when it comes to socialised medicine care, the US might not be that far ahead of the third world

the link to the site that compares pictures on the internet

could you give me the link of this site, sounds like something I could use

good article on the current situation:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100609/ap_on_re_eu/eu_belgium_curtains_for_belgium#mwpphu-container

Belgian elex frontrunner wants to break up nation

GHENT, Belgium

they all want it, but they can't have it
so they all come and dance beside it
move with it

I think einstein meant pallywood

we can't watch dat

"Add to that our insane debt, which can be voided instantly by renouncing the govt that issued it, and I think its a done deal"

not really, there is no magic marker to cross out debt by creating a new nation. The idea behind secession is that the new state assumes its share of the old nation's debts, the exception being so called odious debts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odious_debt)

maybe they're gone, then I'd be a wreck

People will always complain about their government, doesn't mean they will revolt; I highly doubt a couple of tea party folks spread across the country would succeed in any kind of armed struggle against the US government. If there was any true unrest the markets would have already responded to it at the first hint and the dollar wouldn't be as strong as it is. I've been to the US 3 months ago and there wasn't any type of trouble neither in the east coast nor the west coast.

The EU was founded in 1992 I believe, imperial conflict forum wasn't around back then

National identity might be important for some industries (you're indeed not going to outsource french wine production to say spain) but on the whole it is not important. It doesn't matter where nestle makes its cocoa milk. Companies will follow the road of least resistance to the biggest bottom line. If that means moving from one country to another they will do it. There might be public pressure but I don't think it will be much higher than in the US for most industries. I suspect the consumers of California would be pissed too if one of their businesses moves to Florida - see it wouldn't be that they moved to Florida, but that they moved at all. The big problem with the eurozone economy other than much more stiffling labour legislation protecting the workers is the huge lack of employee mobility. In the US many people would be willing to move from Idaho to New York like it's just across the street. In Europe that is not the case. People would be willing to work just across the border if they happen to live near the border but few natives would move from say Essen to say Paris. Such lack of mobility hurts the flexibility of an economy.

tears on my pillow, won't bring it back