181–190 of 201 posts
And this has now been removed from the HN front page for some reason. :/
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The effectiveness of EU machinery is overrated. EU is a large organization with lots and lots of money. The people who go there are largely unaccountable to their countries, and are likely to do things that are popular, and they like to show off their work. There is no repercussions for the decisions taken though, because the only elected positions (the parliament) are far removed from legislating and limited to just…
It troubles me deeply that we in America often cannot make an argument about advocating something without using EU as a crutch. Both left and right wings of the political sphere. Examples: Ok: We shouldn’t allow abortion beyond trimester. Better: We shouldn’t allow abortion beyond trimester, that’s how it works in most EU countries. Ok: Vaccine mandates are not cool. Better: Vaccine mandates are not cool, just look a…
I remember reading an article about about some Roman writer - Tacitus? I don't remember who - who was describing the German tribes. The article though questioned just how much we could really learn about those people from the Roman writer because it seemed like they were just using the Germans as - like you say - a crutch to make an argument about how Romans should be.
The Germans respect their parents. They serve in the military. they're brave and loyal. They're not merchants - etc. etc.
And heck, it's an effective argument - this isn't just what I think, look with your own eyes at those people who aren't us that do this thing so well. Sometimes it's ever true. :-)
I was about to write a knee-jerk comment about how short-sighted the EU law is, but then I stopped and rethought. EU (and India) are fundamentally trying to strengthen their local economies and severe their dependence on US based entities. I could disagree but I think it’s really important to understand that these are sovereign nations with dedicated think tanks. Policy decisions like this are debated and then enacte…
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Can MEPs remove a commissioner?
No the national governments choose the commissioner to send to the commission. A nation in the EU can recall its commissioner. The commissioner acts in the interests of the Government of the nation that sent them to the EU commission. The national governments of EU nations are all elected by their citizens so the commission is indirectly democratic. It is arranged like this because individual countries in the EU don'…
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It troubles me deeply that we in America often cannot make an argument about advocating something without using EU as a crutch. Both left and right wings of the political sphere. Examples: Ok: We shouldn’t allow abortion beyond trimester. Better: We shouldn’t allow abortion beyond trimester, that’s how it works in most EU countries. Ok: Vaccine mandates are not cool. Better: Vaccine mandates are not cool, just look a…
I don't think that's just America. I think everyone in world and throughout history uses foreign countries as a stand-in to make an argument. I remember reading an article about about some Roman writer - Tacitus? I don't remember who - who was describing the German tribes. The article though questioned just how much we could really learn about those people from the Roman writer because it seemed like they were just u…
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No the national governments choose the commissioner to send to the commission. A nation in the EU can recall its commissioner. The commissioner acts in the interests of the Government of the nation that sent them to the EU commission. The national governments of EU nations are all elected by their citizens so the commission is indirectly democratic. It is arranged like this because individual countries in the EU don'…
What if the commissioner is bought by other interest groups and does not represent the best interest of the people?
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I doubt that particular consequence applies to cannabis. It does apply to other prohibited drugs.
I have never heard of a confiscated child due to the parent having cocaine in their bloodstream - have you any source?
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Nope, Windows Server would be illegal in Europe. Microsoft ships too much non-trivial FOSS software in Windows now. There is no major OS that they can run, nor can they develop for it (the act of installing GCC or LLVM would now be illegal, for example).
I'm pretty sure Microsoft could compile software in the US and export it without the compiler. Other issues could be solved with a Microsoft Windows 11 EU Edition that only allows programs to be installed from the Microsoft store.
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The EU has a language problem though. If there's a problem affecting Lithuania there's very little that voting can do to solve it. Lithuanians don't have an impact on the politicians voted in from other countries, because the politics don't overlap due to language. Lithuanian voters would have to convince German politicians, that campaign in the German language to German people, about Lithuania's issue. How likely do…
How does it work in the United States? Let's say there's a problem affecting South Carolina. How would South Carolina voters convince Californian politicians about South Carolina problems? If convinced, what actions would Californian politicians take?
Something like that doesn't happen in the EU. Every language is like an entirely different political sphere.
US presidential elections (and the party system) add another reason for politicians to care about what the voters in another state think. If Democrats look bad when handling an issue in South Carolina then it can end up costing them votes in other states too.