564
The enemy within
Motto: “It's not your fault. I'm like fly paper for the emotionally disturbed.”
Prompted by a couple articles that reached top spot in the US media, I would like to present you an outside view of a few recurring topics discussed the past days in the US media: the war with the UK, the tax system and congress elections.
The war with the UK
“Hey. You know, it's not fair to say BRB and then never actually BRB “
I believe that it was not a bad decision to attack the UK, but it was badly timed and planned. The USA should have focused on the Asian front; the number one focus should have been the Serbian presence in Asia. The USA wasted its best chance to take on Serbia 1-on-1, before Serbia acquired Liaoning, a high iron region.
The public pressured Jewitt to attack the UK. There was a general frenzy to kill some redcoats. When Jewitt initiated the attack, I’ve seen only a few voices that were against the invasion. It was clear that not everybody approved it, Lucius Varenus and Gaius Julius left from JCS, but the general population was happy. No political parties raised their voice against the invasion.
Josh Frost took over a war that I am not sure he approved, but instead of finishing what Jewitt started, he failed. Tactical mistakes were made, the most notable was that Norway’s path to London was blocked the US over eagerness to take as many UK regions as possible – this way Spain’s and Romania’s damage was wasted.
It was clear that this was not a war for resources, but a war of vengeance. The USA spent thousand of GOLD to erase the UK from the map, just to sign a peace treaty when there was just one region left. The fact that the peace agreement was accepted by the USA and EDEN when only London was standing is the admission that you realized that your objective cannot be accomplished. Many people called the peace treaty a draw, and even if I do not call it a victory for the UK, I consider it as a defeat for the USA. You’ve entered the marathon but gave up when you were running the last mile; you gave up with the finish line in sight.
I was unpleasantly surprised by the reaction of part of the American population when the end of the war was announced. Many people criticized Jewitt for starting the war. I wonder where these people were when the invasion started; they should have come out then, not at the end.
Tax system
“Do we think the ladies have gone too far with the sex positive feminism? I mean I know they're all down with the pornography and the shaved pudenda and what not, but do we really think this is the path to liberation?”
I believe that competent people should take the main decisions, but still those decisions can and should be questioned. For the past year decision regarding the economy where taken by the Economic Council (I am not sure if this is the exact name or not).
Free trade is a great concept in real life, but here in this game it is not working for the USA. You can speak of free trade when more countries lift their trade barriers, but if you look more closely, you’ll see that all allies of the USA have high import taxes, so there is no real trade, just products flowing into the USA, and GOLD draining away from the USA.
Free trade was great during WW3 when many US companies where stranded in foreign countries and there was a shortage of goods on the US markets.
In the last 3 months the US population has slightly increased, but stocks have skyrocketed.
Q1 weapons stock rose by 50%, Q2 weapons by 20%, Q3 weapons 70%, Q4 weapons by 100%, Q5 weapons by 60%, Q1 food by 20%, Q2 by 30%, Q3 food by 110%, Q4 food 60%, Q5 food 100%.
Prices are dropping all around the world because of over production, so in order to protect the US companies higher import taxes are needed. If import tax is not raised, then more and more US companies will just close. This will put a pressure on the job market as well, wages will go down, people will afford less and less products and will be tempted to buy from other markets and more GOLD will drain from the USA. This will put a pressure on the exchange market as well.
Higher import taxes will not solve the problems of the US economy, but it will ease the pressure on US companies and their workers.
Congress elections
“You know maybe if you just relaxed for half a second, and stopped looking so hard for the appropriate life mate, then you might wake up one morning next to one."
Many Americans feared that a PTO was imminent in America. In a great rally this threat was dispelled by putting “blocker” candidates in all parties and in all regions. This is a short term solution, which does not solve the real problem in US politics; it does not solve the problem that there is no real politics in the USA.
Political bickering and partisanship can be a problem, but what we have right now in the USA is even worse. Parties have no programs, they have no agenda, and no real differentiation can be done between parties. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have not seen a real program from an American party. I have not seen debates about policies concerning the future of the USA.
With a few exceptions, there is no real congressional race between parties. The same candidates run in the same regions. Parties divide in advance the congressional seats, it is clear even before elections start who will win in each region.
Because there are so many regions it makes it hard for the Top5 parties to cover all regions and try to win in all of them. But there are so many small parties, which could sign alliances with Top5 parties, run their candidates in regions were their bigger ally is not focusing. This would increase competition and would allow smaller parties to get their voice heard. A real competition would make it natural for all parties to have candidates and all regions, and would not force a central commission to monitor on election eve where to put blockers fearing a PTO.
You can increase competition between parties and make it a normal thing to run candidates in all regions, or you can live with the fear in your hearths and souls that America will get PTOd and that you need to find blockers.
Will I keep my US citizenship?
“Wine is fine but whisky’s quicker”
The American society is changing, but it is changing slowly. I’ll keep my US citizenship and I’ll push you. I am really sorry that you crucified syrup for giving me citizenship. I considered giving it up when I saw the over reaction in the US press, but after talking to a great deal of people on the US chat, I've decided to keep it.
Some people will not like what I write, but that will not stop me. It is easier to resist change, then to accept it, but change is needed and in many cases you are just postponing the inevitable.
Prompted by a couple articles that reached top spot in the US media, I would like to present you an outside view of a few recurring topics discussed the past days in the US media: the war with the UK, the tax system and congress elections.
The war with the UK
“Hey. You know, it's not fair to say BRB and then never actually BRB “
I believe that it was not a bad decision to attack the UK, but it was badly timed and planned. The USA should have focused on the Asian front; the number one focus should have been the Serbian presence in Asia. The USA wasted its best chance to take on Serbia 1-on-1, before Serbia acquired Liaoning, a high iron region.
The public pressured Jewitt to attack the UK. There was a general frenzy to kill some redcoats. When Jewitt initiated the attack, I’ve seen only a few voices that were against the invasion. It was clear that not everybody approved it, Lucius Varenus and Gaius Julius left from JCS, but the general population was happy. No political parties raised their voice against the invasion.
Josh Frost took over a war that I am not sure he approved, but instead of finishing what Jewitt started, he failed. Tactical mistakes were made, the most notable was that Norway’s path to London was blocked the US over eagerness to take as many UK regions as possible – this way Spain’s and Romania’s damage was wasted.
It was clear that this was not a war for resources, but a war of vengeance. The USA spent thousand of GOLD to erase the UK from the map, just to sign a peace treaty when there was just one region left. The fact that the peace agreement was accepted by the USA and EDEN when only London was standing is the admission that you realized that your objective cannot be accomplished. Many people called the peace treaty a draw, and even if I do not call it a victory for the UK, I consider it as a defeat for the USA. You’ve entered the marathon but gave up when you were running the last mile; you gave up with the finish line in sight.
I was unpleasantly surprised by the reaction of part of the American population when the end of the war was announced. Many people criticized Jewitt for starting the war. I wonder where these people were when the invasion started; they should have come out then, not at the end.
Tax system
“Do we think the ladies have gone too far with the sex positive feminism? I mean I know they're all down with the pornography and the shaved pudenda and what not, but do we really think this is the path to liberation?”
I believe that competent people should take the main decisions, but still those decisions can and should be questioned. For the past year decision regarding the economy where taken by the Economic Council (I am not sure if this is the exact name or not).
Free trade is a great concept in real life, but here in this game it is not working for the USA. You can speak of free trade when more countries lift their trade barriers, but if you look more closely, you’ll see that all allies of the USA have high import taxes, so there is no real trade, just products flowing into the USA, and GOLD draining away from the USA.
Free trade was great during WW3 when many US companies where stranded in foreign countries and there was a shortage of goods on the US markets.
In the last 3 months the US population has slightly increased, but stocks have skyrocketed.
Q1 weapons stock rose by 50%, Q2 weapons by 20%, Q3 weapons 70%, Q4 weapons by 100%, Q5 weapons by 60%, Q1 food by 20%, Q2 by 30%, Q3 food by 110%, Q4 food 60%, Q5 food 100%.
Prices are dropping all around the world because of over production, so in order to protect the US companies higher import taxes are needed. If import tax is not raised, then more and more US companies will just close. This will put a pressure on the job market as well, wages will go down, people will afford less and less products and will be tempted to buy from other markets and more GOLD will drain from the USA. This will put a pressure on the exchange market as well.
Higher import taxes will not solve the problems of the US economy, but it will ease the pressure on US companies and their workers.
Congress elections
“You know maybe if you just relaxed for half a second, and stopped looking so hard for the appropriate life mate, then you might wake up one morning next to one."
Many Americans feared that a PTO was imminent in America. In a great rally this threat was dispelled by putting “blocker” candidates in all parties and in all regions. This is a short term solution, which does not solve the real problem in US politics; it does not solve the problem that there is no real politics in the USA.
Political bickering and partisanship can be a problem, but what we have right now in the USA is even worse. Parties have no programs, they have no agenda, and no real differentiation can be done between parties. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have not seen a real program from an American party. I have not seen debates about policies concerning the future of the USA.
With a few exceptions, there is no real congressional race between parties. The same candidates run in the same regions. Parties divide in advance the congressional seats, it is clear even before elections start who will win in each region.
Because there are so many regions it makes it hard for the Top5 parties to cover all regions and try to win in all of them. But there are so many small parties, which could sign alliances with Top5 parties, run their candidates in regions were their bigger ally is not focusing. This would increase competition and would allow smaller parties to get their voice heard. A real competition would make it natural for all parties to have candidates and all regions, and would not force a central commission to monitor on election eve where to put blockers fearing a PTO.
You can increase competition between parties and make it a normal thing to run candidates in all regions, or you can live with the fear in your hearths and souls that America will get PTOd and that you need to find blockers.
Will I keep my US citizenship?
“Wine is fine but whisky’s quicker”
The American society is changing, but it is changing slowly. I’ll keep my US citizenship and I’ll push you. I am really sorry that you crucified syrup for giving me citizenship. I considered giving it up when I saw the over reaction in the US press, but after talking to a great deal of people on the US chat, I've decided to keep it.
Some people will not like what I write, but that will not stop me. It is easier to resist change, then to accept it, but change is needed and in many cases you are just postponing the inevitable.
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Please keep this in mind if you comment:
"Just the fact that people seem to be getting dumber and dumber. You know, I mean we have all this amazing technology and yet computers have turned into basically four figure wank machines. The internet was supposed to set us free, democratize us, but all it's really given us is Howard Dean's aborted candidacy and 24 hour a day access to kiddie porn. People... they don't write anymore, they blog. Instead of talking, they text, no punctuation, no grammar: LOL this and LMFAO that. You know, it just seems to me it's just a bunch of stupid people pseudo-communicating with a bunch of other stupid people at a proto-language that resembles more what cavemen used to speak than the King's English."
Cancel this guys citizenship.. .!!
Shame on ZOLI.. !!!
Zoli for POTUS!
Nice
VAT is added to Import tax for goods imported.
Zoli for POTUS!
SUPERB ARTICLE ZOLI
Oh, Zoli, you cute little troll! I just want to ruffle your hair and send you out to play in the backyard.
@"You can speak of free trade when more countries lift their trade barriers"
This is true
Maybe Zoli can convince EDEN to really act as an economic alliance also
Or to act .
Zoli for POTUS.
Vote Zoli, Dio bless America!
Any friend of Atlantis is no friend of mine :p
good analysis by the way
Zoli bless America!
:*
First page. these days..seem like PigInZen and Zoli are the only ones thinking and churning out good policies statements and analysis like this.
if you dont want war gtfo of EDEN, we appreciated your help yesterday
<a href="http://ereptools.net/battles/info/id/9283" target="_blank">http://ereptools.net/battles/info/id/928[..]/9283</a>
on another thought, ZOli - seriously, why are you helping these guys? i believe another nation like say eRussia or eChina/eIndia can use someone of your expertise more...
Zoli bless America!
Zoli for POTUS!!
vote + sub
Help Croatia and Eden to earn gold, read this article <a href="http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/uppe[..]1/20" target="_blank">http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/uppe[..]]1/20</a>
ahahaha nice article!
wow, im EDEN all they way but this was one of the best articles i've ever seen. Troll all you like. love him or hate him, but I'm man enough to say, he speaks the truth right here!
I've fixed the tax part. Thanks for pointing out my error.
Actually the avatar should say Hungarian Romanian American
MAN, I loves me some Zoli. ROFLMAO.
Man, come back home, we need your help too!
Voted hard for truth.
Also for greater justice and, indeed, pie!
Zoli bless America!
Zoli for POTUS!
Very well written article Zoli.
And I agree, it is too bad that Syrup had to be squished so hard for granting citizenship, people seem to forget from time to time that this is a game, not a RL thing that actually matters.
Just making an observation: it's funny how most of the replies here are from non-Americans.
Zoli for president!
Not that funny if you look at the release date of the article and count in the fact that he over time acquired quite a bunch of subscribers living (RL) in Europe, who are eEuropeans as well. Many eUSAmericans, being RL-USAmericans as well will only now even read it. (And some probably not comment because of not being able to do so on the "first page" of comments anyway.)
Zoli, can I have your children?
Zoli for POTUS!
Dio Bless the eUSA!
Zoli, can I bear your children.
Zoli is a Hungarian propagandist. <3 Don't be a Zoli.
Go away zoli
Is Zoli Hank Moody?
He's got a Californication fetish.
>Correct me if I am wrong, but I have not seen a real program from an American party.
Federalist Training Division.
'nuff said.
I dunno, what is worse...Zoli for president, or not.
He is too good for you, e-jerks:D
Zoli for POTUS
<strong style="background-color: black; color: white"> You americans...strange people,strange tax situation,strange war strategies... </strong>
Zoli, you spai bastage commie gumba...
That having been said, I liked the article. I agree with every single point for the same reasons you have discussed.
I can't tell you how much this consensus disturbs me. :S
Dang it Zoli! Why do you have to make so much sense!
I wish I knew for sure if you had bad intentions for the US because I would actually vote for a POTUS running on this kind of platform.
Phoenix propaganda
Oh Zoli, you so crazy
gtfo
^Eugene Harlot, I think he is more popular than you...
Zoli for POTUS!
Dio Bless the eUSA!
^Eugene Harlot, I think he is more popular than you...
Among Americans, um, no.
Perma-troll
ZzzZZzZZzzoli
We can't trust Zoli he's from Spain
This is why Syrup was crucified.
Zoli for Troll-in-Chief.
What's a Zoli?
You do bring up good points Zoli. Based on what I had heard about you this isn't what I had expected. Personally I am glad you were made a citizen. I believe we need a voice like yours to tell us the things we don't want to hear.
Zoli's ability to write common sense, influential articles is what makes him "dangerous"
Good article! voted
Epic Fail.
Zoli for POTUS!
...or not? Do we need a strong USA?
to the very first comment its the Queens English...dont ask me why...
Zoli has a lot of Hungarian supporters LMAO
Isn't Zoli supposed to be some Bastard troll?
Zoli for POTUS!
go back to hungry
Gotta love the eAmericans who respond with GTFO and other well thought out comments. Sew your eyes shut just a tad tighter people.
The problem here is that he is very good at what he does, and once he plants the notional seeds in people's minds, the doubts and ideas that grow will be very difficult to locate and address. Next thing you know, he's won the hearts and mind of the hoi polloi. From there, it would be a simple matter to complete his plan of kicking our dog and stealing our children to sacrifice to his strange Hun gods.
While I wasn't born yesterday and am familiar with the functions of political based games, I do give you props for your intelligence at least. Nicely made article.
Gibberish45 said:
Zoli's ability to write common sense, influential articles is what makes him "dangerous"
I once interviewed Zoli for the Army Times. Turns out he's possibly the most intellectual player I've met, and really knows his beans about this game. Couldn't very well print a "fan letter to Zoli" in the official Army newspaper, so it was never published.
Zoli is thoughtful, insightful, intelligent, knowledgeable.
And dangerous as hell.
"The very fact that they were poets made them think that they had a perfect understanding of all other subjects, of which they were totally ignorant.on the strength of their technical proficiency they claimed a perfect understanding of every other subject...."
...
"It is as though it were a large thoroughbred horse which because of its great size is inclined to be lazy and needs the stimulation of some stinging fly."
...
"Above all I should like to spend my time there, as here, in examining and searching people's minds, to find out who is really wise among them, and who only thinks that he is."
...
You are our stinging fly.
So - is Zoli the enemy within ? Or is it the many in the eUSA who call him an enemy agent and use him as their whipping boy to "prove" that any dissent is evil, wrong, unpatriotic, and treasonous ? So - eAmerica wouldn't be such an easy mark for his criticisms if they were all a smart as he was, right ? No - they must be smarter than all the rest of us. Can't you see what is really going on in this game ? Don't you understand the hidden meaning in everything you read on eRepublik, the Manichaean symbolism of the good (EDEN) god against the evil (PHOENIX) god ? What, you believe Manichaeanism is heresy ? Well, then, you must be one of the evil ones too. All opposition must be eliminated.
But, Sam, you ask, "If it is a Manichean world, then the good god and the evil god are equal in power, and conflict continues into eternity." Bishiop Sam replies, "You have found the truth. In that kind of universe, eternity is hell."
Voted!
”The American society is changing, but it is changing slowly. I’ll keep my US citizenship and I’ll push you. I am really sorry that you crucified syrup for giving me citizenship. I considered giving it up when I saw the over reaction in the US press”
Wow, that was the most shameless lie I have seen for weeks here. Just... I didnt think anyone had it in them to say something like this.