Now Australia wants to vote for OUR President???

Originally Posted by smoothmoniker

Well, the US is pretty heavily effected by the economic policies of Russia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, the EU, China, Japan, India, and almost every other developed nation in the world. Are you going to start arguing that we should have a hand in selecting leaders for those nations?

Or do you just favor a blatantly anti-american policy as a matter of principle?

-sm

Why do conservatives start waving the flag in every discussion with a liberal? As one of our great American forefathers, Samuel Adams stated, "Patroitism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." My flag has as many stars and stripes as yours, and I am fed up with my country meddling in the affairs of other nations instead of taking care of itself. If you want to call that anti-American, you're welcome to your opinion. :p

[bluesdave]

Guys, cool it, please. I can't speak for all Aussies but I can assure you that the majority of us do not want to vote for your president. We are currently enmeshed in our own election campaign, and have enough to worry about without adding the US presidency to our list. Of course we take a keen interest in the US election, because as Mari has already pointed out, the US exerts a great influence on the whole world, but that is the full extent of it.

Australia has just agreed to a free trade agreement with the USA, and part of that agreement means that the US has some say in how we do things here - like to what extent the government can fund our pharmaceutical benefits scheme. We are not happy about this. Most Aussies do not like being told by the US, what we can or can't do, so we would expect you to object to us trying to tell you how to live your lives, too.

Don't attack the whole country for the writings of one journalist.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by bluesdave

......Most Aussies do not like being told by the US, what we can or can't do,......

Most Americans do not like being told by the US, what we can or can't do.

Don't attack the whole country for the writings of one journalist.

No problem there, man. We've been the target of that, enough to know better. Aussies are cool.

[bluesdave]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Aussies are cool.

Thanks Bruce.

[smoothmoniker]

Originally Posted by marichiko

Why do conservatives start waving the flag in every discussion with a liberal? ... If you want to call that anti-American, you're welcome to your opinion.

Mari, I'm not flag waving. I'm using the term in it's most technical, non-emotional meaning. Do you support the principle that decisions of political power should cross national lines and rest in the hands of the people affected by that power? If so, then support it both ways, and let the US determine the EU's agricultural and pharmaceutical policies. If not, and you only support the idea of other nations voting in the US election, then you're supporting an idea not because you agree with the principle of it, but solely because it is contra-american (there, see? I avoided the jingoistic language for you) self-determination. Which way is it?

And bluedave, i'm not worried about the aussies. From my time there, I can safely assume that any changes that might be imported could only be to the good.

Originally Posted by smoothmoniker

Mari, I'm not flag waving. I'm using the term in it's most technical, non-emotional meaning. Do you support the principle that decisions of political power should cross national lines and rest in the hands of the people affected by that power? If so, then support it both ways, and let the US determine the EU's agricultural and pharmaceutical policies. If not, and you only support the idea of other nations voting in the US election, then you're supporting an idea not because you agree with the principle of it, but solely because it is contra-american (there, see? I avoided the jingoistic language for you) self-determination. Which way is it?

And bluedave, i'm not worried about the aussies. From my time there, I can safely assume that any changes that might be imported could only be to the good.

I'm an old fashioned isolationist. We stay out of their business; they stay out of ours. That way there is no question of voting in each other elections. I know this is unrealistic in today's world, but if it were somehow possible for everyone to stay out of each other business, the world would be a lot simpler. Not possible, I know.