h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Is anyone truly concerned about the EU having as much say over the governing bodies of the individual member countries as the Federal government has over the 50 States and assorted territories? To dig up an old metaphor, it's apples and oranges.

The US Constitution established a federal government, with assigned and limited powers, at the inception of our republic (states rights nonwithstanding, the Federal Government does supercede, in some instances, state government). We are the *United* States. In times of strife and trouble Americans generally comes together as a whole to fight a common enemy.

You cannot say the same of Europe. I think each of the countries are far too independent (France being the best example I can think of) to ever let Brussels have too much say in the internal events of any one country. The last 100 years has shown all of us that Europeans are amazingly fractured--from World War One to the situation in Kosovo and Serbia. There may be the occasional flap over pasturized cheese or the Euro, but Brussels will never, for example, send troops into Austria to flush out a cult leader a la Waco.

That's my $.02.

Rather than Hi-jack this thread I've started a new one on the European Union at http://www.h2g2.com/F19585?thread=98809&post=823396 :-) When I posted the original link to the Guardian article on the possibility of a directly elected E.U. President I wasn't expecting this much interest in the E.U. its-self, so to free this forum for its stated purpose of discussing the US Prez and the process of electing him I started the new forum on the E.U. please pop over at some point.

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...I would now like to introduce you to our new Pres...*whisper*
BLODDY HELL...he's ducked into another bar...Oh, eat something or whatever...I'll be back whenever I find him...*you mean to say he's still wearing that SAME pair of blue jeans? Geez, we've got our hands full with this guy...* What's that?!? Are you SURE he's snorting it?!?* Oh, my Hell...why did I EVER get involved in the first place...oh yeah, money...just mingle...where the heck is that piece of...oh, the cameras are still on?

It's fate that we should have the bland leading the blind.

No dogs are allowed near the white house anymore because it's well known that they like to pee on bushes.

*giggle* Since I've actually trained dogs to 'squat' (as not to spoil a beloved 'bush', etc.) I wonder if they'd hire me for a few hundred dollars an hour to keep their digni...oh yeah, what am I saying...
they have no dignity...never mind.

I can still remember when I paid attention to every minute of 'anything' to do with the Prez...now, what will I do?

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*burp*

this prophesy hidden during moderation because it broke.....

could have something to do with the nature of pollictics

or truth...

or burps ..?

Any comments Mr. Bush's first State of the Union address ?

the bbc beat me to the observation,that,bush seems to have been spending too much of his time reveiwing old reagan tapes.he is not as good as his father was with his Red Skelton inpersonation,he seemed to really beleive what he was preaching,so sobriety still needs addressing.still he's not the first president who's been seen tripping accross the whitehouse lawn.

My, what a lot of moderation.

I did not watch the State of the Union address. I was too busy getting drunk down at the pub. I can tell you, however, that his economic stimulus plan is a lot of bunk. Tax breaks for corporate America? Shades of Enron. Why should business be rewarded for sloppy security measures and atrocious customer service (the airlines), poor marketing (the travel industry), and outright carpetbagging (see the example of every small interest group clamoring for tax dollars because they were "affected" by 9/11. Excuse me? Why should a railroad museum in Georgia get any of my money simply because the number of visits are down.) ? And I don't need another tax rebate. Not only do I get taxed a second time on any returns, but I'd rather have that money go to those social programs that are being cut to make way for a stronger national defense.

I for one am tired of politicans using this tragedy to further their own narrow interests. Dubya would have offered this plan regardless of September 11th. He owes his corporate sponsors big time. Now it's all being done in the name of "national security" and cannot be questioned lest one be branded "unpatriotic".