N. American Union, beef and the dollar

[crikkett]

Discussing the recent beef recall, my friend told me that the rumors she believes about the impending N. American Union would have a single organization regulate beef production throughout the entire continent. She thinks a North American Union is decided upon and now the PTB only need to find a way to impose the decision upon the people.

I experience cognitive dissonance because of the wall being built across Texas. How could there be a union and no free passage?

I couldn't say "we'd" never allow it to happen because I'm thinking that the US housing bust could make us so desperate that Disaster Capitalism will take over to force our hand.

At that point we'll have to buy shares in cows, if that would even be allowed. Or feasible.

So I come to this forum for reassurance of one thing or another: how feasible is it that the dollar would fall (or be allowed to tumble) so low that enough Americans would think a North American Union is a good thing? How could the govt simultaneously build walls yet open doors so widely?

Thx

[lonestarnot]

1. Where's the beef?

It's fallen and it can't get up even with help from a prod. (Sorry, but I couldn't resist) :patriot: carry-on.

[donsu]

2. the walls are just for dress up

it depends on how powerful the beef barons are. who they can bribe, blackmail, bully, threaten the best. McCain, Obama, Clinton. right now the beef barons can do whatever they like.

[nightrider767]

3. You bring up a very interesting point

DIsaster capitalism might be enough to sell this union, like 911 sold the war on Iraq.

I don't know how feasible the dollar falling is. Seems like countries all over the world are highly vested and have a huge interest in propping it up.

As for building walls, they're never going to build a real wall. That's my opinion.

I think the biggest threat right now is the US economy. If we sink, we'll bring most of the world down with us and that will be the end of the dollar. No one will trust us again.

[PDJane]

4. That has been the scenario to "sell" the union,

On the grounds that Canadians would then rush to the American Union to prop up the American economy and save the world. Start forcing us to live like Americans, and I don't know if that would last.

[ToujoursDan]

5. We knew it was coming

Hmmm... It becomes known that Canada has more oil than Saudi Arabia and 20% of the world's freshwater supply and suddenly there's talk of a North American union. What a surprise...

Canadians would never accept such a thing.

1) It would dilute our voting and representational power in a unified parliament/congress.
2) Put us under the thumb of American Christian fundamentalists and neocons, which would mean the end of gay marriage, French language equality, having no abortion laws, de-facto decriminalization of pot and prostitution. It would further disenfranchise the Native and Inuit population (who are much better off in Canada than the US - though they still have a long way to go) and probably end public universal healthcare and a working social security system - the Canadian Pension Plan.
3) Push a portion of the US' enormous $9 trillion debt burden onto us. We really don't want to pick up part of the tab for the US' fiscal irresponsibility.
4) Put us under the byzantine American electoral system with these primary/caucuses and the electoral college instead of our Westminster parliamentary system - which is arguably more representative and democratic.
5) Impose free market fundamentalism on us which would hurt public education and the poor.
6) Grab oil, water, forest and mineral resources to power the US economy without full compensation and support of local communities and people.
7) Impose the US third worldish banking and media content laws on us.

We love the US as a neighbour but please don't move in.

[Angela Shelley]

6. Welcome to DU ...

you can sleep on the couch, use the new handtowels, breakfast is at 7:00 :-)

[lynnertic]

7. well thank goodness

I'm happy here, so far so good, but I might need a Canadian friend in the future...

:hi:
welcome to DU

[Speck Tater]

8. What's more likely is that several states and regions...

... will secede from the Union, leaving North America fragmented into a dozen or more separate countries.

Google "Green Mountain Manifesto"
Google "The Republic of Cascadia"
Google "The Conch Republic"
Google "Republic of Kinney"
Google "Hawaiian sovereignty movement"
Google "The United Republic of Texas"
Google "Second Vermont Republic"
Google "Middlebury Declaration"
Google "First North American Secessionist Convention"
Google "Alaskan Independence Party"
Google "The Second Maine Militia", "The Free State Project", "the Republic of New Hampshire", "the League of the South", "Christian Exodus", "the Burlington Declaration", "Californians for Independence", "Republica del Norte" "Aztlan", etc. etc.

When the economy collapses, as it most certainly will, we will see something similar to what happened when the Soviet Union collapsed. NOT more centralization, but balkanization and fragmentation, since the central authority will no longer have the wherewithal to hold the states together. Without that coercion from the center, the pieces will scatter to the wind.

[scholarsOrAcademics]

9. public - private funding is not the answer.

there is massive amounts of money available to buy infrastruce and charge rent. Toll Roads and SuperHighways. Spanish-Japanese investors. Government pension funds should be invested in just public projects.