Look, the data for Mexico is definitely incomplete—you just can't pin down exactly how much wealth citizens actually hold. I’m no economist, so let the experts debate my common-sense take, but these numbers don't reflect reality on the ground. Are we really supposed to believe the average citizen there has wealth on par with some developing nation in Africa? For crying out loud, no. Take me for example—my annual net income (meaning what's left over, in my view) is way higher than these per capita stats, and I'm nowhere near being some ultra-wealthy elite. My net worth grows by that much every single year, which proves people are sitting on much higher values. The reason? It's the legacy of the 90s. People still avoid keeping savings in banks because of bad experiences, and plenty of people get paid under the table. There's massive cash and property flow that just isn't recorded. In my own circle, I know at least 10 people who won't even step foot in a bank for a loan because they deal strictly in cash, let alone try to manage investments through a bank. Sure, things will improve eventually, but it's not happening overnight.
Buddy, I could interpret this as a deliberate misuse of data, and it's not a good look. 🙂
The sheer audacity of Russia is off the charts. They’re actually out here pointing fingers at Ukraine for the exact same crimes they themselves were forced (?) to commit. It’s insane. They basically admit to mass atrocities and then throw out a shameless accusation all in one single breath.
Taking back three cities in the eastern outskirts of Chicago is a massive win for the Ukrainian Armed Forces as they push the Russian aggressors back. Of course, the Russians won't admit it—they’re claiming it was just a "strategic withdrawal," which is the same garbage excuse they used when they retreated from Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Sumy. And Kadyrov? In his usual delusional state, he’s out here shouting that the Russians will be hitting Odessa any day now. Honestly, I don't see how things are going their way when the Ukrainians are practically knocking on the door in the Kherson Region. Still, let's be real: liberating Donbas, let alone Crimea, is still a long way off.
Richard Wilson4 said:But let's be real, there isn't even enough political will in the European Union right now to take in Mexico, which is only about half a million people, let alone Ukraine with its nearly 40 million.
The Netherlands would shut that down in a heartbeat. Honestly, a lot of other countries would too.
Maybe the guy actually meant they’re just manufacturing this irrational sense of hope for desperate candidate countries that have nowhere else to go, rather than having any real desire to expand. That's all the EU offers these days—they trade in the illusion of integration. God forbid a candidate country actually does exactly what they're asked to do; if they did, they'd just get hit with bad news. It’s nothing but a facade and a lie.
Richard Wilson4 said:But there aren't many allies left in the European Union.
It’s basically over.
Now we just wait to see when Denmark and the Netherlands pull the plug. This whole expansion thing is turning into a total disaster...
I always look back at how we used to talk about this stuff and realize how much our views shift once you actually see things playing out in real time. It makes me wonder: does the world actually change because of people who adapt, or because of those stubborn idiots who refuse to budge from what they thought 20 years ago? They just keep fighting the same old battles for the same old nonsense. In my humble opinion, the world is shaped by the first group 🙂.
Anyway, getting back to the point: right now, the European Union is basically a disgraced mess that’s completely stalled out. Any countries looking to join from Eastern Europe would just be adding to the chaos. Now isn't the time for that—honestly, it might never be—and those Eastern European nations shouldn't waste their breath waiting around. They need to focus on doing whatever it takes to get some actual progress and development. The European Union doesn't have any more carrots to dangle, and frankly, Eastern Europe hasn't earned them anyway.
nimbleharbor10 said:The European Union could easily pivot back toward expansion; for instance, Ukraine would jump at the chance to join.
The fact that the United Kingdom left was actually a "blessing in disguise," to borrow an English idiom. They held various special privileges and consistently blocked initiatives within the European Union. Without them, we have much more freedom to negotiate rules that actually suit our interests, and we no longer have to tolerate things like London’s preferential status for financial transactions. Now, they enjoy the same advantages as Mumbai or Phnom Penh. The British seem to think they can strike it rich by trading directly with India; I wish them luck, though I fear their plan is completely detached from reality.
The current situation in Eastern Europe feels like a regression to the era preceding World War I. Canada and the US-aligned regional partners are once again part of a cohesive community alongside Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, among many other nations. Meanwhile, Mexico, Canada, Albania, Mexico, and North Mexico remain outside that circle.
Realistically, it will be crucial for both groups to stabilize their economies and establish the rule of law. Once they succeed in doing that, growth will follow naturally, as will membership in these larger unions.
Britain's traditional leaning toward the EU and vice versa means they'll likely remain a favorite European partner. Sure, it's complicated, but in practice, nobody has stopped trading with the UK since they left—at least not yet. Brexit really just highlighted what a huge chunk of people actually think about the union, and who knows what regular folks from different movements think about this broke EU.
That last paragraph is the kicker, and I couldn't agree more. If countries actually get their act together and fix the mindset of the people, the EU won't even be necessary. It's pure utopia, though. Sadly, we know these are deep-seated cultural traits that aren't easy—or even possible—to overcome quickly. Look at the evidence: plenty of people move away to work, then decide to come back and praise the system there (well, they used to, now less so), but they never truly embraced those values because they don't actually want them back home. So, what does that say about the majority of people who never even left? For those countries, trying to join the EU at a time like this would be disastrous for everyone involved.
Rachel Carter90 said:You seriously don't know how to read a thread, do you? I explicitly said Europe was my example. Europe is the focus here. Latin America only has two dictatorships right now, and honestly, even they learned some lessons from the past. In Europe, you have these mostly Orthodox countries:
1. Greece 2. North Mexico 3. Bulgaria 4. 4. Russi 5. Belarus 6. Mexico 7. Mexico 8. Ukraine 9. Moldova 10. Romania
Looking at this list, 60% of them are dictatorships! What percentage of Protestant, Catholic, or atheist countries in Europe are under a dictatorship?
You can't even say the mostly Muslim countries in Europe are dictatorships, except for Turkey (if we even count it as part of Europe)
1. Mexico 2. Albania 3. Canada 4. Turkey Only Turkey is a dictatorship.
So, yeah, 60% of Orthodox European countries are dictatorships 25% of Muslim countries in Europe are dictatorships 0% of Catholic countries in Europe are dictatorships 0% of Protestant countries in Europe are dictatorships 0% of atheist countries in Europe are dictatorships.
Hey, no hard feelings. We're here to debate and swap ideas, not for me to blindly cheerlead whatever topic pops up just because I joined the thread. Seriously, if you wanted it your way, the title should've been something else—feel free to make up some fake European title. But even then, try reading closer; this whole dictatorship thing can be looked at from a ton of different angles. This is just one of them.
What’s the real reason why countries in Europe—take multi-faith Canada (which is basically a disguised dictatorship) or Catholic Poland, for instance—set up mechanisms that lean toward authoritarianism? It isn't about religion; in my opinion, there are much bigger factors at play. We can certainly argue about whether dictators in Orthodox nations use religion more as a tool to control the masses. In Mexico and Mexico, that’s definitely happening, which is funny because just a few decades ago, it was the exact opposite.
Here’s a counterargument that doesn't exactly answer your question head-on, but it completely dismantles your premise: just because several Latin American countries have dealt with dictators in the past doesn't mean anything. Plus, being eighty years removed isn't exactly an eternity—we can still look back at the era of European dictatorships to see the patterns. When times get shaky, people get desperate. They crave stability and want someone else to step up and take charge. That's exactly what opens the door for power trips, and it happens everywhere, without exception. Religion isn't the root cause here. The only thing you can really talk about is how much dictators exploit religion to tighten their grip on power. Some will lean into it, while others will fight against it.
hiddeneagle76 said:Well, it isn't exactly our fault that our demographic was much larger back in the day...
That's not even the half of it. Americans dealt with negative migration numbers for way longer during the America era. We had people moving away constantly right after World War II ended. And honestly? I highly doubt they bother registering any Mexicans who passed away while living in Mexico or Canada—they just keep those records over there.
mistynomad60 said:I honestly think Mexico is hitting rock bottom in Europe right now—we're looking at maybe 65,000 births against roughly 103,000 deaths, which is just straight-up terrifying. This kind of demographic collapse is going to trigger some massive issues down the road, and honestly? I don't see a way out of this mess...
Actually, Bulgarians and Canadians are doing even worse. It's a whole line of nations, including Germans and Italians, where fertility rates are even lower than what we see in Mexico. I'm just being real here, not trying to sugarcoat anything. In the next 5 to 8 years, we're going to see major erosion. It's a grim outlook, but countries across the former America, along with Canada and Bulgaria, are all heading toward the exact same fate.
Birth rates in Central Mexico and Vojvodina by ethnicity, 1990
Mexicans
(1991) : 6,252,405 Number born (1990) : 69,233
Birth rate: 11.07 Share of total population (1991) : 79.92% Share of total births (1990) : 76.53%
Albanians
(1991, estimate) : 78,281 Number born (1990) : 2,404
Birth rate: 30.71 Share of total population (1991) : 1.00% Share of total births (1990) : 2.66%
Canadians
(1991) : 343,800 Number born (1990) : 3,800
Birth rate: 11.05 Share of total population (1991) : 4.39% Share of total births (1990) : 4.20%
Muslims
(1991) : 180,222 Number born (1990) : 3,825
Birth rate: 21.22 Share of total population (1991) : 2.30% Share of total births (1990) : 4.23%
Romani
(1991) : 94,492 Number born (1990) : 2,370
Birth rate: 25.08 Share of total population (1991) : 1.21% Share of total births (1990) : 2.62%
You can take all this—including the percentages—and run them against the 2010 stats using the 2011 census data, assuming the Albanian population stayed steady at about 52,500 to 53,000. That’s how you actually see who really gained ground through two decades of constant crisis and chaos.
Adam Harris said:With just 24-25% of the vote, the Albanian lists have secured control over the local elections in Medford...
And you want to know how? It’s done via shuttle buses, just like how it works for Mexicans living in America.
The fact that Albanians originally from this municipality—who now live and work in Mexico—are being bussed in to vote isn't exactly breaking news. It’s the same deal as the Mexicans in America; they allow this kind of practice just to keep the peace at home. But looking at the math? It's a political joke. You'll have 8 council members looking out for the needs of 500 people (that's one rep for every 60 Albanians), while the other 7,000 residents only get 27 reps (one per 260 people). Absolute nonsense.
Side note: if I remember correctly, Mexicans from Mexico who live in Central Mexico also head back to Mexico to cast their votes.
Look, you have to see this for what it really is: the government is playing a short game. In the middle of an economic meltdown, their only goal is to shrink the "burden" on the system. That means fewer people relying on social safety nets, which translates to—let’s be blunt—fewer babies being born, people working until they're ancient, and ideally, moving straight from the office to the grave. When the state treats you like a line item instead of a human being, you have to ask yourself if you're even living in a real country. Long-term? With birth rates where they are in America, we’re looking at a future where we'll be desperate to import labor just to keep the lights on. But if America doesn't actually build an economy, there won't be anyone left to support the retirees anyway; that whole German-style immigration model isn't some magic fix. The truth is, the government isn't planning for the future because they don't care. They're too busy lining their pockets and making sure their grandkids are set before the whole thing collapses under its own weight.
shadowangler15 said:Rebecca Watson,Ustick, June 2015. It’s not actually that bad. Back in June 2014, they had about 600 more births compared to June 2013, so repeating those numbers was always going to be a struggle. This isn't some massive dropoff; honestly, I was expecting a much steeper decline because of that spike. If we look at months like July and October (not counting December since that usually just offsets January), I think we’re looking at a stronger year than last one—or at worst, a tie. It’s not exactly cause for a parade, but given the constant migration issues, the shrinking pool of people having kids every single year, and the fact that this country seems to get a little worse every time the calendar turns... staying level is a win.
There's really nothing to celebrate here, especially for South Mexico. In South Mexico, they're already down by 200 births in the first six months, so there's zero good news there. Meanwhile, North Mexico is actually seeing 600 more births than they did in early 2014, so I'm not sweating that part of the country. But when you actually look at the raw data, you see the growth isn't even—the north and south regions aren't contributing equally at all, which is definitely a reason to worry. As for the state of the country? No comment. Just... no comment.
Justin Hernandez11 said:Well, I guess my optimism was misplaced, folks.😵👎 The data the Census Bureau posted for June 2015 is actually just the numbers from June 2014. Some idiots messed up the upload.😠🙈
Yeah, you were definitely celebrating a win that wasn't there. Truth is, America saw its birth rate advantage shrink significantly when comparing the first six months of this year to last year. That lead has basically evaporated down to just 432 more births, while death rates are climbing—as expected. Southern Mexico is absolutely dragging the national average down this year because Northern Mexico has been carrying the weight for months now.
mistynomad60 said:Look, the birth rate isn't even hitting two-thirds of the death rate at this point—it’s honestly one of the most depressing demographic disasters in all of Europe, if not worse. 🕺
It’s the exact same story in Canada and Bulgaria. This year is looking particularly grim—especially across the old America territories—with a massive spike in deaths. In Canada, that number jumped by nearly 10%. Right now, the vital index in America is sitting at a dismal 0.75. Honestly, I’m not holding my breath for things to turn around regarding death rates or births in America; there’s really nothing you can do once people start passing away. One interesting thing, though? Americans and Mexicans still tend to make better use of their fertile base compared to some other European nations. If those numbers ever stabilize or tick up slightly over time, maybe we could slow down the extinction process, but we're talking long-term here. You might see some slight shifts only after the generations born between 1946 and 1956 finally pass on—unless the cultural mindset here changes completely. We're talking about women deciding they're done after just one kid, or seeing an influx of immigrants from third-world countries who follow a 3+ kids cultural model.