BBC poll: Germany most popular country in the world!

[fskimospy]

If you could promise me Germany, then go ahead and tax me 40%. But in the USA, taxes go up, and the money goes........somewhere.....to someone.....

What are you basing that on?

 

[GTaudiophile]

What are you basing that on?

What I see and feel and observe on a daily basis: broken roads and infrastructure, DC Metro is pathetic (but best in the USA), healthcare costs shooting through the roof of everyone I know...on and on and on...BUT the people WHO work here in the city and in the DC Metro area...they drive the newest BMWs! That I can say too.

 

[GTaudiophile]

One does not simply mention Deutschland without mentioning the Nordschleife. You fake ass german.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nürburgring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m-hyM0ghc4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYGDatDMw_Q&hd=1

Well, it did go bankrupt...

 

[fskimospy]

What I see and feel and observe on a daily basis: broken roads and infrastructure, DC Metro is pathetic (but best in the USA), healthcare costs shooting through the roof of everyone I know...on and on and on...BUT the people WHO work here in the city and in the DC Metro area...they drive the newest BMWs! That I can say too.

Maybe if we increased our taxes by 70% to equal Germany, those roads and public transit stations would be better. No?

 

[unokitty]

Different survey. Similar results.

Market researchers GfK found that Germany has knocked the USA off the top spot for global image for the first time since 2009. The Germany/USA swap was the only movement in the top 10 compared with 2013.

... pollsters asked 20,000 people in 20 countries their opinion of 50 leading nations across six categories: exports , government, culture, people, tourism, and immigration and investment.

The Germany/USA swap was the only movement in the top 10 compared with 2013.

2014 rank​ ​ 2013 rank​
1​ Germany 2​
2​ USA​ 1​
3​ UK​ 3​
4​ France​ 4​
5​ ​Canada 5​
6​ Japan​ 6​
7​ Italy​ 7​
8​ ​Switzerland 8​
9​ Australia​ 9​
​10 ​Sweden 10​

Xiaoyan Zhao, Senior Vice President and Director of NBISM at GfK, comments, “In a year of various international confrontations, the United States has lost significant ground where tension has been felt the most acutely. Both Russia and Egypt have downgraded the U.S. in an unprecedented manner, particularly in their perception of American commitment to global peace and security, and in their assessment of the competence of the U.S. government. However, on a global level, it is Russia that has received the strongest criticism from public opinion.”

For the US, direction of change is negative. But we are still doing better than the Russians. So, we got that going for us, which is nice.

Regarding those countries that don't endorse our commitment to global peace and security, Obama has drones and a Nobel Peace Prize. So, he has that going for him, which is nice.

Uno

 

[Slew Foot]

Maybe if we increased our taxes by 70% to equal Germany, those roads and public transit stations would be better. No?

if america raised its taxes, the money would go straight to some politicians cousins for some BS beauracratic jobs.

 

[hal2kilo]

Fucking Germans. Socialism doesn't work.


STOP MAKING IT WORK.

Reality is a bitch for idealogues.

 

[fskimospy]

if america raised its taxes, the money would go straight to some politicians cousins for some BS beauracratic jobs.

Are you saying that the US government is uniquely corrupt? If so, why?

 

[GTaudiophile]

Are you saying that the US government is uniquely corrupt? If so, why?

The US is an oligarchy more comparable to Putin and Russia. Only difference is that we are marketing experts and can sell shit in the form of gold-looking bricks to the kept-dumb American citizenry and they will buy it up while distracted by their Facebook and ESPN.

 

[Zaap]

LOL!
Most of the govt. bootlickers would shit a brick if German culture was imposed on the US, and talk about whining about a "war on women!"

http://youtu.be/9bTKSin4JN4

 

[Moonbeam]

Yep, Germans have figured out how to make a large federal country work well. Maybe we should learn some lessons from them.

We built them liberal with the Marshall Plan. We made them what we couldn't make ourselves but knew we should.

 

[trenchfoot]

I point to how the German middle class is successful and healthy in a German economy that is likewise the same.

With the class warfare going on in our country in which wealth re-distribution has been migrating to the top tier elite for the last five decades, thus strangling our middle class into the ranks of the poor, I can't see in any way, shape or form that we can compete with Germany for stability of economy and quality of life (for the middle class and the poor).

We're in a downward spiral as a nation. A very healthy middle class is the true indicator of a healthy nation, unlike the unhealthy trend we're seeing going on in the USA.

 

[StinkyPinky]

I've been to Germany a few times and it's a great country. Germans are a very efficient and industrious group of people. They are also proud of their country but aren't prone to rampant nationalism (and thank god for that....we all know where that used to lead them...)

 

[Matt1970]

Maybe if we increased our taxes by 70% to equal Germany, those roads and public transit stations would be better. No?

You have said this many times:

Government spending is not constrained by revenue.

 

[fskimospy]

You have said this many times:

Right. That's an undeniable fact.

That doesn't mean that government spending is unconstrained. (Inflation)

 

[Bitek]

And one that's way way more socialist than ours is. They make the Democrats look like free marketeers.

German taxes as a percentage of GDP are around 40% as compared to about 27% for the US. Talk about a bunch of commies.

Also, how much to they spend on their military? We collect enormous sums, but we seem to like to spend it on things that get us in further trouble.


It's easy to blame incompetent govt, but really govt is a reflection of the voters.
As voters, we don't make infrastructure a priority. We haven't passed a transportation bill, the highway fund is nearly exhausted, and where was the outcry in the last election?

Obama tried to make progress with modern high-speed rail lines and what did that earn him? Criticism, backlash and a refusal to take money. Did the voters make an outcry? Nope. So where is our rail? Nowhere.

Try to do something about healthcare/military spending/infrastructure/renewable energy/environmental protection/ worker wages/ work-life balance/ food quality and you get blasted.

Then we look at Europe and wonder why we can't have those nice things....

 

[unokitty]

4 Reasons the World has Lost Faith in the Americia

...it’s not hard to see why everybody loves Germany so much. Sure, they have problems both historic and modern, as all nations do, but as their place on last year’s index shows, Germany’s public perception has been steadily climbing upward for a while. Perhaps their position at number one this year was inevitable.

The bigger question is, why is the standing of the U.S. falling?

1) The U.S. is a hotbed of misinformation.
...the World Economic Forum voted “The rapid spread of misinformation online” the tenth biggest global challenge of 2014.

2) U.S. nationalism borders on xenophobia.
As already stated, the majority of Americans don’t hold overly aggressive, hostile, or fearful attitudes towards other countries. But those that do are destroying our global standing for us all. Consider, why would you support a country that has no desire to see you even visit it?

3) The U.S. is incredibly polarized.
...how should our foreign allies perceive us anyway? You think Angela Merkel was mad about having her phone tapped, what about the indignation America’s own citizens felt when they found out they were being monitored by their government? WIth Americans continually at odds with both their leaders and their fellow citizens, we run the risk of looking petulant and childish in front of the global community.

4) U.S. foreign policy has become isolating.
“The 2009 Pew Global Attitudes survey found that many believed the new American president would act multilaterally, seek international approval before using military force, take a fair approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and make progress on climate change. As the current survey reveals, few now believe he has actually accomplished these things.”

The same study from 2012 also concluded, “In the vast majority of nations polled, there is considerable opposition to the U.S. drone campaign against extremist leaders and organizations” and, “Even in many countries where various elements of America’s image are popular, there are concerns about the reach of U.S. influence.”

Misinformation?
Polarization?
Petulance?
Childishness?

This article about America? Or this article about this forum?

The world wonders...

Uno

 

[Londo_Jowo]

It's easy to blame incompetent govt, but really govt is a reflection of the voters.
As voters, we don't make infrastructure a priority. We haven't passed a transportation bill, the highway fund is nearly exhausted, and where was the outcry in the last election?

Voters in Texas voted to divert funds that would go to the rainy day fund to instead go to the state highway fund.

http://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Transportation_Funding_Amendment,_Proposition_1_(2014)

The constitutional amendment providing for the use and dedication of certain money transferred to the state highway fund to assist in the completion of transportation construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation projects, not to include toll roads

 

[mammador]

Glad we (,i.e. the UK) is number three.

But OK, Germany started WWII, and I won't say they started WWI because we Brits, the French, the Russians, and the Austro-Hungarians were just as culpable.

However, before anybody says "Holocaust!", let's go in a basic history lesson, eh:

- Didn't the Spanish and Portuguese start the slave trade? wow...benevolence, eh? And the Spanish killed out many native Americans via the conquistadors and such?

- Didn't the Americans kill out the Plains Indians by killing the buffalo? And deny people the right to vote because they were black?

- Weren't the British major slave traders in the day?

- Didn't the Japanese commit the Rape of Nanjing?


Look, dudes, don't rag on Germany for evil shit, when you've done as bad or worse in your own countries' histories...

 

[Mai72]

Where is Thailand?

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Where is Thailand?

Southeast Asia

 

[Mai72]

Southeast Asia

 

[Linflas]

What I see and feel and observe on a daily basis: broken roads and infrastructure, DC Metro is pathetic (but best in the USA), healthcare costs shooting through the roof of everyone I know...on and on and on...BUT the people WHO work here in the city and in the DC Metro area...they drive the newest BMWs! That I can say too.

Metro is hardly the best. The fare structure is crap and the transfer system is arcane and ridiculous. I would say that NYC easily has the best system, flat fare, 24 hour operation and literally can take you almost anyplace you need to go in the city. It is not flashy like the DC metro, it just works and you can drink your coffee while riding it.

 

[K1052]

Metro is hardly the best. The fare structure is crap and the transfer system is arcane and ridiculous. I would say that NYC easily has the best system, flat fare, 24 hour operation and literally can take you almost anyplace you need to go in the city. It is not flashy like the DC metro, it just works and you can drink your coffee while riding it.

NYC is headed for trouble with ridership approaching 1940s levels with no signs of slowing and ancient infrastructure that just got key parts washed with salt water. Like most mass transit systems in the US their state of good repair backlog is in the billions not to mention projects required for growth.


We have a long habit of building stuff here and then not taking care of it.

 

[alcoholbob]

Fucking Germans. Socialism doesn't work.


STOP MAKING IT WORK.

Socialism works quite well. It just doesnt work when you are flooding the country with dependants so you can get more votes.