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We need new countries !

peterkris.svbtle.com

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Re: We need new countries !

#41

Post by a3n »

looser wrote: post #34
zacinbusiness wrote: post #13

Full disclosure - I'm American and have lived here since birth, as is my entire family as far back as it matters. America was founded by political dissidents, religious nut bags, criminals, and paranoid sociopaths who couldn't cut it in civilized Europe. Today, America is controlled by billionaires that profit from and exploit that same paranoia and fear. Yes, America is a nation that is nearly entirely crippled by f…

Please, use the right words. America is not a country, it is a continent. America != United States We know that an "United Stater" is also an American, but there are Americans who are not "United Staters".

Actually our name is not United States either, we are The United States of America. "United States," "the States," and yes even "America" are commonly used and understood nicknames.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_states#Etymology

People of the United States are most commonly referred to and understood as "Americans." If you say "I'm an American," virtually no one would think that you meant that you were vaguely from one of the two American continents, North or South. They would know that you meant you're a citizen of the United States; you know, America.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_for_United_States_citize...

EDIT: Your downvote was not from me.

Re: We need new countries !

#42

Post by kijin »

Zigurd wrote: post #29

He might have some of the reasons wrong, but more countries would be better. Big nations are unmanageable and too easy to corrupt on an institutional scale. Americans don't seem to see this, except maybe seeing California as a state that's too big to manage. Setting Silicon Valley free as a separate nation might be, as another commenter here wrote "a libertarian pipe dream," But several smaller groups of united state…

I too would love to see supersized countries like the United states, Russia, and China split up into several parts that compete and cooperate with one another. Sort of like how EU works, but learning from EU's mistakes as well.

It's a cool thought experiment: Let the Confederate States of America declare independence again and ban abortion, homosexuality and interracial marriage within their borders. As long as the borders remain as thin as they are in Europe, I'm sure people will eventually vote with their feet (or their wallets) and give us much more solid evidence of what really works and what doesn't. Meanwhile, Vermont can go ahead and implement single-payer health care, and Alaska can start experimenting with a more substantial basic income. Political experiments are much easier to carry out in small countries.

Unfortunately, power has a tendency to keep growing and never willingly limit itself. So I don't see this realistically happening any time soon, except in the aftermath of some sort of disaster you'd expect to see in a Roland Emmerich movie.

Re: We need new countries !

#44

Post by strictfp »

The article reads to me like an escapist way of saying that there is a disconnect between the current political agendas and the interests of the younger generations, and that we have to engage ourselves politically in order to close that gap.

Re: We need new countries !

#45

Post by gmuslera »

We need to fix existing countries, in particular the one that is making its influence reach every other. While that in particular is not fixed, running elsewhere is just delaying the inevitable (and making it even more inevitable).

Re: We need new countries !

#46

Post by gaius »

mjn wrote: post #19
SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's nothing to do with genetics. It's that people who would board a wooden ship to head to head off into the unknown were predisposed towards taking calculated risk As JetSetWilly pointed out, this lack explanatory power. For instance, it does not explain why the USA is a global power whereas Agentina, Brazil and Mexico are far from it. So while this may be necessary, it cannot be sufficient.

It also doesn't explain why countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden are so successful. I'm sure you could pick something common to the history of all three and make a completely speculative story about why certain Europeans are the most successful people in the world...

... And people have, check out Jared Diamond.

Re: We need new countries !

#47

Post by gaius »

ronaldx wrote: post #36
joelrunyon wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also likely to be from a wealthy or otherwise privileged background: wealth offers opportunity and permits risk-taking. Maybe likely - but not required. It sounds nice, but until you have a source for this, I'm not likely to believe it. If anything, especially with these types of endeavors, where there's not just money, but life to be lost - I'd presume that the wealthy would have more to lose than someone with not…

You correctly note that I said likely, not required. So, we're not in disagreement. I agree with you about the risk to life having some effect, but this obviously doesn't apply to people alive today. Anyone can move to Asia and have a better quality of life, perhaps, but it sure as hell helps if: * you can afford regular plane tickets home to family/possibly at short notice, * you have support back in your home count…

What about within the EU?

This is a problem for some and an opportunity for others. Many of the people capable of kickstarting the economies of Greece and Spain have left for England or Germany...

Re: We need new countries !

#48

Post by notacoward »

It's always good to see novel, never-been-suggested-before ideas about governance, worked out in detail by people who understand the obstacles and pitfalls involved.

Wake me when that happens.

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