As French voters head out to decide the fate of the EU, John Vaught LaBeaume wonders whether the nationalist, protectionist, illiberal devil that you know is better than the supernationalist, regulationist, illiberal devil that, well, you also know.
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Comments to "New at Reason":
Ruthless | May 29, 2005, 11:28am | #
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.I'm for going many forks back and wondering if a the wrong turn was taken.
I'm inclined to think the US should not have approved its Constitution, rather stuck with the Continental Congress.
Ken Shultz | May 29, 2005, 11:32am | #
I heard the term "Anglo-Saxon Economics" used today. I heard it as a reporter summarized Le Pen's position....Apparently the far left and far right, unsurprisingly, have found some common ground.
Akira MacKenzie | May 29, 2005, 12:02pm | #
"That very cacophony of arguments on both sides of the debate, reflecting a continent of vastly diverse peoples, faiths, and political traditions, should raise a red flag."If that is the case, then can someone explain to me why the hell they're unifying in the first place?
raymond | May 29, 2005, 1:12pm | #
...Apparently the far left and far right, unsurprisingly, have found some common ground.In France, they appeal to the same people. Racist and afraid.
joe | May 29, 2005, 3:03pm | #
Akira,We're "a continent of vastly diverse peoples, faiths, and political traditions, should raise a red flag."
It's worked out pretty well for us, hasn't it?
Ken Shultz | May 29, 2005, 3:07pm | #
I found a BBC article regarding "Anglo Saxon" Economics here.The term seems to refer to free market capitalism.
...The article, unfortunately, treats us to Gunther Grass' thoughts on the topic. How can someone who writes so well be so wrong about so much?
If any country in Europe is associated with free market capitalism, surely it's Austria?
Akira MacKenzie | May 29, 2005, 3:49pm | #
It's worked out pretty well for us, hasn't it?Sometimes, I'm not so sure, Joe.
Ruthless | May 29, 2005, 3:55pm | #
Europe is unifying.It's making a mistake by rushing it and putting it in writing.
The US made the same mistake.
We would have unified just as well, plus avoided a big Civil War, had we continued muddling along with a Continental Congress.
British Libertarian | May 29, 2005, 4:54pm | #
"If any country in Europe is associated with free market capitalism, surely it's Austria?"Whilst Hayek, Mises Etc. came from austria, there influence in main land europe has been limited, Hayak however influenced our very own Mrs Thatcher, hence why free market economics in europe is refferd to as the "anglo saxon" or "british Model"
Joe Bonforte | May 29, 2005, 5:16pm | #
According to Reuters, it's all over but the crying.zoe | May 29, 2005, 7:14pm | #
i have no idea what this is but i just wanna say that hawai'i is beautiful.---
if people want it to stay beautiful then tourist should stop coming here. some of them dont even know there are 8 main islands and thousands of mini ones.
AND
sugar cane was a big export in hawaii. the first sugar plantion in hawai'i was on Kaua'i in a town called Koloa. the plantaion is still there today, though it is not functioning. We would continue with sugar as our major export until we had to compete with other countries who sold the product for less;thus running us out of a bussiness.
---
when you think hawaii you probably think pineapples, sunny days on sandy beaches, grass skirts and coconut bras. this is NOT so.
i live on kaua'i and that is not true. the media has perceived/portrayed us , as well as the hawaiian race, as lazy and incompetent.
hawaiians are being judged by american standards. if you are not able to communicate with proper english, you are considered uneducated. as a recent honors english final exam assignment at my highschool, Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus, we were asked to read an one of two articles. the article i chose was about the intelligence of hawaiians. in hawaii there is a language called "pidgin". if you didnt know, it uses words/phrases such as "Da kine" or "Pau". The article compared two people; one with an iQ of 120 the other of 140. one of them was perfect at speaking english. the other spoke partially in pidgin and didnt speak perfect english. one person is haole. [haole=white person, normally forgien,etc] the other is a hawaiian local.lets pretend the hawaiian locals iQ is 140.
now imagine leaving both in a room alone. if you eavesdropped on a conversation between them, who would sound more intelligent? the man who could effectively communicate his thoughts, feelings, etc. through english; or the man who had many grammatical errors, confusing expressions, etc.? to majority of educated americans the haole man would seem smarter.
not all hawaiians are lazy. this assumption has tarnished the reputation of hawaiians. when forgeiners first came to hawai'i they were suprised and puzzled by the working hours of native hawaiians. in ancient hawai'i the work schedule varied. forgeiners thought it uncanny and senseless to stop work around the mid point of the day. the fact is hawaiians were intelligent and perfected their system of living. waking up early to beat the morning sun they worked. when it became the hotest time of day the work ceased. in hawaii it can become extremely hot and humid. later they would start up work again. captian cook arrived in the year 1778 during the time of Makahiki. this is a time period between the months of october to about march. makahiki is a time dedicated to Lono, god of agriculture and peace [among other things]. during this period of time war was forbidden. even if there was a war going on it would be postponed until after Makahiki ended. major work stopped.the ali'i* and followers accompanying him would make their way around the entire island collecting tributes to Lonoikamakahiki [Lono]. * ali'i = chief/royalty.
it was an honor to participate. the more a family gave, the more status/power they contained and were respected. after the trip was completed, games would begin.
this along with other hasty generalizations has shaped the conclusion in the minds of americans that hawai'i is full of mindless lazy savages.
what do you think?
Eddy | May 29, 2005, 7:19pm | #
Who'da thunk they were so smuckin' fart o'er dere? I have to tip my hat to all those French nay-sayers. Since I was just reading a bit of it and thought I'd share."Article II-83 Equality between women and men
Equality between women and men must be ensured in all areas, including employment, work and pay.
The principle of equality shall not prevent the maintenance or adoption of measures providing for specific advantages in favour of the under-represented sex."
Translation: all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
Article II-84:3
"Every child shall have the right to maintain on a regular basis a personal relationship and direct contact with both his or her parents, unless that is contrary to his or her interests."
Translation: we will let you know if it's safe to go home.
Now I wonder if any of those who voted for this thing actually read it.
drf | May 30, 2005, 10:44am | #
Eion:you'd think that'd be the case, but it's not. i've lived there for more than a year, and it's got some nearly-scandinavian leftie (sic) qualities, and it's got that good ol' euro-racism to go along with it. add in a dose of small willie syndrome from the loss of their empire, and mix in a bunch of euro-nationalism/jingoism on par with the most frothing types here. that's your austria. grin.
anglo-saxon: philosophy that's opposed to continental. makes perfect sense. it's the philosophy that wasn't affected by 1848, and it individualistic and JS Mill style. Adam Smith is a good call on that one. but it's opposed to the 1848/frankfurt school.
and thoreau: i think we know how GG would vote. :)
and remember: there's nothing "Liberal" about the FDP in germany, there's nothing "Liberal" about the EU. they're as full of shit about that krap as are the big government conservatives here are when they talk about "freedom". So, Some German Guy, you can't have what is it - social market economy and talk about Liberalism.
balls. glad it lost. bummed it took the kommies to do it. (as commies are the worst pig fuckers of the bunch)
here's a shout out to cousin Ben and his buddies in Iraq: kick ass and come home soon to the ticker tape parade. Be safe. See you soon!
Guy from Germany | May 30, 2005, 6:18pm | #
Well the FDP certainly is not as liberal as I would like them to be. But they are pretty much the only ones who now and then oppose big government. Lesser evil all over again.