Question about American Economy

[Jackmoves]

Did he even mention that there is nothing preventing these people from voting any way they damn well please beyond tradition, meanwhile each state choose its electoral college representatives differently. Some are appointed by the governor, some are chosen by the state legislature?

Read that on the wiki page linked, meh it's pretty confusing or maybe I'm just dumb. :P
If that about Alabama is correct though thats pretty absurd, I don't like the idea of indirect democracy, doesn't sound fair to me that 45% of a states votes(theoratically) could get discarded if "their side" lose, thats a lot of people who's votes could make a real difference in an election.

[obdigore]

Read that on the wiki page linked, meh it's pretty confusing or maybe I'm just dumb. :P
If that about Alabama is correct though thats pretty absurd, I don't like the idea of indirect democracy, doesn't sound fair to me that 45% of a states votes(theoratically) could get discarded if "their side" lose, thats a lot of people who's votes could make a real difference in an election.

That is why even though Bush Jr lost the popular election, he became President.

[Wells]

That is why even though Bush Jr lost the popular election, he became President.

To be fair, the recounts probably would have given it to Gore if they let them keep going.

[Khaza-R]

Not going to read the thread to see if it has been stated yet, but a lot of people love to forget that America is for the most part entirely self sufficient and doesn't NEED to important anything. It is also the main exporter of a lot of goods, including oil up until recently, that the rest of the world heavily relies on. Honestly, America is Earth's industrial and resource powerhouse.

Countries like Japan have few to no natural resources and have to import everything. This doesn't stop them from being economically successful, but you can imagine how much easier it is to turn a profit when, instead of buying, all you do is sell. Of course times have changed, but at this point the world is so integrated into America's currency exchange that it's pretty set as the heart of the world.

Perhaps we don't need to trade given our resources, but that doesn't mean its not within our best interests. The basis of trade is something called comparative advantage. Comparative advantage is what allows skilled workers to specialize on producing things like medical equipment, civilian aircraft engines, and other capital goods. Rather than spending our time growing agriculture, assembling toys or producing other goods that don't require skilled labor. If both us and our trade partners are producing what we have a comparative advantage at, then we can both gain from trade. And because of this, we are both left better off than if produced solely by ourselves.

[Questar]

http://www.youtube.com/user/CGPGrey#.../0/OUS9mM8Xbbw
http://www.youtube.com/user/CGPGrey#.../1/7wC42HgLA4k

very clean and concise vids about the electorial college. see his other works too... on the voting processes. and whats the diff btn england, britain and the UK... and y the penny should be scrapped.

[Moonhyde]

Well, thanks for clarifying the bit about northern / southern states, i really had no clue America was somewhat ''divided'' like that...

---------- Post added 2011-12-16 at 02:48 AM ----------

So what's America instance on deregulation of banks now?



Also, a side question: I heard education in America is really expensive, is that correct?

They will never regulate the banks or wallstreet they are theonly ones 'making' money and i do mean making because it doesnt exist.

Some education is expensive we have alot of rich people who do not want their kids in public schools, for good reason. So they pay for private school, then ivy league college.

The rest of college is just degree producing factories a college degree in this country is what a high school diploma used to be. Everyone is getting degrees, on student loans, that is the next big big BIG bubble to burst.

[souka]

simple, American Exceptionalism.

[Jagscorpion]

GOP are the republicans, which are mostly right wing and conservative I don't know about this one myself?

Right wing is conservative. Left wing is liberal, and moderates hold the middle ground. There are various degrees of each.

2nd. Education is very expensive in graduate schools. I think this is partially because there has been no great outcry. I personally would attribute this to the availability of student loans, which lets a student put off paying for their education until after college. Otherwise I find it extremely improbable that the schools would charge a price that cuts their student base in half. (no statistics but who can spend 70k a year on school?)

[Primernova]

After WWII we were the only developed country not in ruins, we still made stuff, and the world bought it. We got used to a higher standard of living for each generation, people got raises, had good jobs, saved money and could retire.

Then the 70s came and wages stopped going up, the rest of the world had recovered and were producing, America stopped making things, huge influx of women workers into the job market meant employees didnt have to offer good wages or benefits.

The 80s deregulated everything, buisness began moving oversees to increase their profits, Americans still thought they a higher standard of living should and coould be possible with each generation. However, our wages did not support that they never rose again after the 70's so to support the lifestyle we thought we were entitled to we started buying everything on credit.

The 90s tech boom, internet really fueld growth, debt spending still rampant.

The 2000s coorporations go absolutley insane, start cheating lying, America only grows and becomes rich at the highest levels of society therest "appears" to be doing good because they buy everything on credit. Every company moves to China. Housing bubble, coorporate crime everywhere with nothing being done about it.

The future, America no longer produces anything, we are a service based job economy, i.e we all work at walmart, fast food, or some other store. There is no crackdown on coorporate greed or walstreet because Washington knows they are the only thing making this country money anymore, sadley it is all made up money. Americans hit a debt limitcannot afford to buy everything they want and we either collapse r learn from it, prob collapse.

Nothing is done about anything, feeding chinas groth, wallstreet greed, nothing is made in america because the people in charge who run this country have one thing in mind, themselves, right now. They do not think long term they think only about immediate profits. Sad days ahead.


Edit* here is a pretty good vid about it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ATkJ...eature=related

Love this post, I wish so many more could see it this easily.

The only aspect I would add is the fact our leaders count on campaign donations of obscene proportions from the corperate elite and wall street. How this is legal and we tolerate it, I just can't fathom. So far, every GoP potential candidate has recieved millions and Obama has recieved more then all of them combined. Who are they going to look out for, us or them?

Liberté, égalité, fraternité

[Jagscorpion]

Minor note, greed fuels our economy. In that sense it is not bad, as people like to complain about "greedy wall street." What is bad is if greed leads to a lack of integrity. Unfortunately people often just group all of those making more than a set amount of money in the "evil greedy person/corporation" category. Probably a better way of looking at things would be to forget the specific amounts of money and instead check out the actions of the people/corporations. Don't forget that at the end of the day people ultimately work for themselves and are not obligated to do what is best for others (unless it's in their contract, ie. president of the u.s.a).

[Deleted]

Dotcom boom, as well as the growing expansion of financial services and bank lending. The collapse of the latter has effected the financial services.

[Perryn]

Big thanks to OP and the rest participating in this thread. I lived in the US from 99 till 2006 and I still learned quite a bit from this thread, ty

[Adam Jensen]

Right wing is conservative. Left wing is liberal, and moderates hold the middle ground. There are various degrees of each.

True, but at least among Democrats and Republicans, the various degrees have different boundaries.

Republicans are almost all lockstep, any step outside of their principles and you are ostracized as a RINO (Republican In Name Only.) Republicans are all a very fair degree Right Wing and very homogenous.

Democrats however aren't lockstep and some are barely left of center, some are center, some are barely right of center and some are far left.