Questions for Americans

[Guest]

Okay there are few questions I just like to ask the Americans on the board they are:

 

1) Have you ever heard of the "Special Realtionship, and if you have can you tell which two countries its between?

 

2) If you have do you think it really exist or is it nonsense?

 

3) Finally I'm working on something about changing Britain's government can you tell me how local government (i.e. City or Town) works in America?

 

Thank you.

 

William

[Guest Some Guy]

1) no

2) no

3) Local Gov't is set up with a series of direct elections, none of that Proportional Representation bullshit here!  We have local, county, and state electons.  Towns have selectmen, cities have Mayors, and states have Governors all elected by plurality rules and democratically.  You must be at least 18 and regestered in order to vote.  In Mass at least party politics are less prevelent in local elections than in state or national, although most who run are verious shades of Left.  Every year in my toen they have a referendum on the ballot to raise our property taxes even higher to build or renevate schools and give the teachers even higher raises (a tenured teacher in my town makes about $60,000, which is great money for part time work).

[Guest]

I can answer what SomeGuy couldn't, or at least attempt to.

 

1: I think what you're getting at is what we call Most Favored Nation status, where one country shares most of its best stuff with another. If I could think of an example, Japan and the United States probably follow this.

 

2: It exists. If it didn't exist, we wouldn't be going insane to get our products into the massive Chinese and Japanese markets and ignoring their faults

[Guest LooseCannon]

Actually I believe what he's referring to is what some have called a "special relationship" b/w the U.S. and Britain that developed after WWII.

 

Personally I think it does exist.  I think Americans respect Britain probably more than any other country, including Canada.  And politically, they are probably are closest diplomatic ally.

[Guest J*ingus]

Every year in my toen they have a referendum on the ballot to raise our property taxes even higher to build or renevate schools and give the teachers even higher raises (a tenured teacher in my town makes about $60,000, which is great money for part time work).

Where the hell do you live, Some?  Down here in the South, even veteran teachers with masters degrees often make less than $30,000, working full-time.

[Guest Anorak]

I'm English but i've always thought America supposedly had 'special relationships' with both Britain and Israel because they are both key strategic allies for them. When Israel was being stubborn about their hardline actions a while back some political analysts were speculating that the 'special relationship' between them and America was becoming strained.

[Guest Invader3k]

The only reason that America has a "special relationship" with Israel is that they're the only remotely civilized country in the region. All the rest are terrorist supporting scum controlled by oppresive regimes.

[Guest Some Guy]

Every year in my toen they have a referendum on the ballot to raise our property taxes even higher to build or renevate schools and give the teachers even higher raises (a tenured teacher in my town makes about $60,000, which is great money for part time work).

Where the hell do you live, Some?  Down here in the South, even veteran teachers with masters degrees often make less than $30,000, working full-time.

I live in Taxachusetts.  You would not believe the crazy level of property taxes that my parents have to pay.  They are divorced and have houses of roughly equal size in the same Boston suburb and pay almost $8,000 a year in just property taxes with the recent hike.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

"They are divorced and have houses of roughly equal size in the same Boston suburb and pay almost $8,000 a year in just property taxes with the recent hike."

 

But remember, all that money goes to "the children." You're not against, children, are you?

 

To back up an earlier threat, most local elections aren't really influenced by political party affiliation. In addition, most of the local Democrats where I have lived over the years aren't necessarily liberals, which is a good thing. Hell, I even voted for a few!  

[Guest DrTom]

1. I think I've heard of the same ones other have already mentioned.

 

2. It's probably true.

 

3. Well in some cases, not very well in others.  By "local," I'm going to guess you mean city and county government, as opposed to state governments.  Most municipalities have a mayor, county executive, or some other similar figure who is the elected leader of that area.  They also have a council from the various voting districts.  Each municipality has its own police force, fire department, school system, etc, and it is the job of the mayor and the council to set down the policies and budgets for all of those.  Basically, it's a microcosm of national American government.  It's on a much smaller scale, can be remarkably inefficient at times, is dominated by politics and grandstanding, but is usually free of lobbyists and bribes.

[Guest]

Some Guy- That's it, I'm moving to MA! I'm a high school teacher (this is my first year; i love it!) and I just found out today that I qualify for food stamps. That's how broke I am.

 

Basically, it's a microcosm of national American government.  It's on a much smaller scale, can be remarkably inefficient at times, is dominated by politics and grandstanding, but is usually free of lobbyists and bribes.

 

HA HA HA! Do some research into New Haven, CT (where I live, run by a totally corrupt Democratic establishment with token Republican and Green resistance) or Providence, RI (which is one of the most corrupt cities in the USA, esp. w/mob ties).

[Guest DrTom]

"HA HA HA! Do some research into New Haven, CT (where I live, run by a totally corrupt Democratic establishment with token Republican and Green resistance)..."

 

That's all very nice (well, actually, it's not very nice at all, but you know what I mean), but I was making a general remark about local government.  Of course, some will be exceptions to the rule -- and Chicago during the height of the original Daley's regime is the paradigm for corrupt, mistrusted local government -- but I think that, on the whole, my comments about local government were pretty accurate.

[Guest TJH]

I have a question for Americans as well.

Why on earth do you put the day AFTER the month.

For example, the 1st of March, in America, would be 4/1/2002, whilst in the rest of the world it is 1/4/2002.

Surely the logical progression is day/month/year, not month/day/year?

[Guest J*ingus]

That's the way we say it out loud.  "April first, two thousand and two" which translates to 4/1/2002.

[Guest Some Guy]

Because 1/4/2002 would be Jan 4, 2002.  I have a similar question for Canaidians.  What's the deal with this "Grade 11" and "grade 8" shit?  It's the fucking 11th or 8th grade!  That really bothers me for some reason.

[Guest Some Guy]

Some Guy- That's it, I'm moving to MA! I'm a high school teacher (this is my first year; i love it!) and I just found out today that I qualify for food stamps. That's how broke I am.

Try Lexington (of the Battle of Lexington and Concord fame, you know where we beat the shit out of the British). They pay teachers even more than my town which is Winchester, the next town east.  Lexington is a *VERY* expensive place to live as opposed to Winchester which is just expensive.  The high pay for teachers is not in every town, it depends on the economic level of the town.  ANd do not become a Mass state college teacher, they're even more bitter and jaded than the greedy High School teachers.

[Guest]

It's the same reason why we refuse to use or acknowledge the metric system and we call football soccer. Because we are better than everyone else. Yep its been said. Cry about it.