Originally Posted by Antonio (Post 19695181)

The BP station every few kms in every single EU country, where do you think their profits go? When was the last time you went to a big Eastern European city? All the small, locally owned mom and pops shops are long gone, replaced by massive chain stores, every single one of them owned by a Western European company, where do you think their profits go? And that's just what you see on the street, then you have power stations, factories, you name it, hundreds of them owned by many of the top WE companies, most of them re-exporting up to 90% of their profits. The EU is based on common interest, this isn't some group of countries that got together because they had nothing better to do; forming one massive, single market is the way forward.

As for people exploiting your system, you should have closed all the leaks and get rid of the leaches long time ago. Seriously, what the hell is your government waiting for? Let me guess, they would rather blame the Eastern Europeans for everything than actually do something that they should have done long time ago.

Originally Posted by rogueteens (Post 19695203)

for there to be one massive single market then the wealth of each country has to be the same

Originally Posted by Antonio (Post 19695229)

You mean just like in the US, where the NY state generates 10 times more GDP than Arizona, that doesn't work for them at all .... no, wait, it does, they are the biggest economy in the World, aren't they? Following your logic, Northern Italy should split from Southern Italy, the richer Ruhr should definitely split away from the rest of Germany and so on....

Joining the EU means stiffer cometition on every level ... and Google just told me that "competition is the critical driver of performance and innovation. It benefits everyone by enabling us to choose from an array of excellent products at affordable prices. Competition also encourages the adoption of innovation as companies evolve and new ideas flourish in the marketplace." For once, I agree with Google.

Originally Posted by CyberSEO (Post 19695155)

I was talking about paid medicine. If I'd need to remove an appendix and get hospitalized by ambulance, I'd pay nothing. When my son was a kid, he was a regular client of trauma. He has broke bones, got hematomas etc because he was an extremely superactive boy. I don't know how much his treatment would cost us in the EU or the USA, but in Russia it cost us nothing. And I wouldn't complain to the medical service he has got here. Everything was a first class according to my humble opinion.

Originally Posted by ctggls (Post 19695717)

A lot of small business and small family owned companies went bankrupt because of the never ending regulations that keep on coming from the lazy EU servants passing stupid laws just to justify their immense wages.

Originally Posted by Sid70 (Post 19695295)

Its not really nothing. $$ is taken off your tax / subsidized by Government too.

Originally Posted by rogueteens (Post 19695281)

a complete mishmash of cultures all poured into a single grey entity

Originally Posted by CyberSEO (Post 19695778)

Yes of course, and I believe my 6% tax rate is worth it ;)

Originally Posted by Antonio (Post 19695784)

Which is exactly what the US is (was) too - Brits, Irish, Italians, Germans, blacks, hispanics, asian, all of htem mixed together and yet, they somehow managed to pull it off, go figure. Europe is probably 10 times more coherent than the US is (used to be). Debt or no debt, most likely 70% of all innovations in the past 20-30 years, innovations that have changed the World, came from the US. And you are completely missing my point - NY is generating massive revenue BECAUSE they can sell goods and services to all other states with minimal hassle, no import duties, no massive administrative bullcrap, no waiting on borders, and so on.

As for helping countries in trouble, then all other member states should pay, no two questions about that, I don't care how small their economy. The Eastern European countries joined the club and they have to pay their dues just like everybody else, I am not rooting for Charity Union, I am rooting for the European Union.

Originally Posted by rogueteens (Post 19695928)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8036097.stm

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/n...does-back.html