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Someone suggested that Europe is a defacto US colony …. Is it?

I don’t see the Europeans as a de facto colony. I see them as another rathole for our taxpayer money to fall down and most of them don’t even like us. A great test would be for the Us to say it is no longer hosting the UN and put UN hosting out to bid. What do you think would happen? Speaking of colonies, I’m in favor of terminating Puerto Rico’s territory status and as for statehood forget it. Another rathole where US taxpayer dollars go to ungrateful haters. Speaking of statehood DC was made the way it was for a good reason that has not changed. No statehood there ever.
smiler2012 · 56-60
you mean the us relinquish as its lead of nato and leaders of the free world and go it alone . well you need too remember a bit of history we fought the germans for two years before you yanks got a bloody nose at pearl harbour and then where forced to join the second world war.my point is we have gone it alone before during hours of darkness and i am sure european nato partners will come on mass again to defend us from aggresion from the little gremlin in the kremlin. [jackj]
smiler2012 · 56-60
@MarmeeMarch it was europe that was trouncing for two years before the americans even where invoved by the nazi jackboot
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smiler2012 · 56-60
@MarmeeMarch oh dear have i hit a raw nerve here . if you do not think a man cannot be patriotic towards his country you know where the block button is
Tres13 · 51-55, M
USA is the Sugar Daddy of Europe
AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M
@Tres13 Europe is our Gumara. ( Italian for side piece) lol
Tres13 · 51-55, M
like ‘a bit on the side ‘ ?@AthrillatheHunt
AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M
@Tres13 Europe is our mistress. And she’s way expensive. Lol
How much does the US pay to Germany to have bases there? Oh, wait, Germany has to pay the US over $1 billion a year on top of maintaining all bases and infrastructure for free. In fact, in total the US gets around $2.5 billion for its European military presence.

So exactly what US tax dollars are going to Europe?
@jackjjackson
"Germany spent over $1B to cover costs linked to US troops"
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/07/06/germany-spent-over-1b-to-cover-costs-linked-to-us-troops/

My source, Military Times, says Germany pays the US for bases. What is your source, and what does it say the payments are for??
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
[quote] EU Member States are collectively the United States’ biggest trading partner, and Germany, as Europe’s largest economy, is at the heart of that relationship. After China and the United States, Germany is the world’s third-largest exporter. Every fourth job in Germany depends on exports, which accounted for 47 percent of Germany’s GDP in 2019 (almost four times the export share of U.S. GDP).

In 2019, bilateral trade in goods and services totaled nearly $260 billion, with U.S. exports of $96.7 billion and imports of $162.9 billion. All of the $66.2 billion trade deficit in 2019 was in goods. Bilateral trade in services ($71.6 billion in 2019) is roughly in balance with a U.S. surplus of $1.7 billion (down from a $3 billion surplus in 2018). Major U.S. goods export categories to Germany in 2019 were aircrafts and parts ($10.1 billion), vehicles ($7 billion), pharmaceuticals (5 billion), medical equipment ($2.7 billion), and industrial machinery ($2.2 billion), optical and medical instruments ($6.7 billion), and electrical machinery ($5.5 billion). Major categories of German exports to the United States in 2019 were vehicles ($17.9 billion), pharmaceuticals ($17.6 billion), industrial machinery ($6.8 billion), medical equipment ($5.8 billion), and returned goods and reimports ($5.6 billion). Many U.S. imports from Germany are investment goods such as capital equipment, enabling U.S. production and exports. German investments in the United States focus largely on manufacturing, wholesale trade, as well as finance and insurance. Altogether, U.S. affiliates of German firms employ more than 861,000 U.S. workers.

While Americans have invested more than $148 billion FDI in Germany, Germans have invested $522 billion FDI in the United States – 29 percent of all FDI from the EU. The U.S.-German Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation affords U.S. investors national treatment and provides for the free movement of capital between the United States and Germany. Taxation of U.S. firms within Germany is governed by a protocol on the avoidance of double taxation.[/quote]

https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-germany/

@ElwoodBlues
@jackjjackson That all seems to be talking about balance of trade, not government payments of taxpayer dollars. Yes, Germany is a net exporter to the US. That's not taxpayer dollars, that's consumers buying German goods.

Also, that page doesn't include any "last year $2.259 billion" figure.
Ceinwyn · 26-30, F
It’s a load of bollocks. We didn’t tolerate the EU, we won’t tolerate the US.
AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M
Puerto Rico is an even bigger black hole of US tax dollars than Israel.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Other than political gain for your side what is gained by created one state larger than likely all but ten currently existing countries. @Lila15
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@AthrillatheHunt Israel gets free military equipment they don't even need, and US military contractors make bank. In 1980, US aid accounted for 20% of Israel's military budget; today it accounts for 1%. The only reason aid continues is because the American military contractors who primarily benefit from it would pitch a fit if it ended. If you're going to call that a "black hole," that would include other military expenditures. You're also forgetting that the aid follows from the Camp David treaty; Egypt also receives military aid for the same reason. If your argument is that the US should not provide military aid to [i]any[/i] other country, that's a different issue beyond just Israel.

Puerto Ricans pay lower taxes than other American citizens. If they were a state, their taxes would be the same as everyone else's and the ratio of expenditures to revenue would improve. However, in net federal expenditures per capita, PR is 19th, between Louisiana and Vermont, hardly a "black hole."

https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Arthur%20MacEwan%20and%20J.%20Tomas%20Hexner%20(Submission%204).pdf
AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M
@Lila15 oh Egypt Is number three on my list , followed by Türkiye. (New spelling ) . Lol
And I love it when Israel complains about us selling the same equipment to Saudi Arabia that we give them for free .
I think Putin or one of his mouthpieces said that. Putin can eat a cornucopia of dicks.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Sounds wonderful. How do the others get Pakistan, China, N. Korea, Iran and Russia on board? @Changeisgonnacome
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
@jackjjackson I guess if it's going to be my problem, you can have nuclear war. You win. What if America won't try? Okay. There's two good excuses. That's one more than you need.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Hey I asked you a simple question. I’m in favor of the end of all Nikes everywhere. How do we get there. I’m not in charge and I can’t make it happen. The momentum of ideas can work wonders. @Changeisgonnacome
Slade · 56-60, M
Europe's natural state is war. Only because of the US and NATO has that been rare the past 70 years.

We'd be better off with a leper colony
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Why not let them have it at and then take out the winner? @Slade
GeniUs · 56-60, M
How much overseas aid does the US send to Europe and is it to Europe, the EU or individual countries? This will help where this discussion goes.
AthrillatheHunt · 51-55, M
@GeniUs how did you feel about the falklands ?
GeniUs · 56-60, M
@AthrillatheHunt The Falkands is an overseas territory which is British and has been for something like 300 years, it has never been Argentinian (it may have been Spanish or Portuguese before that time can't remember the history). It is not strategically important but I'm fairly confident that the UK maintains it's jurisdiction so that it is 'entitled' (not the right word but I can't think of it atm) to mineral rights in the Antarctic, otherwise nationality may have been conceded. It is right to defend The Falklands as it's residents are British so the right nationality even if for the wrong reason.
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
@GeniUs aid-. Weapons. You like weapons as a gift.
GrinNude · 61-69, C
I think that many Latin American countries have been our de facto economic colonies. Much more so than Europe. Look at our history of overthrowing democratically elected governments in Chile and in Guatemala. And our support of unsavory dictators in numerous Latin American countries... Ernie
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
Wait+. Isn't the entire world supposed to be under US control and domination so you can protect American interests there? The whole world is colonized.
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
@jackjjackson might makes right.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Aren’t China, Russia, Iran, N. Korea and others immune to that and have plenty of might if their own? @Changeisgonnacome
Slade · 56-60, M
@Changeisgonnacome You are that wacko Mother Hubbard with a new handle. I recognize the intensely anti American moonbattery
Cierzo · M
Europe has been an American slut for too many years,and it is time to awake and realise that the American sugar daddy is a decrepit old man unable to get a hard on any more.

The rathole for American taxpayer is Ukraine, not Europe. That is what Americans voted.
cherokeepatti · 61-69, F
@Cierzo Most of those votes were stolen. When you have more votes than registered voters and one party gets the majority and they didn’t know that the official ballots would be watermarked and start printing up extras and were seen in many places dropping off mail-in ballots by the armload, you better figure something was up.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
Interesting. The US is a world empire, which comes with certain obligations. Should we scale back and let China replace us?

The federal portion of DC could be made smaller with statehood for the rest. The population alone requires that. Would you also support combining Wyoming and North and South Dakota into one state? Splitting California into two states?

We can’t just cut PR loose. Colonies should be allowed to vote on what they want. The sentiment there is between statehood and staying as they are. Independence is supported by less than 3%. We already have states that take in more federal dollars than they give back, should we cut them loose, too?
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
We are stuck with states and not with PR. The citizens there have no say in whether we put them in any category of whether we can just dump them. If you want to install the far left as dictators just say so. No need to play any of those unfounded or unreasonable games. @Lila15
Really · 80-89, M
Reading what jackj writes, and many of the responses, is anyone left doubting that prideful nationalism is very dangerous?
Really · 80-89, M
@jackjjackson Clever dick! (using the term in metaphoric sarcasm)

Sarcasm: suggesting a mocking discrepancy between promise and fulfillment.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Oops I’ve been remiss. How was breakfast?


@Really
smiler2012 · 56-60
@jackjjackson really the british are a proud nation
Elessar · 26-30, M
Difficult to find a more rétarded post than this one on the subject, but after reading the username I realized couldn't actually have expected anything different lol
GeniUs · 56-60, M
@Changeisgonnacome You say gift but I see countries sending weapons to the Ukraine (which are needed) but the cynic in me says these weapons are being tested in action against real thinking people who are trying to avoid the consequences of these weapons something that has not been achieved to this point. It may be a gift but there is a lot of performance data to be taken from their use.
GeniUs · 56-60, M
@jackjjackson When does a weapon ever get tested on real living people? (Do I have to take people step by step through every comment that is above Dr Seuss level?)
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Please don’t respond with vague questions. Direct me to facts that someone has sent cutting edge untested weapons to Ukraine. I would support it. However I have seen nothing proving it. I’d like to see the proof of what you say. You’re a true teller right? Not just making wild assumptions? @GeniUs
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The U.N., now has North Korea as head of a disarmament council. And a look at who sits on their human rights commission is absurd if not obscene.
cherokeepatti · 61-69, F
I heard a man say that today and I hadn’t heard anyone else in real life say till this afternoon. I wondered where he got that.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Please tell us more about the coup. @Changeisgonnacome
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
@jackjjackson maybe you forgot 2014. Okay. I admit you have every excuse you need for war, and you say it's for Ukraine's benefit. You can have whatever. Nobody can stop that.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Was that when whatever happened in Crimea happened? What did happen there anyways?

The US is waging war in Ukraine? Who is killing Ukrainians? Some of them are being killed aren’t they? How many Americans have been killed there?

@Changeisgonnacome
PatKirby · M

Close the UN. Let Europe have a go at it on their soil and pay the bills. Enjoy!
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
Economists would say it is.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Good point. @Changeisgonnacome
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jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Good. Send my money back please. @SW-User
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jackjjackson · 61-69, M
Is that an overall net nu,ber and if so for what? @SW-User
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
Maybe. The US controls how the. EU countries will finance and prepare for war, sets the terms for loaning them money and requiring austerity politics from debtor nations and occupies the entire continent with it's military.
HarryHawk · 61-69, M
Changeisgonnacome · 61-69, F
@HarryHawk keep chuckling.
fanuc2013 · 51-55, F
Sadly, one reason for the US to host the UN is economic. It was said a few years ago if the US kicked out the UN tomorrow, NYC would lose 80,000 jobs.
Slade · 56-60, M
@fanuc2013 It's in the charter it must be in the largest contributer's country.

UN General Assembly was always a huge cash cow for us in the media
Really · 80-89, M
Thanks @jackj. for clearly illustrating the workings of your mind. Now we know.
Really · 80-89, M
@jackjjackson [quote]Nothing racist here[/quote] That may be the only fact you've uttered. I don't recall whther there's any actual racism in the thread.

It's mostly just virulent nationalistic claptrap. Goebbels would have loved to have you on his team.
jackjjackson · 61-69, M
You have a vivid imagination. The world has enough trouble without you making some up. You owe me an apology sir. Huge faux paux. @Really
Really · 80-89, M
@jackjjackson [quote]Good point
[/quote]Thanks.
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Slade · 56-60, M
@jackjjackson Should be cut loose. Give them infependence and nothing else
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jackjjackson · 61-69, M
That’s the best option. Zero reason not to do it asap. @Slade

 
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