A not-so-Modest Proposal for World Peace

[erislover]

It is a shame that generalizing politics is safe and generalizing ethnicity is not, when both are just as empty.

To the OP: the only countries which need annexing are the ones which would resist it the most. Paradoxical at best (IMO)

[Guinastasia]

How about this:Ethniklashistan

[milroyj]

msmith537

And how many Americans died in our civil war? That was only 200 years ago.

It wasn’t even 150 years ago.

Jojo

US economic system - runaway capitalism. Everything has a price. This means you get wall-to-wall advertising all around you, only 2 weeks(?) holiday a year and, when you are in work, you have to work really hard to keep your job.

So you only have to work “kinda” hard to keep your job? “sorta” hard? “a little” hard? “not hard at all”? Is laziness a new pastime across the pond (that the rest of us haven’t heard about), or do you have some kind of anti-capitalist, anti-American rant to make?

[Super_Gnat]

That’s right. We will offer all the primitive, backslidden, inferior nations a chance to share in our great national heritage. And if they don’t want to… why, they don’t know what’s good for them. After all, the United States of America has never done anything wrong. Despite the fact that colonialism has rather spectacularly never ever worked out, we can make it work!!!

chuckles I just have this mental image of Sweden and Mexico at war for no apparent reason… that would be a cool movie.

[Essured]

*Originally posted by Satyagraha *
**
The proposal to request annexation comes up from time to time in the Australian legislature and, I believe, a few other places as well. It is defeated, not because it wouldn’t give advantages to the citizens thereof, but because the legislators voting on it the idea, for the most, are afraid of losing their cushy jobs to someone else who might get the cushy job under a new system.
**

I am calling for a cite on the above statement. As an Australian, I would like to know when the last time (and the other times,too) a proposal requesting annexation came up.

Personally, as good as America is in a lot of areas, we also have an excellent standard of living, and I’m sure many of us are proud to be our own nation, and not another state of America. I see no need for a stable, reasonably economically viable country to become a “state” of another country. While your constitution may look the best to you, it’s not the bees knees to everyone.

This strikes me as something along the lines of trading freedom for some (implied) safety. Isn’t this something one of your grand forefathers warned against ?

[Primaflora]

Goo, I missed that one! Good spot! Cite please!

Maybe he’s confused about how Australia is attempting to become a republic? Of course every once in a while NZ talks about becoming another state of Australia…

[smiling_bandit]

Oh Good Lord save us!

Now, I am American, and perhaps in the future a common world government (based in the USA, of course) might be nice. But thats a LONG way away. I want nothing to do with even European states [except Britain] in the US government (shudders), much less elsewhere. In fact, the only countries I would find good to have in the USA are Japan, South Korea, Israel, the coastal parts of China, and so forth. Mexico could join. Not sure about Canada - frankly, I think Europe and Canada would have a harder time assimilating.

[Satyagraha]

I do apologize to those who have been waiting for a response from me. I’ve been unexpectedly very busy at work and not able to keep as close an eye on this as I would have wished.

 It would appear to me that about 90% of the criticisms of the OP stem from misreading--or perhaps NOT reading--that original post.  In other words, I see a lot of knee-jerk reactions to 'button-pushing, knee-jerking' concepts without the motivation to then read the rest of the OP.  Perhaps I should have introduced this "thought exercise" as 2 or 3 different threads sequentially, thus keeping the OP shorter.  Anyway.

 The one concept in that OP that, I think, defuses most of the criticisms is that what I propose is **ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY**.

 That is, if you don't want to become part of the USA, then, first, see to it that your own nation isn't in civil disarray or failing that, second, vote "No" when the plebiscite comes up.  It's that simple.  For those dopers in the UK and Australia, it seems unlikely that their government will ever be in a situation to necessitate their vote on the subject.

 I had in mind areas like Somalia, Afghanistan (shudder), and possibly a couple of the small states in the Balkans.  Americans (and, yes, Brits and Aussies and others, too) are now risking their lives in Afghanistan to bring a certain amount of world security and, given that, I think they have a vested interest in taking steps to see that it doesn't happen again.

 And, before I'm again accused of chauvinism, let me say that, if Australia started acting on this proposal, in place of the USA, I would be very pleased indeed to find myself a citizen of a nation with the capitol at Canberra.  I just want SOME reasonable government to put an end to international madness.

 In regard to my statement that a proposal requesting annexation with the U.S. has appered in the Australian legislature, I confess that I spoke without a recent cite at hand.  I was recounting something I had read a few years ago and, though I recall the subject very clearly, I do not recall the source.  I will hunt for a reasonable cite regarding this and post it here when I find it.

 Well, the thread has been entertaining, hasn't it? :)

[tradesilicon]

*Originally posted by Super Gnat *
**chuckles I just have this mental image of Sweden and Mexico at war for no apparent reason… that would be a cool movie. **

I can see the late Peter Sellers starring as the Generalisimo leading the Mexican Army, with no possible way of reaching Sweden… Now that he’s gone, I don’t know who else to cast for the role.