The "alternative" to evolution, if you will, is shown there, and how it evolved.

New constitution of Egypt suggested, anyone?

They could borrow ours. It's held up pretty well, although it doesn't seem like we use it much anymore.

...I was talking about the one they actually wrote, but ok I guess >_>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20724966
woo israel

Making my day as always just like last time I saw you in the news, building settlements in Palestine!

wooooo, 'Murica!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHEDXzOfENI

It'd be interesting if you really, REALLY, liked Romney/Biden. Imagine the tactical voting issues...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/carney-leaves-white-house-wiggle-room-for-platinum-debt-limit-workaround.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

Okay, so can someone please explain why it's even being speculated about, introducing a one trillion dollar coin?

Pay off national debt, I believe.

I think a 1 trillion dollar coin would ruin our already unstable economy.

I'm not certain that anyone considers it a serious option. In theory, we could do it, and it would work, but it would also ... irritate? ...  essentially the entire world.

Well, derp.


That's what I hope as well, but it seems like it's more or less desperate times in the US if it's even being mentioned.

Well it pretty much is. When you think about it, 1 trillion is a pretty unimaginable number, and then there's 15 (almost 16 I think) trillion. Nobody is gonna want to shovel that burden and no amount of tax increases or spending cuts will be able to solve it in the foreseeable future without royally screwing over some aspect of the nation's economy or government. Pretty sure no resolve will come of it before I die./non-partisan stance ftw

I think it's over 16 trillion by now.

It's not literally a trillion dollar coin, obviously. It's removing the debt ceiling restriction.

That's not exactly what it is, but that's another thing of note. The debt ceiling is a "soft limit"; it's something we impose on ourselves. No one else "enforces" our debt ceiling, we just maintain it in an effort to keep our credit rating good, which isn't working out too well because everyone ignores the debt ceiling, as characterize by Obama's "I'm not having this conversation" remarks. What's the point of having a debt ceiling if you just move it whenever you come near it?

Obama has done it, Bush has done it, that's 12 years minimum of ceiling-moving.

Your credit rating isn't even A+++ either way, so....

Wait what nations have credit ratings now?

Definitely this

Countries have had credit ratings for a long time. I suppose in the US you don't care too much about it, since there is just the US and Canada to invest in, but in Europe it matters a lot. Especially for the weaker countries such as Greece and Italy the credit rating has a very heavy influence on the interest they pay for their loans.
At the moment, I think only UK, Australia, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Singapore have the highest possible rating at all three major credit rating agencies.

UK and Canada? Really? And Germany? Their own money may be fine, but it won't be if they keep on bailing out other countries...

None of them have a debt of 16 trillion dollars. They aren't being run by two parties whose entire political agenda is screwing the other party over either.

Our debt is absurdly high, and our 'austerity' policy means that investing in us is an entirely retarded idea.

Yeah, and it's dumb. There are really only two sensible options for the government: spend more and tax more, or spend less and tax less. Instead, we're going with the nonsensical option of spend more and tax less. I like the spend less tax less option, but even if we decided to go with spend more tax more, at least I could say "well, I didn't get my way because this was more popular, so fair enough", but what we're doing is just straight up dumb.  

Hooray for "compromise".

You need to reform your electoral system, so that there's no voting on off-years for congress. This isn't sustainable in the least. Preferably, remove the Senate completely, and have elections for the house of representatives every fourth year instead of every other. It should hopefully bring stability instead of the current chaos.