Money's Worth

posted on April 13th, 2010, 1:44 pm

Well before they kick Spain out the EU, i think some of the "new" member might be kicked out sooner. Some of the new members are 1st in the list of poverty, unemployment, low salary (and so on) list.

Why would this lead to there banishment from the "heavenly" EU ?

Imagine living on an average (here considered good) salary of roughly 135-145 EU a moth, whit the same price tags as in the rest of this so called union.

Before you ask where i live, it does not matter, most likely you have not even heard of the place.
And yes i am fustrated as well having no job, the only option being some Multi Level Marketing or slowly go deep in depth. Still we do not riot here, yet taxes are literally killing many.

Contrary to the general information you might see or find, in the eastern part of the EU there is much discontent regarding the whole union. Just imagine that the new member states still not using the EU take loans (huge ones) from the EU to not to go bankrupt.
Now whom will need to pay back those loans with it's % ? ? ? The simple folks via taxes, what else. (Remember the salary i mentioned ?)

Politicians fuel hatred, or promise the "promised land", but yes as all politicians they are only concerned about there pockets.

Also i could mention that inflation and unemployment are rising. The money here is devaluating faster then you can say Jumping Jack Flash.

So what do we do ? Many of the working people are working in the "old" member states of the EU. But with the start of the recession many did loose even that option.

So i say live and let die.
A grim prospect,  as calculated it would be beneficial for those whom i care about (more or less) if i would just die. One less mouth to feed (even if i'm the one providing the money).

Now to those whom say, but hey Dex you have internet, you spend your time online, go find a job, or reduce your expenses, i can only say do you know what a contract is ? If it binds me to something for 2 years there is not much i can do. Suspending it would be costly, even if it was not me whom made that contract. And things like electricity are necessary.
Alas enough of my wining.

Now sorry if i'm off topic here, but i needed to went a little.
All i can say is imagine living your life without those things you take for granted. Soon you will understand things are not that bad for you as it may seem (yes same goes for me).

P.S. : sorry having a bad day (can't recall a good one), and my post got long ...

posted on April 13th, 2010, 1:49 pm

Maybe you should find an unpopulated Island. And build your house on it, and call it your own country. For electrical, just get your ol' 250-mile extension cord and plug it into a house of the nearest civilized land.

posted on April 13th, 2010, 1:50 pm

Or could go live in the wild... my hair is long enough 

posted on April 13th, 2010, 2:04 pm

Online Poker?  My Brother Claims He Supported Himself That Way For Awhile.

[Shril]

posted on April 13th, 2010, 2:12 pm

Last edited by Shril on April 13th, 2010, 2:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The Greece crisis is indeed ...

WOUWOUWOU! What's going on with you?! Moved to the politician folks lately?  :lol:
I think you are quite right on many things you said, however, I don't agree that we missed the information age and technology standards in Europe. Germany for example is strongly investing into renewable energy technologies and research. Also science sector and the educational sector is focused a lot compared to other countries. Despite of that we struggle with exactly the same money problems like any other country does.
I believe that becoming a member of the EU will become more and more difficult as the EU can't affort to risk the savety of many in favor of one. The crisis in Greece is their own fault. Corruption is a life style in Greece and thus Greece should have never been allowed to be part of the EU. There's no doubt the greek way of business was always and still is carried out by legally demanding additional money which is "fastening up" the progress of work. In Germany we say "Beschleunigungsgeld" which means nothing else as "acceleration money". That sort of business behavior lead to heavy tax losses into the billions for decades but as it was common habit noone cared. It worked for getting a driver license, get your orderes packed and shipped...practially any sort of provided service was legally "accelerated" by giving additional black money. On top of this they lived over their expenses for many years demanding more and more money which didn't exist. That are just 2 examples of why Greece became a dependant of other countries. They wouldn't have behaved that way when not feeling inside the save financial bastion of the EU.

Speaking of the EU I personally find it audacious of some EU countries to not participate in the EU currency program, especially the United Kingdom, but profit from the European Union as much as everyone else does without carrying the risk which is part of a currency -  or better - by supporting/strengthen the currency. I believe a country should not hold a save foot in the door to jump off the plain when it becomes turbulent. In my opinion this is as despicable as corruption is.

In general I believe that the whole economical system in our world is doomed to fail as it's dependant on infinite growth which is not possible. The information age also came along with another problem. It accelerates the process of making money out of money or money out of information where there is no counter value (hard value? I don't know the english expression for that). Do you think the economical value of YouTube, facebook, Google, etc. is sustainable? Is it even possible to build up a sustainable enconomy with the tools of the current system?

The whole crisis with the nitpicks in Greece, Iceland, etc. is the outcome of a failing system and it will continue step by step. People should not wonder that this is happening. In fact there are just two possible ways this will turn out in the end - of course, after the countries following the rules of this system have struggled in vain.

1. World War III where the value of everything is destroyed to start from ground up.
2. Inflation in a dimension the world hasn't seen in it's entire history to start from ground up.


Either way, this time will be desasterous and you will be happy to have a hard value in form of a washing mashine at home (hand-operated preferred). After that I expect a new sort of economy system where money will be gone and the English language (especially American English) will be banned worldwide because people will say:"The whole destaster had its beginning in the US and their business philosophy."

Well, I don't promise the last part (I really love English) but I'm totally serious on those two options we will face in a not far future. In fact I assume it will be in my life time.

Ever asked yourself, why everyone is in dept. Yes, even you are in dept who just think "I'm in noones dept, idiot!" I fear I have bad news for you: Understand here

posted on April 13th, 2010, 2:33 pm

well.. at the end of the day, money is nothing else but printed trust. Thats how our complete world and humanity is built on. And "trust" is basically the evolutionary advance that brought us where we are now, be it good or bad.

I don't complain about our money and society system, and i don't think there will be a better option for that anytime soon. But thats quite theoretical, as thats nothing that can be changed. it evolves and is adjusted every year. Just take a look at the impact of the internet for example. We are just about to build a second reality.

And I don't see Germany investing into modern research, if we completely miss modern technlogies by our idiotic educational system. The KIT is the only German institute that is at least close to the poorer top universities of the US for example. Yep.. there is now the cool "Elite Plan" to build up top universities, but i doubt its efficency. We should be happy to get one university under the top 20s, but 10.. Thats probably due to the fact that education is not managed by the Bund. If you push a university over here in Badenwürtemberg, all the others will start to cry.. 

posted on April 13th, 2010, 2:43 pm

Haha... your right probably.

posted on April 13th, 2010, 3:04 pm

From what I could verstehe, The video in the link was touching on the concept (not so much a concept) that people are born into debt, or as taxable 'employees' of their nation-of-birth.  Whereas the government conceives their budget from the population (X Amount $ / Per Person)  taking that amount out as a loan, from that person's lifetime estimated expectancy of taxable income, which they'll spend their life paying off, on the government's behalf...
It's along those lines, anyway.  It was a few years ago when I was looking into that.

posted on April 13th, 2010, 3:57 pm

Germanys main exports are machines, vehicles, chemical and electronical goods as well as textiles, with the last one droping. At least the last time a read about that Germany is the third largest weapondealer in the world, but as far as i know there is a large drop in money between number 2 and 3. It was less then 3 mrd US Dollar in 2008, not even half of the export volume of the two top sellers, thats why its not one of the main exports. And about beer.. hm.. I thought about that too, but oh well, Germany has more landsides then just Bavaria

  I grew up in the State of Oregon in the US.  Oregon has just 4 million inhabitants and yet we have more micro-brews making different kinds of beer than all of Germany .  No big deal .


  Yeah Germany and the US share many similarities in the sense that we are enormous and powerful economies that shape those around us passively and actively.  The German economy has (in my opinion) benefited from the fact that it's had 6 years of excellent growth and productivity after essentially having the reset button pushed.  West Germany was able to grow remarkably with both Western money and attention put into it but also because they essentially were able to ignore a large standing and flexible army.  After two nasty wars the German military and political parties decided on a relatively "passive" approach to a standing military, which allowed Germany to focus elsewhere in their economy.  Thus you guys have a remarkable economy and market system as well as social programs that I envy terribly .

    But Germany will suffer the same kinds of issues the US has eventually.  Germany is the leading and most powerful voice in the EU and when everyone looks to you to make the decisions, you are never right.  Always wrong .  There will always be SOMEONE angry.

posted on April 14th, 2010, 4:53 am

NOOOO!!!!  HANG IN THERE!!!

Attachments

posted on April 14th, 2010, 4:55 am

That was the coolest game ever!

posted on April 14th, 2010, 5:02 am

HOLY SHIT!!!!!

  I almost just crapped my pants.  No joke.  I laughed so hard I farted and almost shit my pants....

  I played that game in Elementary school!


  I CAN SOOOO CARRY MORE THAN 200 FUCKING POUNDS OF MEAT BACK TO THE WAGON!  BOGGZ IZ DER BEAST!

posted on April 14th, 2010, 5:12 am

TMI Boggz...TMI

posted on April 14th, 2010, 5:38 am

Who didnt play that game when you were in elementary school???

posted on April 14th, 2010, 5:48 am

Good 'ol American education.  While other countries were learning a second language (namely English ), we were learning that it was way better to start off as the banker than the farmer.  Who knew?   Also, fording (crossing) the river was risky business.  Remember that next time you ford a river.

Oh, and I was a crack shot in that game when I hunted.   Squirrel, anyone?