EUCOM Economic Analysis - Part I

[Uboat509]

Again a new word. For some unknown reason I've begun to learn new English words recently. Strange, for I believed I had already almost all of them in my passive repertoire.


Telling the truth about extremists is rarely appreciated by those who tolerate and cooperate with them.

The U.S. has been so much isolated from the rest of the world (especially from the non-anglophone world) and has such a low opinion about learning from others (assuming it should still be the other way around) that extremism of many kinds is quite widespread by now.

* % population incarcerated

Mostly a result of poorly thought out "three strikes" laws that are being removed from the books in many places

* civilian gun ownership

There is not a lot of conclusive evidence that legal gun ownership leads to more violent crime. Many of the places that have been pointed to as proof that strict gun laws reduce crime have lower rates of all violent crimes suggesting that there is some other factor other than guns is at work.

* military spending

While the amount in real terms is high, the amount as a share of GDP is only %3.6 which, considering the pressure that is placed on the US to play world peacekeeper is not especially high.

* small government vs. big government debate (next to non-existent in most countries)

I am not sure that this is true

* evolution vs. some nonsense (basically a rested case for almost a hundred years in Europe)

It is a ridiculous debate but it is not nearly as big an issue as some media outlets portray.

* evangelicals

What about them?

* anti-abortion (even the Irish aren't that crazy about it and no, I won't quote the newspeak used to describe the opposing sides of this issue)

This gets a lot of airplay but does not really have that much effect on politics overall. The economy is still the focus for most.

* de-industrialisation and over-emphasis of financial sector (OK, some European countries match this)

You play to your strengths. The UK for example, will never match the industrial capacity of Germany so they have concentrated a great deal of their economic focus on the financial sector which has made them the finance hub of Europe.

* campaigning against labour unions

Public sector unions have been the primary target though there has been a general backlash against nearly all unions. Unions in this country (and many others) seem to believe that their purpose is not to ensure that their members are paid a fair wage, are treated fairly and that they should have a safe work environment, rather they believe that their job is to squeeze every last cent out of the employer and enrich themselves.

* ludicrous ideas about what effects tax cuts can (supposedly) cause

Agreed but there are equally ludicrous ideas about what tax raises can accomplish in Europe (Hollande's %70 rate for instance.)

* fetishism about "small business" owners and the upper class

This is hardly a US only problem. Hollande made bashing the wealth a plank in his campaign and more than a few European states have protection of small businesses enshrined in their laws.

* about zero net savings nationwide (!)

Savings are down but a big increase in savings now could very well scupper the recovery.

* share of fat people

This is also not a US only problem but is rapidly becoming a world wide problem.

* executive empowerment, hollowing out of civil rights

This is a matter of opinion rather than fact.

* money in politics on a never seen before scale

True but it remains to be seen what the net effect of this money will be.

* lack of nature sciences and engineering studies graduations up to the point that about half of the manufacturing outsourcing is being justified by lack of skilled labour alone

I would need to see some stats on that. Labor costs have more to do with outsourcing than anything else.

* disrespect for the idea of compromise and deals (including utter disrespect for obligations once accepted voluntarily in treaties)

I am not going to argue about the extreme aversion to compromise that has gripped Washington of late but to which treaties are you referring?

* ludicrous tolerance for hypocrisy, incompetence, manipulation, deception and public lying

I believe the word you are looking for is politics.

* xenophobia, disrespect of foreign cultures/countries that do not bow to the U.S. Europe has about as much extremism, but only in regional pockets, not continent-wide.