[Yorick]

Originally posted by Khazadman Risen: Why compare currencies? As was stated earlier in this thread, the Japanese Yen was smokin' against the Dollar at one time. At one time.

It still is.

Europe does have a larger population. At this time. They also have a declining birth rate Yorik. The population of the US is still growing.

Parts of Western Europe, yes. The east is not so. America's population growth I believe comes largely from hispanic immigration. In any case, you're talking well over a hundred million people more. And that's without Russia or the Ukraine.

Hmmmm, let's see, the Russians had their empire. As did the French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italians, and Germans. And Turkey too, if they are let into the EU. And let's not forget the big kid on the block when it comes to empire building: The English. Remember, the sun, at one time, never set on the British Empire. So European militarism and expansionism far exceded anything we have ever contemplated.

Which is why Europe will always be "a threat".
What did Germany do once it united. Have a look. (And I don't mean east with west, I mean the original German Unification) Imagine what Europe will do once it fully unites. You really don;t want to create an enemy for America over there. Really stupid. And it can happen, as has happened between other countries.

And socialism will always fail. It will fail because it ends up controling the lives of the people living under it to the point that they turn on it.

That would be a communist dictatorship. Not socialism.

France and Sweden call themselves "socialist". I don;t see controlled lives there. McCarthyism is long dead mate. You might want to get with the program a bit.