What Europe Has Going For Them

[MrSanity]

We've raged on about all the crap that goes on in Europe. Now, it's a good time to throw on some positives from European countries that have not entirely succomed to a neo-Maoist agenda.

ALL OF EUROPE: No class-action lawyers.

ENGLAND: New immigrants must learn English.
Good anti-terror policies.

SINGAPORE: Kick-ass law enforcement.

Feel free to add on anything admirable, if you can think of it.

[DesertFox]

Why? Europe is more a pain in the ass than anything else.

[Rhino]

What Europe Has Going For ThemUs.

[Maggie_T]

ROFLMBO!!! I second Rhino's addition. :thumb:

Sorry, Mr. Sanity. Europe's failures FAAAR outweigh the few good things it's got going for it.

[The_Sonarman]

SINGAPORE: Kick-ass law enforcement.

Well, Singapore "law enforcement" is rather severe. Sure, you're pretty safe on the streets there, but even casual littering nets a stiff penalty. It's a "Police State"..... and I don't know that the "positivies" outweigh the negatives. Then again, I got along fine there, because I didn't do anything in terms of violating one of their many laws. I've been there 6 or 7 times.

[DesertFox]

Yeah, as I recall, their "kick-ass law enforcement" was more along the lines of "spank-ass."

[DoctorDoom]

SINGAPORE: Kick-ass law enforcement.It's a "Police State".....Given the virtual anarchy in our urban sewers, that has a very strong appeal. There's a point where liberty becomes license, and we're well beyond it.

[civilised]

Western Europe rules. I've been to Germany, Czech Republic and England. The food is great, and the beer is heavy in Czech, the people in non-English speaking countries speak English. The people are very tolerant and understanding (culturally and politically, especially in Germany). They can take their dogs into cafes and smoke in cafes too (except for England), in Australia we are famously over-governed and have stringent hygeine laws and can do neither. Also, cannabis is de-criminalised all over the place there. I've never met anyone who went to Europe and didn't like it.

and Singapore isn't in Europe. It's in south-east asia. I don't envy a country where chewing gum is illegal.

[DesertFox]

:biglaugh:

Good one, civilised. Europe is a great place to visit, but no way I'd wanna live there.

Agreed about Singapore.

[MrSanity]

Well, Singapore "law enforcement" is rather severe. Sure, you're pretty safe on the streets there, but even casual littering nets a stiff penalty. It's a "Police State"..... and I don't know that the "positivies" outweigh the negatives. Then again, I got along fine there, because I didn't do anything in terms of violating one of their many laws. I've been there 6 or 7 times.I acknowledge that they go to extremes.

As for the Michael Fey case, I feel the beatings were justified. Their crime rate is admirable in comparisan to your average nation that pampers their criminals. True, we wouldn't want their exact system here. But whenever I hear the phrase "civil liberties", I wish the empty suit would be deported to Singapore.

[MrSanity]

ROFLMBO!!! I second Rhino's addition. :thumb:

Sorry, Mr. Sanity. Europe's failures FAAAR outweigh the few good things it's got going for it.Don't get me wrong, I totally agree.

Yet most of our threads focus on the failures, so I figured I would try something different for a change.

[Maggie_T]

I grew up in Europe, first Italy then England. London used to be my favorite cityn in the whole world, bar none. So much so that when hubby was still in the Navy, and we were living in Scotland, I told him I wanted to live in London once he retired.

Now I thank God we didn't. England has become a socialist and politically correct hellhole of such proportions that I wouldn't live there to please a dying grandmother. When I hear and read all that is going on there, I want to weep. My beloved England is nothing but a pale shadow of the beautiful, proud country I grew up in. My sister lives in Europe (Ireland) and she tells me of all the pc horrors that go on over there. No thank you. The USA is the only place to live ... for the time being, anyway.

Oh, Europe is still a great place for vacations and I can see how it still has appeal for socialists and the effete anti-American crowd. They have it with their breakfast. Give me American any time.

[LightHorseman]

Why is Singapore mentioned in a Europe thread?

[DoctorDoom]

It's probably useful to find look for things to say about Europe. It exercises one's research skills. I have yet to find anthing about it that would qualify as a positive aspect, but I'll keep searching. Somewhere in the abysmal depths of Google or Yahoo!, or in the dusty volumes in the local library, there must be a reference to ONE thing of worth in Europe.

Then again, what can one say about a continent with a name that sounds like a beer belch?

[MrSanity]

Why is Singapore mentioned in a Europe thread?That was my mistake. Oh well.

[Jag Wife]

Why is Singapore mentioned in a Europe thread?

Products of the public school system. :confused:

[Maggie_T]

Doc, LOL. And don't forget that it is named after a silly woman that fell for a bull. :grin:

Now, they only fall for (socialist) bullshit.

[MrSanity]

At least the Tories are still around. Although they would probably come off as centrist by American standards.

[Kathy30]

I have always wanted to go to England. That is, until recently. I fear that England has lost its essential Britishness which was the core of its charm.

[Jag Wife]

Sorry, there were things I loved about Europe, but I really, REALLY got to know the Italians and the Germans where I lived and hubby got to know the Greeks. The people were so down-to-earth and family-oriented. The food had a much sweeter taste to it (Chemical fertilizers were illegal, so poop was sprayed on the fields in 100-degree weather), and villages were walkable. But at the same time they had no clue WHY holidays were holidays, they had no regard for laws (especially driving!), I can't tell you how many drunk drivers I dodged, and I don't care for how they treated women. Besides, if you think OUR media is trashy--GEEZ!! There are taxes you can't even IMAGINE, many of which would be unconstitutional here. A closer look at these taxes reveals some local or city official just trying to make a quick buck for himself or his pals. And they wonder why inflation and unemployment are in the double digits.
Oh, and for all the talk about clean air and the environment? Italy had the FILTHIEST air I've ever SEEN or BREATHED! I took off from Venice International Airport and could see the brown band over the earth. :gas:
I've also been on the public transit in Europe in August. :gas:

[MrSanity]

I've never been to Europe myself, so I find a lot of these stories insightful.

[Maggie_T]

I fear that England has lost its essential Britishness which was the core of its charm.


She has lost it, definitely. Multiculturalism, pc, and the rest of the tricks in the leftist bag did that. It's a shame, really.

[Maggie_T]

At least the Tories are still around. Although they would probably come off as centrist by American standards.

No idea. Ever since we left, I've lost all interest in their politics.

[Maggie_T]

I've never been to Europe myself, so I find a lot of these stories insightful.

Mr.S, you want to go to a really cool place in Europe go to Ireland. Dublin is a riot. Now that it came to its senses (economically, at any rate) and it became capitalist, the place is booming. It's a lot of fun, people are nice, and there are many things to do, and interesting things to see.

Shopping, I regret to say, is less than remarkable. There isn't a thing they have that we do not have (sometimes, even better), and it's way overpriced.

I suggest you go in winter. Their winter is not so bad and you can get everywhere. I would not recommend summer. The place is absolutely packed with tourists and you can't get anywhere without standing in line for hours on end.

My sister is living in Dublin now, until her hubby retires, and I love to go and visit her there.

[Wyatt_Junker]

Ah yes, Europe, land of hobbits and rich in myth and legend. I will always miss the bangers, the runny eggs and beans sliding off my morning plate. Then washing it all down with a nice Pennyroyal tea.

And the many taverns dotting the rural backroads. Ah yes. Those too.

And the buxom lady in Lederhosen I ravaged in Hamburg as the innkeeper nodded off to sleep, under the spell of lukewarm ale.

My favorite memory as a child was chasing a wheel with a stick down past the smithey's shop and the baker and pie maker too. It all seems like a dreary fortnight ago.

At Easter I would travel to Stonehenge and kiss me a blarneystone and play with the fairies.

And the skiing in Oslo was fab.

In Sweden's Malmo, I ate all those little cheeses using those tiny knives that I could only assume were made for elves.

I had my scrote meticulously shorn in Moldova by a small band of druids.

In Estonia, my elbows were buffed quite regularly.

And finally I purchased a wonderful ocelot hat in Belarus though never wore it.

I was kind of a local scourge in Denmark. The parsons considered my cosmopolitan ways uncomely. And for that, I was branded a heretic.

It was then that I discovered I was overstaying my welcome. I was too good for Europe. Too sophisticated. Their sweetened baguettes I found trite. France's wine was nothing more than glorified piss. I had absolutely had it!

That's when I discovered Oprah and America and her beautifully lined parking lots and malls and pancake breakfasts. And it was then that I knew I had found home.

[cerberus]

Well, there are about four or five countries with higher human-development index scores than than the US, so they have that going for them. Lower infant mortality, higher life-expectancy, lower poverty, blah, blah, etc, etc. And many of the cities are nice, clean and generally top the quality of life scale as researched my Mercer Consulting.
Oh, and the food is fantastic.

[Maggie_T]

So why don't you name them? It's not classified info, surely.

Oh, wait. You're joking, aren't you.


:rolleyes:

[MrSanity]

I guess the answer is tourism.

And that some center-right parties have a pinch of influence.

[cerberus]

So why don't you name them? It's not classified info, surely.

Oh, wait. You're joking, aren't you.


:rolleyes:
What, you can't spend the 9 seconds to look it up online? Fine:
Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden. Outside Europe Canada, Japan and Australia also rank higher. Right below the US are about 11 more European nations. So, as I said, Europe has that going for it.

[Tazeeyore]

Scotch Whiskey! Ummm what else..................Nope, can't think of a thing.

[BarkleUSA]

The US vs Eurabia

<table x:str="" style="border-collapse: collapse; table-layout: fixed; width: 331pt;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="441"> <col style="width: 138pt;" width="184"> <col style="width: 48pt;" span="3" width="64"> <col style="width: 49pt;" width="65"> <tbody><tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl24" style="height: 12.75pt; width: 138pt;" x:str="CATEGORY " height="17" width="184">CATEGORY </td> <td class="xl24" style="border-left: medium none; width: 48pt;" x:str="US " width="64">US </td> <td class="xl24" style="border-left: medium none; width: 48pt;" x:str="UK " width="64">UK </td> <td class="xl24" style="border-left: medium none; width: 48pt;" x:str="France " width="64">France </td> <td class="xl24" style="border-left: medium none; width: 49pt;" width="65">Germany</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl25" style="border-top: medium none; height: 12.75pt;" x:str="GPD (Trillions) " height="17">GDP (Trillions) </td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="13.327">13.327</td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="1.8180000000000001">1.818</td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="1.794">1.794</td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="">2.48</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl25" style="border-top: medium none; height: 12.75pt;" x:str="GDP - real growth rate " height="17">GDP - real growth rate </td> <td class="xl30" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="3.2000000000000001E-2">3.2%</td> <td class="xl30" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="1.9E-2">1.9%</td> <td class="xl30" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="1.2E-2">1.2%</td> <td class="xl30" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="8.9999999999999993E-3">0.9%</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl25" style="border-top: medium none; height: 12.75pt;" x:str="GDP - per capita " height="17">GDP - per capita </td> <td class="xl28" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="41600">41,600</td> <td class="xl28" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="30100">30,100</td> <td class="xl28" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="29600">29,600</td> <td class="xl28" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="30100">30,100</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl25" style="border-top: medium none; height: 12.75pt;" x:str="UNEMPLOYMENT RATE " height="17">UNEMPLOYMENT RATE </td> <td class="xl30" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="4.3999999999999997E-2">4.4%</td> <td class="xl30" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="4.7E-2">4.7%</td> <td class="xl30" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="9.9000000000000005E-2">9.9%</td> <td class="xl30" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="0.11799999999999999">11.8%</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl25" style="border-top: medium none; height: 12.75pt;" x:str="BELOW POVERTY LINE " height="17">BELOW POVERTY LINE </td> <td class="xl29" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="0.12">12%</td> <td class="xl29" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="0.17">17%</td> <td class="xl27" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="6.5000000000000002E-2">6.50%</td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;">NA</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl25" style="border-top: medium none; height: 12.75pt;" x:str="INFLATION RATE " height="17">INFLATION RATE </td> <td class="xl27" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="1.3100000000000001E-2">1.31%</td> <td class="xl27" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="2.1000000000000001E-2">2.10%</td> <td class="xl27" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="1.7000000000000001E-2">1.70%</td> <td class="xl29" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="0.02">2%</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 12.75pt;" height="17"> <td class="xl25" style="border-top: medium none; height: 12.75pt;" x:str="INFANT MORTALITY (/1,000) " height="17">INFANT MORTALITY (/1,000) </td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="">6.43</td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="">5.08</td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="">4.21</td> <td class="xl26" style="border-top: medium none; border-left: medium none;" x:num="">4.12</td> </tr> <!--[if supportMisalignedColumns]--> <tr style="display: none;" height="0"> <td style="width: 138pt;" width="184">
</td> <td style="width: 48pt;" width="64">
</td> <td style="width: 48pt;" width="64">
</td> <td style="width: 48pt;" width="64">
</td> <td style="width: 49pt;" width="65">
</td> </tr> <!--[endif]--> </tbody></table>
Disclaimer: Even though the US appears in the chart of European countries above, much like Singapore, it is not part of Europe.

[Maggie_T]

What, you can't spend the 9 seconds to look it up online?


I can. But I was curious to see whether you would have the predictable knee-jerk reaction and mention the usual socialist suspects. You did.

And don't come back babbling about Ireland. While she did convert to capitalism (to a great benefit, I may add) socially, she is still revoltingly politically correct, multiculturalist, and all the other tricks in the leftist bag.

[CzechPrince]

Having lived in both places, there are defenintly pros and cons of both the US and Europe, as with any place. America is home now and I don't plan on leaving it. I do love and miss Europe, especially when I go back to visit. It's got it's problems, more so Western Europe at this point, but I still hope it gets its act together one day.

[DesertFox]

Europe really only has one thing going for it, and that's the Alps. You could also say the Pyrenees and the Urals, but they don't compare.

[cerberus]

I can. But I was curious to see whether you would have the predictable knee-jerk reaction and mention the usual socialist suspects. You did. So what's your point. That doesn't make any of the facts I stated any less true. The question was asked what Europe has going for it, and I have an answer.

And don't come back babbling about Ireland. While she did convert to capitalism (to a great benefit, I may add) socially, she is still revoltingly politically correct, multiculturalist, and all the other tricks in the leftist bag. But nevertheless a very nice place to live, so I hear.

[Unity]

I like living in the Netherlands very much (well, except for the weather), and I have high hopes for it future political progression. It's taking slow, steady steps over to the conservative end of the spectrum- little steps, mind you, but give it 30 years and I think the progress will be immense. They are becoming increasingly less tolerant of Muslim aggression, you must learn functional Dutch to become a citizen, and Christianity is making a discernable comeback. It's a nice place. I recommend it to visitors and potential immigrants alike. :)

[Rhino]

I loved living in England, but that was years ago and things may have changed enough that I would no longer love it as much. I'd still like to go back.

[DesertFox]

Europe's gotta LOTTA things going for it: Socialism and socialists, big govt lovers, fascism and fascists, gun haters, atheism, evolution, ALL them great ideas of the last century and a half. It's also got all them Muzzies getting rid of all them old cars nobody wanted.

[Rhino]

Muslim riot or redneck lawn ornaments? You decide.

http://www.dailyfoo.com/pics/resize.php?police-cars-on-blocks.jpg

[Maggie_T]

So what's your point. That doesn't make any of the facts I stated any less true. The question was asked what Europe has going for it, and I have an answer.




(shrugs) Whatever. It's still a decadent, socialist hellhole. A caricature of what it used to be. And soon it will become even worse if European candy-assed pansies continue to be blinded by "multiculturalism" and pretend that the problem of Islamofascism does not exist. Once Shaira law is imposed in Europe (and don't discount that possibility just yet), then all those things that "Europe has going for it," according to you, will go away and Europe will be reduced to another Islamist 3rd world.

In the meantime, it's just a big theme park, good for visiting now and then. As far as I'm concerned, you can have it. I wouldn't live there if my life depended on it.