kathylove
Pragmatic & Logical
I agreee with SOME of your post, Michael, but not all...
It is true that we all have different socio-economic, geographical, cultural, and educational circumstances, even within the same country. And that a Michigan resident has certain different laws to follow than, say, Colorado, which just legalized marijuana. BUT - we are all subject to the same FEDERAL laws. And we do share SOME cultural similarities due to watching many of the same TV shows, reading the same newspapers (which pretty near all belong to Gannett and use the same AP reporters). Of course, some in other countries read those same stories and watch those TV shows, too. And while we can't all walk in each others' shoes, we do all pay into the tax pot that supports all of those laws, infrastructure, social support, etc. Even those who pay no income tax have to pay some sales tax, gasoline taxes, etc. So we all have at least "some skin in the game". That is why I believe it IS relevant for anyone who paid any of those taxes to have some say in how they are spent, whether it is for national defense or for free phones for the poor. You don't have to have been in the military or have been poor to want a voice in how your tax money is spent, IMO.
OTOH, I think it is REALLY VALUABLE to hear opinions from those who are less directly involved in our own problems, and who have had input from other news sources, cultures, etc. We have quite a few members here from Canada, UK, and Netherlands, among other countries. They have found things that work, and don't work, in their own countries. For example, I remember reading a number of years ago that Chile had privatized its social security program and it worked so well that countries all over the world were sending representatives to study it. Because it worked in Chile does not mean it will work here, in Europe, or anywhere else. But it certainly means that others should check it out carefully and see if the system in Chile could be tweaked for their own country, before dismissing it just because Chile is different than another country.
It is my thought that non-US citizens CAN provide valuable perspectives "outside the box" to contrast our usual way of thinking. Maybe they can even provoke us to think about the issue in a way we haven't thought about previously, and solve some of our problems in an unusual way. We can't presume that solutions that worked in another country will automatically work here. But neither should we dismiss such ideas out of hand just because they didn't originate with our own well tried, but not always successful, usual methods of operation here.
I often don't agree with much of many posts by Nova or even Michael, although I can often find SOMETHING in them that is useful, or that I can agree with. But I like to read each post anew, and test my thinking to see which points seem true or relevant, and which don't. While I usually find myself agreeing more with conservatives than liberals, I rarely find myself in total agreement with either, lol! But sometimes those who disagree with you can challenge you to think more, and provide more insight, than those who DO agree with you. IMHO, of course!
It is true that we all have different socio-economic, geographical, cultural, and educational circumstances, even within the same country. And that a Michigan resident has certain different laws to follow than, say, Colorado, which just legalized marijuana. BUT - we are all subject to the same FEDERAL laws. And we do share SOME cultural similarities due to watching many of the same TV shows, reading the same newspapers (which pretty near all belong to Gannett and use the same AP reporters). Of course, some in other countries read those same stories and watch those TV shows, too. And while we can't all walk in each others' shoes, we do all pay into the tax pot that supports all of those laws, infrastructure, social support, etc. Even those who pay no income tax have to pay some sales tax, gasoline taxes, etc. So we all have at least "some skin in the game". That is why I believe it IS relevant for anyone who paid any of those taxes to have some say in how they are spent, whether it is for national defense or for free phones for the poor. You don't have to have been in the military or have been poor to want a voice in how your tax money is spent, IMO.
OTOH, I think it is REALLY VALUABLE to hear opinions from those who are less directly involved in our own problems, and who have had input from other news sources, cultures, etc. We have quite a few members here from Canada, UK, and Netherlands, among other countries. They have found things that work, and don't work, in their own countries. For example, I remember reading a number of years ago that Chile had privatized its social security program and it worked so well that countries all over the world were sending representatives to study it. Because it worked in Chile does not mean it will work here, in Europe, or anywhere else. But it certainly means that others should check it out carefully and see if the system in Chile could be tweaked for their own country, before dismissing it just because Chile is different than another country.
It is my thought that non-US citizens CAN provide valuable perspectives "outside the box" to contrast our usual way of thinking. Maybe they can even provoke us to think about the issue in a way we haven't thought about previously, and solve some of our problems in an unusual way. We can't presume that solutions that worked in another country will automatically work here. But neither should we dismiss such ideas out of hand just because they didn't originate with our own well tried, but not always successful, usual methods of operation here.
I often don't agree with much of many posts by Nova or even Michael, although I can often find SOMETHING in them that is useful, or that I can agree with. But I like to read each post anew, and test my thinking to see which points seem true or relevant, and which don't. While I usually find myself agreeing more with conservatives than liberals, I rarely find myself in total agreement with either, lol! But sometimes those who disagree with you can challenge you to think more, and provide more insight, than those who DO agree with you. IMHO, of course!
