News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


That's fair enough. I have no personal problems with the EU to be quite honest. I know how and what to work. Those folks at the bottom of the chain are the ones that have to worry about the long term. All things being equal, everyone has an equal share of the debt, and I'm in a much better position to weather any storms that might come from inane legislation and fiscal policies. Like I said, no sweat off my back...


I'm not making central planning a Communism thing, it is a Communism thing.


The same can be said of nearly every country.


And was that a result of central planning, or a loose beneficial union?

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


You won't make it silicon valley based on central planning, I agree with you there. The idea that you're promoting is that someone else knows what's best for those areas, and that locals will remain incompetent to advance themselves. I just don't believe that to be true. Again, I think that if you simply had freedom of movement of goods and people, you'd have a much better effect than the current EU.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


Industry. Remember, individual investors are responsible for the factories in Germany, not bureaucrats.


There you have the problem. Southern Italy is a classic example. Instead of using the resources it has available, it is dependent on aid from the North. No incentive to actually develop anything. Wealth transfer only works if the society develops at the same pace. Sustainable long term wealth generation on the other hand, is fairly natural as a result of investment due to favorable business climates.


Indeed, no one rejects a handout. BUT, handouts are always to the detriment of someone else. Basic Capitalism vs. Marxism.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


Brussels knows best? Why would you say that? How has EU economic policy been a success when some of the oldest EU members are on the brink of collapse? It's interesting to note that the Western European countries which aren't EU members aren't having too many fiscal problems.

The problem with the EU is that Western Europe feels that they are owed something by Eastern Europe and vice versa. Do you think that Greece and Ireland are in a stronger position by not being able to devalue their currency? As a whole, do you think that Polish dairy farmers are better off now that they get to compete against heavily subsidized French dairy farmers? Those are ridiculous conclusions. There are arguments to be made about immediate gains, everyone loves a handout, but the ramifications of those handouts ripple on. You end up with economies in which sectors are wholly dependent on handouts, and true competition is never allowed to emerge. Is the average Pole doing better than they were 10 years ago? Of course, but then again so is the average Norwegian, Turk, Croatian, Albanian... And the people of those countries have no "debts" to EU benefactors, nor are they bound to EU laws.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


What it the union ultimately about? Maximum mutual benefit for member states. If it is anything else, then it's a complete failure.

When you say "Make it work", what is the goal of the Union?

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


That's what I mean. The people were sold:

Free movement of people and goods
Open borders

That sounds great. The EU is suffering from scope creep.


Again, that's what I'm getting at. Bilateral free trade agreements + agreements on freedom of movement. That should be all a country needs in order to gain maximum benefit out of the EU without having to give up any bit of sovereignty.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


And what the scope of such a union is when the people first sign up.


There are already national structures in place. Poland doesn't need a second level of government creating laws that are completely disconnected from the populace. It's already difficult enough to do the research on a national level, introducing a second level of law makers is superfluous and distances those making the laws even further away from the people they are making those laws to control in one way or another.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


The central government would have never outgrown it's mandate. No one leaves a union that works.


Sure there is. There is a central rule making body. Even if every Polish MEP voted against a law on behalf of their citizens, it would still be applied to all Polish citizens.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]


Yes.


It would make the central government directly accountable to the people.

History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]


Not to mention that GB was required to declare war on Germany if it invaded, which it did. Treaty fulfilled.

News / Why is Poland developing so slowly or in the wrong direction? Who is responsible ? [317]

There should be a popular vote by the people every 10 years on whether they want to stay in the EU or not.

UK, Ireland / THE BIGGEST POLISH COMMUNITY IN U.K? [40]

That's what I was thinking. As far as absolute numbers, London would take the top spot by a country mile.

UK, Ireland / THE BIGGEST POLISH COMMUNITY IN U.K? [40]

This might be a good start:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_migration_to_the_United_Kingdom#Population_distribution

UK, Ireland / THE BIGGEST POLISH COMMUNITY IN U.K? [40]


But do you mean "largest" as in percentage of the local population, or "largest" as in total number of people?

USA, Canada / What should I bring back from the U.S. to Poland? [46]

I made a killing in cotton last year. Guessing that will ripple into the discount clothing industry anytime now. Might be good to stock up on undies and socks.

UK, Ireland / THE BIGGEST POLISH COMMUNITY IN U.K? [40]

Are you looking for percentages or absolute numbers?

USA, Canada / What should I bring back from the U.S. to Poland? [46]

Sugar and cocoa are at near all time highs. I like hedge my addictions by with commodities futures :)

USA, Canada / What should I bring back from the U.S. to Poland? [46]


I've never heard them described that way, I guess it depends on how they're used...


Made in Europe, shipped to the US, bought in WalMart for half the price that they're sold for in Poland, and reimported...I like it :)

USA, Canada / What should I bring back from the U.S. to Poland? [46]


Indeed. A single Butterfinger provides you with a meal for the entire day.

History / Lwów, Wilno ... kresy - Poland have lost enormoust part of our heritage... [389]


Weak and the country was on the brink of civil war. That little bit tends to make a small difference.

USA, Canada / What should I bring back from the U.S. to Poland? [46]


Yes, yes...yes! Especially freezer bags. I'll be stocking up. They've got bisquick at Kuchnia Swiat some times. I picked up a box a while back, didn't get around to using it though :(

USA, Canada / What should I bring back from the U.S. to Poland? [46]

Here's what I bought...

Couple of books, specialty stuff on aviation
Clothes
rifle scope (my self bought Christmas present)
couple of boxes of honey nut cheerios
headset for the plane
new bulb for the projector
as much beer as I can stuff in my luggage
no fog stick-on plastic mirror for the shower (kinky perversions and shaving in the shower!)
some local "secret" dry rub and dried peppers
various bags of candy that people have gotten addicted to over the years

Travel / A business trip from Warsaw to Bialystok - transportation? [26]


There's a grass strip. It all depends on how much they value their time. Guessing it takes about an hour to get to the train station from the airport, that makes it roughly 7 hours return vs 2 hours. Say you have 3 Belgians making a median wage. 15 hours of "Belgian labor" isn't cheap :)

Travel / A business trip from Warsaw to Bialystok - transportation? [26]

skypoland will fly them there and back for €600. Travel time is a bit under an hour.

Real Estate / Poland Housing prices in July 2010 [129]

Fiat money, he who controls the money supply...well, you know. And as far as I know, there is only one kind of institution that can magic up money. Cheap "credit" drives inflation, and especially when it's used to purchase large assets with a perceived value and safety of "investment", like a house.

History / Lwów, Wilno ... kresy - Poland have lost enormoust part of our heritage... [389]


I wouldn't say that threatening your neighbors with force while the Nazis and Hungarians rolled in and your country was on the brink of civil was the "Czechs seeing their mistake and doing the right thing". Apparently it was celebrated as a huge success of Polish strength at the time, maybe you've got better info than me. Anyway, we're going way OT I suppose.

Back to the lands that were "liberated" and given to Ukrainian and Belorussian minorities during Poland's moment of struggle :)

History / Lwów, Wilno ... kresy - Poland have lost enormoust part of our heritage... [389]

Considering that the French sat on their hands while Germany, Poland, and Hungary invaded their ally Czechoslovakia...and that their entire military strategy was based around fighting a defensive war, it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise.

Regarding GB, treaties signed a month before an invasion as an obvious political maneuver don't usually turn out too well...

USA, Canada / Polish jet The TS-11 Iskra flies over Brooksville [10]

How many hours do put on the Isrka you want to convert? What made you decide to switch? Is the CJ-610 better on fuel? How many hours do you need to insure it?

...Ahh questions...

Love / Polish Girl & an Arabic Guy - at first it was hard, but now it's great! [46]

There is no choice for the children to be anything but Muslim. Try to tell him that you'd like to raise the kids with an open mind to choose which religion they'd like, and not as Muslims.

Food / Turkey for New Year's dinner in Poland? [29]

you're all a bunch of culinary freaks. rubbery tasteless whitebread + mayo + salt&pepper = bliss.