On 12/21/2010 7:46 AM harry spake thus:

I am from the UK. I love to tease the Yanks.

We get it. We get it. We get it.

They can't grasp what is wrong with their cult.

'K, true 'nuff.

But good post. Interesting. I think the PIGS (Portugal, Italy,
Ireland, Greece and Spain are well down the tube. They will end up
cut away from the Euro.

So tell us, Harry, why do you think you Yurpeens are all that much
better than us Merkins?

OK, granted, you (UK) have a *huge* advantage with your National Health
Service, something that'll probably never happen here. Along with some
other *vestigial* remains of, let's call it what it is, socialism.

But clearly the *entire world* is now going the way of the U.S., which
is to say in a totally neoliberal, market-driven, profits-uber-alles
direction, where if things go bad because of speculation and bubble
markets, the gov't imposes austerity measures (witness: Ireland), the
general public be damned.

After all, Harry, you've got those mobs of students in London smashing
things up, right? I can certainly understand why they're out there.

So no, it's not just the Big Bad U.S. that's to blame. Though arguably
we were the *origin* of the problem, what with the "American Century"
and all, it's now metastasized to the entire world. Including China, I'd
say.


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Comment on quaint Usenet customs, from Usenet:

To me, the *plonk...* reminds me of the old man at the public hearing
who stands to make his point, then removes his hearing aid as a sign
that he is not going to hear any rebuttals.