprivation, to discover that it is a pillar of economic might over everywhere other than Luxembourg and Norway, is concerning and saddening. I try to do what I can to help Europe by sending donations and so forth - volunteering isn't an option for me owing to travel restrictions from a minor legal misunderstanding - but there has to be some sort of permanent solution. Permanent charity is ineffective. Is a new Marshal Plan needed? A one-time infusion of cash?

[Phatscotty]

I take it you're looking for the predictable answer, "they are lazy."

If that's the answer for which I were looking, I'd imagine I would have made it one of the poll options.

That said, you make excellent points. Who is happier, the fellow in Bristol or Bruge who gets by on canned cabbage and modestly enjoys his small black & white television, but takes a month off each year to go to EuroDisney, or the one in Toronto or Houston who has a plasma screen TV and dines-out four nights a week but works 12 hour days? I suppose that's a judgment call. I guess the impetus of the thread, though, was to discuss the most desperately poor who live in great squalor, not the relative differences of the middle grounds.

I consider Mississippi to be a place of great deprivation, to discover that it is a pillar of economic might over everywhere other than Luxembourg and Norway, is concerning and saddening. I try to do what I can to help Europe by sending donations and so forth - volunteering isn't an option for me owing to travel restrictions from a minor legal misunderstanding - but there has to be some sort of permanent solution. Permanent charity is ineffective. Is a new Marshal Plan needed? A one-time infusion of cash?

They are trying to bring us Euro-style, but we are going to stay America.

I too am surprised Mississippi ranks so much wealthier, verily. Other have made this point, the lowest standard of life in America is still pretty good comparatively. That reality is why I am happy what we have done and don't bang my head against the wall about how my neighbors kid has to share a computer at school, and how that is total BS. I'm like "what happened to books? It isn't really so bad is it?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVrWDPi12zE

[BigBallinStalin]

A new study highlights problems of increasing Atlantic poverty; European per capita GDP has fallen below even Mississippi. Only Luxembourg and Norway are not officially impoverished nations.

Perry has compared the per capita output of the 50 US states to European countries and found that as a group Europe — in terms of GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) — has a $32,700 PPP GDP per capita, and could likely benefit from learning a little something from even humble Mississippi, the poorest US state, at $32,764. Only two European countries — Luxembourg and Norway — even make the top 20.

What is the root of Europe's burgeoning poverty and how can it be rectified?

I take it you're looking for the predictable answer, "they are lazy." I suppose it's true; the dominant theme of European life since WW II has been powerful trade unionism and social welfare, which has bred a culture of what here in North America is generally called laziness. But there's a lot more to it than that. Leisure time and quality of life are values which GNP fails to measure, and if you take that into account, Europeans are a lot wealthier than we are.

Two years ago on a trip to France I had a conversation with an American expat living in France which really opened my eyes. The previous night I had been in a restaurant with my wife. The waiter was in the middle of taking our order when his girlfriend walked into the room. Forgetting all about us he rushed over to hug and kiss her. My wife thought it was unspeakably rude and was outraged; certainly one can't imagine such a thing happening in North America. I was telling this to the American on a TGV train the next day, and he said something that put it into perspective:

In America you're considered an employee first, a citizen second, and a person last of all. Here in France they believe that you're a person first, a citizen second, and an employee last.

The waiter who, by our standards, was not only rude but grossly inefficient, was living his life. He had a job to do, yes, but greeting his girlfriend took precedence. No doubt his inefficiency costs him. He makes less than his American counterpart, has only 0.4 cars instead of 0.7, and lives in an apartment which by American standards would be called a broom closet. But he's enjoying his life.

In Paris I watched a garbage man working. He was whistling a tune, and paused to smile and exchange friendly greetings with people on the street. Can you just imagine such a scene in Canada? On my street the garbagemen rush by, desperately stressed out. Company spies check on them regularly to make sure they are averaging less than 0.8 seconds per garbage can or whatever the standard is. Yes, they make a hell of a lot more money than their French counterparts. When they finish their shift they hop into big-ass Silverados and drive home to watch their 52" TV in their central-air-conditioned house. The French garbage man probably hops onto a moped and goes home to his broom closet to watch his 14" TV. His air-conditioning unit is an open window. But is his life better or worse? I suspect it's better. He enjoys his whole day, not just the portion spent in front of the TV. The Canadian garbage man hates every minute of every day until he gets home.

Everyone I know in Canada spends half their time worrying about when they will annoy some nabob in their company and be summarily dismissed. They would love to unionize but they're scared shitless that if they vote for a union their job will be outsourced to Malaysia. The ones that make decent amounts of money pay for it with days under stress and near panic. Every year their company comes up with a new excuse to reduce their benefits, shorten their breaks, and demand more work for the same pay. We have a Labour Board to enforce protection for workers and Workmen's Comp if you're injured, but everyone knows damn well that if ever they use either of those that they will never get another job. Everyone has some horror story about the guy they heard about who's exploiting Workmen's Comp, but I've never met this guy. On the other hand, I've met lots of guys who go to work with sprained ankles taped up, gobbling pain killers to conceal their torn rotator cuff, scared shitless that if someone finds out about their injuries they'll be let go. So you tell me, is the 52" flat screen worth the days of fear and loathing?

So yeah, if your only point in creating this thread was to back up your hatred of social democracy and prove that Europeans make less money, well, in cash terms you're right. But in real terms, with leisure time and quality of life factored in, Europeans are far better off.

The waiter in Europe does not get tipped nearly as much as the waiter in the US. The French waiter generally receives his expected pay no matter how he treats the customer; whereas, the waiter in the US typically gives the customer much attention with the expectation of receiving a 15%-20% tip. Therefore, the French waiter will behave differently than the average American waiter because incentives matter. Your story about cultural norms and preconceived notions from one American is good, but it doesn't explain the source of the waiter's behavior--yours is a story which reflects the outcomes (i.e. the outcomes of cultural values).

I would side with story explaining the waiter's incentives in order to understand his behavior.

In addition, your story covers a very small section of his life, but then you declare that the French waiter is enjoying his life. Honestly, you can't reasonably make that assumption because you extremely little about that man's life.



The same is seen with your other stories. You're covering only the good parts of the story for the European, and to counter ways in the US, you only insert the undesirable parts for the American. It's a biased account, but it's a lovely picture. I'm not saying that you are a bad person for doing this. My main point is that you should be aware of how you're erroneously portraying reality. Your stories portray a reality perceived through fictional accounts, or at the very least, very incomplete stories.

If we want to make general statements about the quality of life among other countries, then we would have to dip really deep into the subjective realm. That realm becomes the source of heated debate over essentially "apples v. oranges," which can be funny debate but is still not convincing.

[saxitoxin]

Good points, BBS, and definitely something to ponder.

Vis a vis Duke's "employer-citizen-person" outlook; Europe and the 3rd world must be unique in this regard? Certainly Japan, the ROC and ROK mirror North America more closely than Europe? I recall, as a young kinder, I used to enjoy chocolate and, verily, I would probably have eaten nothing but chocolate had I the choice. But my parents wouldn't let me and now, that I'm older, I know I can't simply eat chocolate for all meals on all days.

They say that cats cared by humans have their emotional and mental development stunted and live their lives in a sort of permanent-kittendhood. Is Europe trapped in a kind of permanent kittenhood; enjoying chocolate for all meals? Is this the source of their desperate poverty? I think so, which is why I voted for NATO being the cause of European squalor.

[BigBallinStalin]

Before making such claims, the effects of relatively high tax rates and the unintended consequences of welfare and relatively higher forms of state intervention--especially in the labor market--on all European socio-economic classes should be examined. Basically, the primary cause of Europe's slightly less GDP per capita may be inherent within the public policies of Europe's typical social democracy.

Compared to the above, I'm not convinced that NATO has a significant effect on the "plight of Europeans." If anything, NATO acts as a significant budget-saver since their national defense has been largely substituted by the United States.

As for "permanent-kittenhood," many young Americans and, probably to a slightly lesser degree, Europeans exemplify this phenomenon. The recent surge of interest in "kittenz" and "lolcats" tends to be searched and viewed by those between the ages of 14-30. Their development towards "cathood" has largely been stunted by the lack of a necessity to mature quicker than the young in lesser developed countries (LDCs) or quicker than youths in their respective home countries 50-100 years ago.

[Dukasaur]

In addition, your story covers a very small section of his life, but then you declare that the French waiter is enjoying his life. Honestly, you can't reasonably make that assumption because you extremely little about that man's life.

The same is seen with your other stories. You're covering only the good parts of the story for the European, and to counter ways in the US, you only insert the undesirable parts for the American. It's a biased account, but it's a lovely picture. I'm not saying that you are a bad person for doing this. My main point is that you should be aware of how you're erroneously portraying reality. Your stories portray a reality perceived through fictional accounts, or at the very least, very incomplete stories.

Almost any introductory textbook in almost any social science contains, usually in chapter one, a warning along the lines of "anecdotal evidence is grotesquely unreliable" or something along those lines. I'm under no illusions that my anecdotes are any more reliable than the next guy's. They are limited snapshots of my life or things I've seen in my travels, not exhaustive statistical studies. I realize you couldn't build public policy based on my unsupported impressions of life here or there.

That being said, I think they have value. There's a phrase I use, which I think I invented (apologies if someone said this before me):

science is judged by how well it gives answers, art is judged by how well it asks questions

In this quote, I am more of the artist than a scientist. I am capable of real science, but I won't do it for free, and posting in these forums is a hobby, not a job. And as an artist, I use my anecdotes to try to open people's eyes to viewpoints they haven't looked at before. I try to blast people out of their narrow sectarian citadels and out into the open air. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. In this case I think I succeeded, because both you and saxi seem to have had some new thoughts after reading what I said.

[saxitoxin]

OK good points, again, BBS. I believe NATO is responsible for most of the problems in the world - when I had a flat tire last week my first words were fucking NATO - however, until I can better articulate a reply I'm changing my vote to Other.

[saxitoxin]

CNN had a good story about individual Americans - versus the government - helping economically distressed places in the EU:

Larisa Antypa was ready for her cruise in the Caribbean when news of the economic crisis in Greece began to worsen. Antypa hopes to bolster the teetering Greek economy through tourism. This year's 10% increase in income from American tourists, who spend three times more than the average traveler, was huge for Greece's economic development, said Chris Petsilas, the director of the U.S. office of the Greek National Tourism Organization.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/06/28/us ... ?hpt=hp_t2

(Unfortunately Americans and Canadians prefer not to leave Fortress North America generally so I'm not sure this is the solution for everything.)

Is this a better route to help poor Europeans? I mentioned earlier I send $35/month to Whiz-Kids which buys wheelchairs for poor English children. Perhaps, instead, I should just adjust my purchasing habits?

Currently I buy tortillas and beer from Mexico. Could I instead buy tortillas from Spain and beer from Belgium? Instead of buying icewine from British Columbia, should I buy icewine from Germany?

[Dukasaur]

Currently I buy tortillas and beer from Mexico. Could I instead buy tortillas from Spain and beer from Belgium? Instead of buying icewine from British Columbia, should I buy icewine from Germany?

Generally speaking, the costs of transportation, import duties, and brokerage soak up most of what you spend. I bought some St. Albray cheese as a treat a couple weeks ago -- costs $6/kg in Paris, costs $50/kg in Toronto. I shit you not. $50/kg. Not much of that will make it back to France.

There was a debate about this back when Heineken and Lowenbrau were the only commonly imported beers. Lowenbrau licensed its production to some company in the US, while Heineken insisted on actually shipping it from Holland. Heineken was therefore slightly more expensive, and thus earned an undeserved reputation for being better. The question was asked, "Does it make sense to spend a huge amount of money shipping a product that's 94% water across the Atlantic?" Ultimately, you're probably doing just as much for the European economy if you buy Lowenbrau. The licensing fees are almost as much as what Heineken profits from its beer, without the expense and environmental cost of actually shipping the stuff.

[saxitoxin]

Currently I buy tortillas and beer from Mexico. Could I instead buy tortillas from Spain and beer from Belgium? Instead of buying icewine from British Columbia, should I buy icewine from Germany?

Generally speaking, the costs of transportation, import duties, and brokerage soak up most of what you spend. I bought some St. Albray cheese as a treat a couple weeks ago -- costs $6/kg in Paris, costs $50/kg in Toronto. I shit you not. $50/kg. Not much of that will make it back to France.

Well that's a good point. If the money isn't making it back to those who need it most, then there's no point; B.C. icewine is better than German anyway (and ol' Saxi used to drink a lot of the latter! )

So is the only solution for me to just keep writing cheques for wheelchairs and poridge for English cripples?

[BigBallinStalin]

Currently I buy tortillas and beer from Mexico. Could I instead buy tortillas from Spain and beer from Belgium? Instead of buying icewine from British Columbia, should I buy icewine from Germany?

Generally speaking, the costs of transportation, import duties, and brokerage soak up most of what you spend. I bought some St. Albray cheese as a treat a couple weeks ago -- costs $6/kg in Paris, costs $50/kg in Toronto. I shit you not. $50/kg. Not much of that will make it back to France.

Well that's a good point. If the money isn't making it back to those who need it most, then there's no point; B.C. icewine is better than German anyway (and ol' Saxi used to drink a lot of the latter! )

So is the only solution for me to just keep writing cheques for wheelchairs and poridge for English cripples?

I'm afraid so. And, don't leave out the option of writing damning letters about NATO's disenfranchising the poor English cripples by knocking over their trash cans late at night.

[BigBallinStalin]

In addition, your story covers a very small section of his life, but then you declare that the French waiter is enjoying his life. Honestly, you can't reasonably make that assumption because you extremely little about that man's life.

The same is seen with your other stories. You're covering only the good parts of the story for the European, and to counter ways in the US, you only insert the undesirable parts for the American. It's a biased account, but it's a lovely picture. I'm not saying that you are a bad person for doing this. My main point is that you should be aware of how you're erroneously portraying reality. Your stories portray a reality perceived through fictional accounts, or at the very least, very incomplete stories.

Ah, oui, monsieur! Such is life!

<takes a drag from a cigarette>

[PopeBenXVI]

Much of Europe has too much Socialism. When more money is taken out of an economy it makes the people poorer. This is why we need to fight high taxes here. When individual citizen have less of their own money they then spend less and then businesses have less revenue, and pay people less or even go out of business. Then we have less jobs and more poverty so the government tries to create more programs to support those people. Then the country can't sustain it because too many people are not contributing anything in taxes.

Socialism works great until you run out of other peoples money. Greece specifically has spent too much over the years and their economy is not very diverse. They don't produce much and rely a lot of tourism. It''s a beautiful place but thats about it. You need to be able to produce things in order to have a robust economy. Mining, agriculture, manufacturing etc. This is much of what made America great.

Europe is poor because of Socialism as well as contraception & abortion of their children which contributes to declines in populations in many areas. When you can't even sustain a population their is no growth. Those areas that have Muslims moving in are more than sustaining the population which is good but they are loosing their culture which is a shame.