>>>>Rahter than (too easily) blame it on my percepted negative view, I'd challenge you to fight the reasoning rather than the person telling you.
>>>
>>>The economy has been precarious for years. There is information going back to the 80s and 90s pointing to this occurring. Really. Just for grins and giggles, I pulled some interesting stuff:
>>>
>>>http://www.economic-policy.org/special_us_panel.asp
>>>http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2008/gb2008081_148006.htm?campaign_id=rss_eu
>>>http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2008/01/25/story53496.asp
>>>http://neweconomist.blogs.com/new_economist/2006/05/musical_chairs.html
>>>http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2004/09/weak_european_p.html
>>>http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/3550247.html
>>>
>>>Not interested in the other argument though Walter. I thought you were intelligent enough to get it yourself. Just not interested in it today. Perhaps another day...
>>
>>I'm not intelligent/sidekick enough to see what your reasoning is behind a blunt statement. I guess you still don't get it that the pessimistic european want to contrast the optimistic american, and beyond that educate the ones about the world outside who never saw it, but are making blunt statements.
>
>On one hand, we have the American pundits saying that the EU is wrong for doing everything wrong, i.e. doing everything differently from the US - having the workers' unions in place, having more than two weeks of vacation, working less than 40 hours a week, having a minimal wage on which one can actually live, having environmental protection in place which should have completely ruined the industry (but somehow still didn't, but surely will, any day now)... while on the other hand they claim that the US productivity is the result of plain technological advancement, while it's actually a result of dividing the income by domestic working hours - or even the value of produced goods at MSRP price, not the average market price, who'd know - not counting how much of the work is actually done abroad, how many of the non-unemployed are just "not in the workforce anymore" etc etc.
>
>And on the other hand, is there any such list of articles written by the other side? I'd like to see a view from the other side.

You could just move there and then report back to us :o) Of course, you couldn't run for president then as when Arnold get's an amendment in place that allows it, you won't be a resident. Who will run against Arnold? :o) Maybe you and Walter could swap places for a year? :o) Wasn't there a movie about that?

Actually, we can't afford to let you go. You must stay here. The only equivalent anyway would be if you swapped places with an immigrant over there for a year, but we won't let you leave. :o) Someone else here should swap places with Walter and then they both can report back on their experiences and their views afterwards.