Quote from SouthAmerica:
August 12, 2012
SouthAmerica: Hi jem
At the end of the day who gives a shit about silver and bronze medals? â what counts is who won the gold medal â who cares about 2nd and 3rd places?
Brazilians are not happy that Brazil won the silver medal in man's soccer in the 2012 London Olympics â who cares about the team that lost the gold medal final game?
I understand that comparing the former Soviet Union with the United States brings bad memories, and Americans take it the wrong way.
Then let's compare apples with apples as follows:
The European Union GDP is 16 percent larger than US GDP.
The European Union population is 62 percent larger than the US population.
The European Union "sport system" were able to win 3 times the number of medals than the United States.
***
European Union GDP US$17.6 trillion in 2011
Population: 503 million
United States GDP US$15.1 trillion in 2011
Population: 310 million
***
2012 London Olympics Final Medal Count
European Union (composed of 27 member states) = 304 medals
United States = 104 medals
*****
Total Medals 2012 London Olympics
EUROPEAN UNION (composed of 27 member states)
Austria = 0
Belgium = 3
Bulgaria = 2
Cyprus = 1
Czech Republic = 10
Denmark = 9
Estonia = 2
Finland = 3
France = 34
Germany = 44
Greece = 2
Hungary = 17
Ireland = 5
Italy = 28
Latvia = 2
Lithuania = 4
Luxembourg = 0
Malta = 0
Netherlands = 20
Poland = 10
Portugal = 1
Romania = 9
Slovakia = 4
Slovenia = 4
Spain = 17
Sweden = 8
United Kingdom = 65
Total European Union = 304 medals
.
August 13, 2012Quote from TheBlackHand:
S. America:
Your argument is still deeply flawed.
USA is one country. Its acts as one country.
Europe and former USSR countries are independent. For example, the french athletes will train separately, have different tactics than the Dutch, the Germans, The British etc (partly because every one hates the filthy french of course - but I digress).
You may as well count the medals of Chilli, Canada, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic and other countries that begin with C and compare against China. It makes as much sense.
How about Africa v the state of Kentucky? The love of fried chicken and water melon is probably equal in both places.
Quote from SouthAmerica:
August 13, 2012
SouthAmerica: Reply to TheBlackHand
Maybe you are not aware, but the European Union has a Parliament:
http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/european-parliament/index_en.htm
They have all kinds of statistics about the European Union as a political and economic unit:
http://europa.eu/documentation/statistics-polls/index_en.htm
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone, (which consists of 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union) and it is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro
I don't know if you can grasp the difference between the European Union, and what you said: âYou may as well count the medals of Chilli, Canada, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic and other countries that begin with C and compare against China. It makes as much sense.â
By the way, I never heard of the country that you listed as âChilliâ - in which continent is that country located?
Anyway, the only truly global competition we had regarding the 2012 London Olympics was in man's soccer â that tournament took 2 year and all 204 countries in the world participated on that competition â only the final 16 finalists participated in the final elimination process of the last 2 weeks that produced the winner of the gold medal in man's soccer.
By the way, the United States did not even make the final group of 16 countries that ended up in London for the final stage of the tournament, because the United States soccer team had been eliminated by Honduras during the elimination process.
Please don't give me woman's soccer as an example, because only a handful of countries play woman's soccer, and most people don't care about woman's soccer other than the United States.
In a nutshell: Even tough the members of the European Union speak different languages, and they have a different way of training their athletes, their system is far superior than the American way, since their more flexible and diverse tactics system generated 3 times the number of medals than the conformity single-minded American system.
.
They cut taxes and spending... to a level still higher than ours.Quote from jem:
first of all as an american... I say good work.
We are happy when others do well.
but now I have to ask you. what is the point... you want us to become socialists?
sweden's economy is finally growing and doing better than most of the rest of europe... since they cut taxes and spending. Does that mean you will be a fiscal conservative now.
Quote from Ricter:
They cut taxes and spending... to a level still higher than ours.
Sweden devalued.
You need my help looking up Sweden's and the US's taxation and spending as a percent of GDP? If I posted them, would you believe them without looking them up to verify? If so, why then, but not now?Quote from jem:
please explain
they did what I have been saying we should do... and it worked for them.
if you wish to differentiate their situation... we need a bit of an explanation. krugman crap will not do here. we need really answers and real questions.
Quote from Ricter:
You need my help looking up Sweden's and the US's taxation and spending as a percent of GDP? If I posted them, would you believe them without looking them up to verify? If so, why then, but not now?
The point is, if cutting of those alone always boosts GDP, then it follows that cutting to zero is the best thing you can do to maximize growth. But it's not, obviously, thus compromises have to be made. Which means logically the ideal rates are somewhere between 0 and 100%. Where is ideal? Sweden has cut their rates, but those rates are still higher than ours, so maybe the ideal rate is above ours. Unless other variables are involved... So stop saying "all we have to do is cut taxation and spending", it's not that simple.
As for a "non Krugman" explanation of Sweden's devaluation, that's also easy:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/14/us-sweden-lessons-idUSTRE81D17N20120214
Quote from SouthAmerica:
August 13, 2012
SouthAmerica: Reply to TheBlackHand
Maybe you are not aware, but the European Union has a Parliament:
http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/european-parliament/index_en.htm
They have all kinds of statistics about the European Union as a political and economic unit:
http://europa.eu/documentation/statistics-polls/index_en.htm
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone, (which consists of 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union) and it is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro
I don't know if you can grasp the difference between the European Union, and what you said: âYou may as well count the medals of Chilli, Canada, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic and other countries that begin with C and compare against China. It makes as much sense.â
By the way, I never heard of the country that you listed as âChilliâ - in which continent is that country located?
Anyway, the only truly global competition we had regarding the 2012 London Olympics was in man's soccer â that tournament took 2 year and all 204 countries in the world participated on that competition â only the final 16 finalists participated in the final elimination process of the last 2 weeks that produced the winner of the gold medal in man's soccer.
By the way, the United States did not even make the final group of 16 countries that ended up in London for the final stage of the tournament, because the United States soccer team had been eliminated by Honduras during the elimination process.
Please don't give me woman's soccer as an example, because only a handful of countries play woman's soccer, and most people don't care about woman's soccer other than the United States.
In a nutshell: Even tough the members of the European Union speak different languages, and they have a different way of training their athletes, their system is far superior than the American way, since their more flexible and diverse tactics system generated 3 times the number of medals than the conformity single-minded American system.
.
Quote from TheBlackHand:
You talk rubbish.
Just because Europe may be more Economically integrated, they are STILL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES. They have their own laws and train their athletes independently of each other. Try telling a filthy frenchman he isnt french but European, and he'll break your nose, I guarantee!
Seeing as you cant see the obvious, let me put it another way: Why dont you compare all the medals of the Commonwealth? UK, Australia, NZ, Canada, etc? Again you will fail, as again it is a ridiculous comparison, as yet again, the countries are INDEPENDENT. Yes they have something in common (HRH Queen Elizabeth II) - just like the other countries I had listed start with 'C' have something in common.
I notice you totally avoided my other reference to Russia.
And why are you talking about soccer for? Trying to dodge the point I guess.
YOU ARE A FREEDOM HATING RED COMMIE!
I suggest you bow out gracefully and never darken this thread again with your commie jibber jabber