Quote: (08-28-2011 04:20 PM)oldnemesis Wrote:
Quote: (08-28-2011 11:11 AM)ao85 Wrote:
Everyone here waxes melodically about Europe, but because those societies are so homogenous and have 0 defense spending (because they free ride on the US), they can afford their 35 hours workweeks and 6 week vacations.
I really wonder how some of you people can keep repeating the same bullshit again and again without even bothering to check whether what you're saying is actually true. Don't you understand that you lose all your credibility this way?
Zero defense spending? France has the third largest military budget in the world. Germany has the 7th.
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Would you rather be born in Russia, where you have to kill and bribe your way to get any level of success?
I was born in Russia. Hasn't killed anyone so far. Didn't bribe my way to success either. You're being incredibly ignorant.
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Would you rather be a 70 hour a week factory monkey in China?
It's a feeling shared by many Americans who know that simply working hard isn't enough anymore. To get ahead, a 70-hour work week is the new standard.
The rest of your examples is just ridiculous. Do you really think being a sex slave, a victim or genocide or kidnapping is better in America than in any different country?
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Russia Ranked Among Most Corrupt Countries
10/26/2010 8:52 AM ET
Transparency International's annual report, which finds war-torn countries as being the most corrupt in the world, has ranked Russia to a lower 154th position on the organization's Corruption Perceptions Index list of 178 nations.
The report on perceived corruption, published on Tuesday, puts Russia at par with Tajikistan, Papua New Guinea and several African countries.
Yelena Panfilova, head of the Russian wing of Transparency International, said it is "a national shame" for a country claiming to be a world leader and a major energy power.
She noted that corruption is rampant in Russia's public institutions, including in hospitals, schools, utilities, and the traffic police.
Transparency International placed Somalia, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Iraq on the bottom of the list.
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