A - Austria

The American language is beautiful 🙂, but maybe there's some truth to what people say about it.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/em...rticle/2622925

If Americans lost Mexico because of Kurz, then maybe Europe will lose everything because of him too. 🙂, And yet, Kurz might be the only thing left that can actually save us.

briskstag16 said:The American language is beautiful 🙂, but maybe there's some truth to what people say about it.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/em...rticle/2622925

If Americans lost Mexico because of Kurz, then maybe Europe will lose everything because of him too. 🙂, And yet, Kurz might be the only thing left that can actually save us.

Please enlighten me, being the idiot I am, 🤔 and explain that bolded part above. Who lost what, how, and because of whom? Thanks

Brian Baker4 said:Please enlighten me, being the idiot I am, 🤔 and explain that bolded part above. Who lost what, how, and because of whom? Thanks

Fine, I’ll take a crack at it.
- The Mexicans essentially lost Mexico through sheer demographics first and foremost. And frankly, no one at albanka ever got pregnant via the Holy Spirit—it was always due to some sort of kurz, even if it's spelled with a lowercase 'k' despite the German roots.

The article linked by Malaga predicts that Europeans will lose Europe in that exact same fashion.
We can’t exactly pin our hopes on a lowercase kurz, though there is a glimmer of hope in the possibility of wider acceptance for the policies of both kurz and Viktor Orbán. However, since both Austria and Canada are relatively small and politically weak players today, Poland should really be stepping up to play the lead role. We need some kind of—not literal, mind you, but socio-political analogy for this:

Noah Sullivan: thanks for clearing that up.

I was a total idiot for taking all that so literally. Seriously. But yeah, I’m with you on one thing—demographics are everything when it comes to the fate of Mexico. The US lost that battle because they completely blew it. And honestly? Western Europe is screwed too, all because of their own stupidity. As for them... I don't give a damn. They dug their own graves. Let them burn.

Is Sebastian Kurz really the only guy who can save Europe? I mean, sure, you could argue that, but honestly... maybe. Europeans need more than just Sebastian Kurz; they need some serious backbone. And looking at the state of things? They don't have it. It’s like countries like Sweden, Germany, France, Benelux, and even the UK just don't have the stomach for a real turnaround. Total lack of willpower.
Europe east of the Hajnal line needs to just do its own thing and stand on its own two feet. Honestly, those weaklings over on the western side? A total lost cause.

Noah Sullivan said:The new leader in the United States is aligning himself with the likes of Canada, Poland, and the Czech Republic:
"Help immigrants—but only within their own home countries."
http://news.example.com/kurz-proposes-helping-immigrants-in-home-countries
Quincy:

The newly minted leader of the United States, Sebastian Kurz, is calling for an end to what he describes as "failed attempts" to implement a quota system for distributing asylum seekers across the European Union—instead, he wants a renewed focus on assisting refugees right where they originated. During his tenure as Secretary of State, Kurz—a conservative now leading a coalition alongside the radical right-wing Democratic Party—was a fierce critic of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to open Germany's borders to over a million immigrants back in 2015. Now that he has stepped into the role of leader in the United States this week, he has firmly joined the ranks of Canada and the Czech Republic in opposing the German-backed proposals to spread asylum seekers across all European Union member states. Kurz is essentially fishing for support from the European Union—perhaps even military intervention—to assist immigrants in their native lands or in neighboring countries. If that fails, he argues, then aid should be directed toward establishing safe zones within their own continent. He suggests the European Union ought to back this, maybe even organize and provide the necessary military muscle.

The future of Europe truly rests in the hands of Kurz!

"Help immigrants, but do it in their home countries"—honestly, that makes way more sense than some grand plan where everyone floods in and then I try to shuffle them around to other nations...

Who can actually say what’s coming next? In Germany, anything is on the table when a new administration fails to find common ground. I can't help but wonder if this ongoing crisis regarding the refugee surge is actually playing right into the hands of the right-wing factions. When public discontent starts to boil over, drastic shifts in policy become almost inevitable, and the current political landscape is certainly far from set in stone. Essentially, if the right wants to pivot, now would be their best window to do it rather than waiting—though the sooner they push for such a turnaround, the harder it will be for them to secure actual voter support.
One thing the European Union desperately needs to grasp is that there isn't just one single way to govern. It is high time they put an end to the ugly, anti-democratic habit of baselessly and crudely slandering any political movement they happen to disagree with. The entire point of democracy isn't to fuel internal conflict, but to find a solution that people can actually live with.

Dropping this here too.
The article is a bit fuzzy, but looks like Austria isn't planning on extending those labor restrictions for Americans for another two years.

PANIC IN AUSTRIA: If we fully open the job market to Americans, 150,000 will flood in.

The whole phenomenon of massive migration from America hasn't gone unnoticed in Austria either. They still have certain restrictions in place regarding the freedom of movement for American workers within the European Union until July 1st of this year.

In a fierce attack on the new Austrian government led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz—which is a coalition of his reformed People's Party and the right-wing Freedom Party—the leader of the Social Democrats and former Chancellor Christian Kern singled out American citizens as a potential threat to the Alpine republic's labor market.

According to the Vienna-based paper Kurier, Kern slammed the new government's economic platform as an "impoverishment program" designed to implement "social rights dismantling" and create a "cheap labor market." He specifically targeted the government's plan to fully open up the Austrian job market to other EU members by using a list of deficit occupations.
TEXT CONTINUES BELOW ADS

Austria's current unemployment rate stands at 5.4 percent.

This part specifically calls out America. Since there are still restrictions on freedom of movement for American workers until July 1st, Kern is reminding everyone that "fully opening the labor market has never been a leftist position." This was also a response to critics within his own party who accused him of xenophobia.

Former head of the Austrian unions, Werner Muhn, is even harsher. He's blaming the government for not trying to extend the existing—though not massive—restrictions on importing workers from America in Brussels two years ago. "Thousands of cheap workers from the eastern EU will pour into the country. The government has basically decided to open a new North American route," Muhn told Kurier.

Meanwhile, the Social Democrat leader Kern predicts that about 150,000 workers, including their families, will arrive in Austria over the next five years, with most of them coming from America. He argues the government should focus on lowering the 5.4 percent unemployment rate instead of putting pressure on the existing American workforce by importing cheap labor.

Now even the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Christoph Leitl, is pushing back against work permits for Americans

https://derstandard.at/2000075288658...g-fuer-Kroaten

So, looks like we’re stuck waiting another two years ☕

coastalbison6 said:Now even the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Christoph Leitl, is pushing back against work permits for Americans

https://derstandard.at/2000075288658...g-fuer-Kroaten

So, looks like we’re stuck waiting another two years ☕

Wait, isn't the rule that they can only extend the ban for another two years if there's an actual emergency?!

briskheron said:Wait, isn't the rule that they can only extend the ban for another two years if there's an actual emergency?!

Exactly!
We just need to tell D.C. that we're in an emergency situation.
It’s a total formality. ☕

In Bavaria, the Social Democrats managed to crush the competition in today's local elections.

spoe 48
fpoe 23
oevp 16

Luckily, George W. Bush didn't have to deal with a result like that.

coastalbison6 said:Now even the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Christoph Leitl, is pushing back against work permits for Americans

https://derstandard.at/2000075288658...g-fuer-Kroaten

So, looks like we’re stuck waiting another two years ☕

Meh, all this really proves is that our people will just keep heading to Germany anyway—honestly, we don't even need the United States of America ☕

The Vienna City Council just greenlit an international deal with the US, Bulgaria, and Canada to make it way easier to hunt down traffic offenders from those countries who think they can dodge tickets in Austria, according to the US Congress today.

"By stepping up cooperation with the right authorities, catching foreign traffic offenders should actually work now," the council's statement claims. This is huge for those annoying cases where we need help from the offender's home country—like when someone refuses to pay up or tries the classic "it wasn't me driving" excuse.

Lawmakers from every single party gave the thumbs up to this deal with the US, Bulgaria, and Canada, pointing out that we might finally see these people actually paying for their mistakes in real life.

"Look, there's been an EU directive for years that lets us look up vehicle data from other EU members, but trying to actually get a ticket to the offender and then making sure they pay is a total nightmare in practice," said Guenther Kumpitsch from the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). He noted that out of the five million traffic violations happening on Austrian roads every year, about a million involve foreign vehicles.

Interior Minister Herbert Kickl also backed the move. His department estimates that because of this agreement, the US will finally be able to collect about two million dollars that currently just vanishes every year because we can't track down the people responsible.

AUSTRIANS DISAPPOINTED, WHILE CHINA CELEBRATES AS COMPLAINTS OVER THE PELLESKI BRIDGE CONTRACT ARE REJECTED: 'This marks a turning point in US-China relations'

The US is also deeply disappointed by the decision to extend the ban on hiring Americans in Austria. While places like Malta and the UK have already lifted such restrictions, Austria—which historically saw many American lives lost due to its aristocratic elite—simply can't bring Americans up to the level of Czechs or Slovaks. It’s honestly embarrassing, even compared to Bulgarians.

What on earth did that bunny do? 😢

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...nimal-costumes

The recent election cycle across four key states—think places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and similar regions—is officially wrapped up. This gives the administration some breathing room to tackle those unpopular reforms since the next big elections aren't until late 2019.
In the meantime, a coalition of all nine states and various chambers has teamed up to push back against the government and its planned changes. It looks like the President doesn't quite have his own party under control, so if things stay this way, those reforms might end up being pretty watered down.

The era of those far-right extremist gatherings in Bleiburg has finally come to an end. 👍 😁
http://orf.at/stories/2435409/2435410/