you've got the idea of how the eu functions wrong. there are certainly advantages to the freedoms it offers citizens like move and work anywhere you want, but don't confuse it for being ungoverned. you'll only realize that after living in a country of choice for a few years, that is when you get hit by heavy taxation and go through nightmarish bureaucracy trying to start a business. this union is anything but ungoverned.
Luke's 7k Post: A baller's bitcoin biz plan
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you've got the idea of how the eu functions wrong. there are certainly advantages to the freedoms it offers citizens like move and work anywhere you want, but don't confuse it for being ungoverned. you'll only realize that after living in a country of choice for a few years, that is when you get hit by heavy taxation and go through nightmarish bureaucracy trying to start a business. this union is anything but ungoverned.
yeah, tell that to victims of crimes against humanity committed during the yugoslav wars who otherwise wouldnt have been able to appeal or look for justice anywhere but the icc.
your claim that europe doesnt benefit from a larger government body is bullshit. most european non-eu member countries are either obsolete on the global scene or hipstering hard (switzerland - operating on foreign money, norway - nationalized oil supplies), so hooray for them as far as less government interference and high living standard? thing is, it won't last forever
Never said we were going to be ungoverned. It's just the world will continue getting smaller and more consolidated due to globalization. For another example, there's the APEC card which allows you to travel to various countries pretty freely. Governments throughout SE Asia are now talking about a single VISA that allows access to I think 6 or 7 different countries, China has massive plans to open transportation lines across the world, and so on.
We'll still be governed, but in a round about way, we are moving into a freer world. Besides, think of the upsides. Thanks to globalization, there's a chance we'll achieve world peace sometime in the future. Imagine that -- a world without war. That'd be pretty cool, eh?
urm... so what exactly was your original concern? that bitcoin (this IS a bitcoin thread afterall
) would lead to global anarchy or the breakdown of society?
Except... Since bitcoin. Via ZeroHedge:
You're confused.
I was talking about purchasing power, NOT price.
Despite the price drop, an ounce of gold can buy much more today than it used to buy 20, 50 or a hundred years ago.
The saying goes like this: "In 1920, an ounce of gold used to buy a man a nice suit. Today, that same ounce would buy 2 men a nice suit".
Oh, and all the uses of bitcoin you came up with are still virtual.
You said that anything that gold does, bitcoin does it better. Can bitcoin really do any of this better?
urm... so what exactly was your original concern? that bitcoin (this IS a bitcoin thread afterall
this is a nutjob thread and we successfully derailed it
This is such a bizarre statement.
This is like saying Walmart moving into a town is good for small businesses.
Actually you'd be surprised about the controls (though no checkpoints, agree) you're going to face when traveling from Netherlands to Germany, Italy to France, going to Denmark... not even starting about Switzerland, UK... On paper, that's true. In reality, not.
It depends on your perspective. Walmart coming to town culls all of the weak, bloated, lazy small businesses.
Walmart is one of my favorite topics.
As far as will this system be free, is that system more free, money and the right attitude has always set people free.
If you won't leave your country and you won't travel, and you won't challenge yourself, and you won't be smart with your money, then you're going to lose freedoms. If you're smart, and you've got a bit of courage, you can do almost anything you want in this world, it just might require packing an overnight bag, or getting a visa issued.
I should have used Walmart, I knew it would distort my example.
I really just meant how is the EU making people more free with more centralization.
since you're so big on metaphors, that is like asking what sovereign US states would benefit from a federal government. imagine needing a visa issued every time you decide to fly from new york to california or even new jersey. it makes life easier.
And that's worth the numerous laws telling everyone in every state what to do? Just so you don't need to get a visa? (hint: I can travel visa free to places outside the EU/US, without prior authorization)
Say you have a great business / product, and you want to expand into the European market, so you setup a bunch of meetings in various cities across Europe. Which would you prefer? Apply for 1 visa, or 8 of them?
Say you ended up being born in a small town in Poland. Now, you can head over to Paris anytime you want to look for a job. If you don't like it, you can go back home, no problem. Doing that was a nightmarish headache not too long ago.
Have a few truck loads of product you need to transport? No problem, and just drive it over. No need to worry about going through 7 different border checkpoints each time anymore.
How is that not more free?