Thes videos, although a bit on the long side, give an introduction to the sorts of concepts I was talking about:
http://vimeo.com/2244372
http://vimeo.com/6822294
Money is not what the majority of people think it is, it is simply debt, created by the banking sector in order to generate interest.
For more info on central government manipulation start with:
The New Depression- Richard Duncan
Topic: EU/US: Need for explenation - page 2. (Read 4897 times)
In todays world, using fractional banking, countries can just continue to print as much cash as they want. The issue is that the cash is worth less than it used to be! This is how China is buying up US debt and keeping its currency artificially low, making its exports competitive. If the Yuan was allowed to appreciate as it should, chinese imports would not look so appealing.
can you expound on this?
I've wondered about this myself, not to mention related odd situations. For example, a country can have a fully functioning domestic economy with prices in some kind of equilibrium or 'homeostasis', yet the foreign exchange rate seems ridiculously low and imports seem unjustifiably expensive. Why?
I feel that has something do to with mercantilism. Tariffs, quotas... i.e. the idea that the nation needs to be 'defended' on an international level by such measures. Very prominent in the US and the EU.
I am more interested into how that from an economical perspective makes sense
Both the EU and US are in for a shitstorm. EU already. US is almost certainly going to face a devastated dollar in the near future.
I'd recommend Asia instead... Look at China. Lots of savings. No debt culture (not to say that their policies are any better... hardly so... but not as depraved as the West. Yet.)
So a question that made me wonder for a while now is how (according to Wikipedia) the US can have more than twice as much debt compared to the EU.
I guess the problem with EU is it's still too fragmented on some sides, and too united on others: its states can fail independently, but the banks are all connected. Since even the smallest of defaults is dangerous enough (we have seen it with Greece) to spread panic and eventually start a devastating chain reaction, the herd moves at the pace of the slowest member. Hardly ideal...
Oh, actually the reason I ask is that I don't really get how most European countries can have so much welfare compared to the US. I know there is taxes and stuff, but still when I compare the US friends and the EU friends incomes (don't know it from everyone, but quite a few) then it seems to be about even. Are there statistics? What they are able to afford appears to be about the same.
Maybe welfare, when it's also well done, partially pays for itself?
You can live your life much better if you know that you will be taken care of instead of abandoned if something heavy falls on you out of your control. Maybe you can also be more productive as an effect. 
In todays world, using fractional banking, countries can just continue to print as much cash as they want. The issue is that the cash is worth less than it used to be! This is how China is buying up US debt and keeping its currency artificially low, making its exports competitive. If the Yuan was allowed to appreciate as it should, chinese imports would not look so appealing.
being an Anarchist/Social Libertarian
so you aren't shocked of savage (Bitcoin powered) free markets like Chomsky is?
You rised a pretty good question, you have my congratulations for thinking about it.
There are several explanations to this, but it all comes back to conspiracy theories, at several levels.
The first level, the one you can't debunk is that the us dollar is used to buy oil - you need USD to buy oil. So the US can print as many dollars as they wish to, but till you will be able to buy oil only in dollars their currency could assume the value they wish it to have.
The war against Iraq started only a few months after that Saddam announced that they would begin to sell their oil in Euros too.
There are several explanations to this, but it all comes back to conspiracy theories, at several levels.
The first level, the one you can't debunk is that the us dollar is used to buy oil - you need USD to buy oil. So the US can print as many dollars as they wish to, but till you will be able to buy oil only in dollars their currency could assume the value they wish it to have.
The war against Iraq started only a few months after that Saddam announced that they would begin to sell their oil in Euros too.
So a question that made me wonder for a while now is how (according to Wikipedia) the US can have more than twice as much debt (per citizen) compared to the EU and the EU and the Euro, which still is stronger than when it was when it started out compared to the USD is said to have trouble and people don't trust it.
Well, being a Bitcoin fan and relatively independent of the Euro, as well as being an Anarchist/Social Libertarian and so don't really care about countries. Also don't know in which one I'll stay in the long run, so please don't answer with EU/US is better. I am more interested into how that from an economical perspective makes sense and I don't know a better forum to ask.
Oh, actually the reason I ask is that I don't really get how most European countries can have so much welfare compared to the US. I know there is taxes and stuff, but still when I compare the US friends and the EU friends incomes (don't know it from everyone, but quite a few) then it seems to be about even. Are there statistics? What they are able to afford appears to be about the same.
Well, being a Bitcoin fan and relatively independent of the Euro, as well as being an Anarchist/Social Libertarian and so don't really care about countries. Also don't know in which one I'll stay in the long run, so please don't answer with EU/US is better. I am more interested into how that from an economical perspective makes sense and I don't know a better forum to ask.
Oh, actually the reason I ask is that I don't really get how most European countries can have so much welfare compared to the US. I know there is taxes and stuff, but still when I compare the US friends and the EU friends incomes (don't know it from everyone, but quite a few) then it seems to be about even. Are there statistics? What they are able to afford appears to be about the same.
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