America?

[Harovan]

Originally posted by Prussia
America is an empire. Don't deny it.

Very true. And since you don't have a king, the court jester rules it.

[Dis]

Why do some people want this thread closed? Is it because you are afraid of the truth?

It's preposterous not to include America as a civ. Though it does seem strange to have cities named New York. Oh well.

Though I will defend germany here. Even though they have not been a nation long, they have been a people for quite a bit longer. As the nation-state is a fairly modern concept anyways.

This isn't about being a nation, it's about being a civilization. And I don't think you can deny America as a civilization. Perhaps it isn't a very civilized civilization, but it still is a civilization. It's impact upon the world is inmeasurable. And that's how we rate civilizations. On how they impact us today. It's why the Romans are still held in such high regard. Perhaps in 2000 years, america will be largely forgotten. Only time will tell. We can't predict the future. We can only judge on how america has affected the present world.

Impact is important, not time or how the civilization came into being.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Originally posted by Dis
Why do some people want this thread closed? Is it because you are afraid of the truth?

It's preposterous not to include America as a civ. Though it does seem strange to have cities named New York. Oh well.

Though I will defend germany here. Even though they have not been a nation long, they have been a people for quite a bit longer. As the nation-state is a fairly modern concept anyways.

This isn't about being a nation, it's about being a civilization. And I don't think you can deny America as a civilization. Perhaps it isn't a very civilized civilization, but it still is a civilization. It's impact upon the world is inmeasurable. And that's how we rate civilizations. On how they impact us today. It's why the Romans are still held in such high regard. Perhaps in 2000 years, america will be largely forgotten. Only time will tell. We can't predict the future. We can only judge on how america has affected the present world.

Impact is important, not time or how the civilization came into being.

Please stop being reasonable, it's no fun agreeing with you.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Originally posted by Prussia
I have lived in Ottawa, Winnepeg, Toronto, and Newfoundland over the years, and while they are nice places to live in, I like my home just fine.

The point is, stop criticizing our country, because we don't criticize yours.

Bolshoi. Americans criticize other countries at least as much as citizens of other countries criticize America.

If you like where you live, great, more power to you (as I have previously stated). However, your last line was just too egregious to be left alone.

[Will9]

Originally posted by padillah

Oh, wait. I've been discussing the EU for almost a week and now that you have to talk bad about the U.S. (there are more Americas than just ours) now we're getting off-topic?

This thread has been off-topic almost since it's inception.

And if that's the best "U.S. did wrong" stuff you've got... your patriotism is blind. Between our economy, our security, our foriegn policy, and our loss of civil liberties; 9-11 and Katrina are the best you could come up with?

Dude, that's blind patriotism.

Tom P.

EDIT: changed "post" to "thread"

You want more, okay. Not encourging more non-fossil fuels energy sources (which causes part of our bad foreign policy). Tax cutes that only benifet the rich. As a Christian here's another, not banning gay marriage.

[MasterDave]

Originally posted by timstam001


The only real thing that is in danger imo is the middle-east. In my eyes they are the last remnants of the barbarian middle-ages that won't be able to stand the test of time in the modern world. Already they have angered the entire world (Iran-Iraq-Palestine-Pakistan etc.) with their uncompromising attitude. The middle-east always finds itself in war with a neighbouring country, be it Israel, India, China, Russia, USA, EU or anything else. With too many enemies it's impossible to survive.

I don't see the US or China go down so easily, nor Europe or Japan for example. Then again, if you look at these four powers they all need eachother. Japan, EU and US being the economical pillars of the world, and now China which is making it's entry in that system. Also militarily we need eachother. The US needs it's allies to help fight it's wars (otherwise it would become too wide) and the others are always occupied with peacekeeping forces or defending befriended nations (usually in the shape of peacekeeping forces too). China itself is a military powerhouse, but does not have the ambition to expand, and it couldn't. Too many nations would interfere with it.

I find this particular post very intereting, Timstam, and also your previous posts being so bullish about the EU and its unity. I think this is the first time I have seen such an opinion expressed anywhere about the EU. Most of the previous descriptions of the EU I have seen have described it as more of association or club than an actual unified government/ world power.

Now in the post above you refer to the "middle east" as a civ that is in trouble and constantly at war with its neighbors. I am guessing that "middle east" is a polite and more PC way to describe a certain demographic group who claims to follow the "religion of peace". We should all know the history of Europe and the "Middle East" includes many periods where the "Middle East" controlled all of Spain, much of the Balkans, and was barely beaten back at various times by Charlemagne in France, and in Austria in the 1500's.

Today, in looking at demographic trends and the anemic birth rates of many European native populations, it would appear that a second quiet invasion of Europe has been underway for many decades now, and most European cities have large populations of "Middle Eastern" immigrants who are not interested in assimilating into the general cultures of their new countries, and self segregate into isolated communities ruled by Sharia law. At the same time, it seems like the forces of Political Correctness are determined not to perceive this reality and allow the floodgates to remain open. In fact, in the recent uprisings and riots in Paris, the so-called journalists refused to acknowledge that it was middle eastern mobs causing the problems and stubbornly kept calling them "disaffected youths", characterizing economic reasons for the riots as opposed to religious ones.

Before you assume that I am bashing Europe, I will say that I see the same damn thing happening in the USA and the same political correctness and cowardice by our own so-called leaders allowing us to be invaded accross incredibly porous borders by individuals who have no interest in assimiliting into American Culture (many of whom are also "Middle Eastern").

My question to you TimStam, is that given your view of the EU as a cohesive, organized, and future superpower, do you think that the EU-led Europe as a whole has the will to control its own borders more forcefully and to make more of an effort to assimilate the middle eastern immigrants already present? Today it seems that the order of the day is to bow to the will of these intolerant people at every turn (the tepid reaction to the Danish cartoon thing being an example, others being debates over "anti-blashemy" laws being proposed by "Middle Eastern" members of supposedly secluar European parliaments). Many observers fear that by the year 2025 or so these troublesome minorities, through continued immigration and much higher birth rates could achieve majority status in several European countries. I am genuinely curious to find out if you regard the demographic changes in Europe as a real problem, and if so, what will the EU be able to do about it? Do you think that it is possible that parts or all of Europe could be under Sharia law by the middle of this century?

For those of you with your PC blinders on feel free to flame away at my "insensitivity" to Middle Easterners, I can take it.

[MasterDave]

Originally posted by Will9


You want more, okay. Not encourging more non-fossil fuels energy sources (which causes part of our bad foreign policy). Tax cutes that only benifet the rich. As a Christian here's another, not banning gay marriage.

I love how tax cuts reducing the tax rates accross every bracket are automatically decried as "benefitting the rich." Politics trump mathematics and logic, as usual. Of course I believe in a flat tax, but I guess that not punishing the rich for their success is too equitable to be "fair".


The way the US (and every other) government pisses away money, the less they get from their citizens the better, IMHO. (woot Libertarians rule!!! too bad nobody in Washington actually believes what they say about limited government and is willing to give up their power to waste our money. ..

No, I am NOT rich by California standards, although I do make a decent living, and hope to do better down the road.

[terje439]

Originally posted by VonSharma
A solid 4th of the tech tree is courtesy of the United States.

25% of the tech tree is American?! I see a few American techs there, but not 25%...
Which ones are you talking about then? Just curious

[sparkyal]

I think in the modern era there are quite a few things that were invented in the USA and those are probably being considered as USA tech's. You could probably list a lot of them like flight, industrialization, fission, computers, etc....

Interesting comments about eh EU on this thread. the pop's of the USA and the EU are about the same 370 million Americans and about the same inh the EU. the economies are about equal size. While the US military is far larger, the EU actually has more 5th generation planes coming on line now then the US. It was suggestied that the next major conflict for the US is actually with the EU since they would have a real ability to threaten the US in the next 50 years. Will it happen? Some say it is, members of the EU are certainly more vocal about US policy then they were 20 years ago. Ok, enough on this.

Should America be in it? I'm not sure many Americans would buy the game if it were not Also, if we are talking about cultural impact, just go around the world a little bit, you hear American music everywhere, especially here in Russia. The impact is quite far reaching.

A better question is, why were the the Israelites not in it. they have been around as a people for a very, very long time and have had a huge impact on the world. Of course, the answer to that question is that it would be very un PC to have them in it.

sparky

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by sparkyal
Of course, the answer to that question is that it would be very un PC to have them in it.

It would not be un PC to have them in, therefore that is not the answer to that question.

[padillah]

Originally posted by MasterDave


I love how tax cuts reducing the tax rates accross every bracket are automatically decried as "benefitting the rich." Politics trump mathematics and logic, as usual. Of course I believe in a flat tax, but I guess that not punishing the rich for their success is too equitable to be "fair".

No, politics doesn't trump math - reality trumps math.

The reality that expenses don't go up the more you make so why should taxes go down? A tax rate of 15% when you make $30,000 a year is different than when you make 300,000 per year.

Rich people think of how much is taken away ($45,000/yr. leaving $255,000/yr), while poor people think of how much they have left ($25,500). Yeah, it's not hard for most people to be noble when they still have $255,000 left to spend. It's a bit more difficult to be noble when you drop below poverty level after taxes.

Yet, if you go to the store your food and gas and movies and everything still costs just as much, despite the fact that the poor have nothing left to spend.

Believe me, if you have enough money to complain about taxing the rich, you're rich.

Tom P.

[Prussia]

The whole game is "un PC!"

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Prussia
The whole game is "un PC!"

Only the Mac version

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
This is a very new discussion, I have never seen that topic before and sincerely wonder, why nobody thought of it earlier.

Of course America should not be in. Option 2 is it.

I don't have a valid reason for that other than to annoy the OP, though. I hope that is not illegal.

Definitely ground-breaking stuff here! Well-argued by all sides!

-Arrian

[Prussia]

Obviously, if there had been a banana related option for the vote EVERYONE would have voted for that.