Subject: United States: Election Time

De facto you only have two choices mostly due to the voting system. In Britain they've a similar system in which the Liberal Democrats have succeeded in achieving some seats in the parliament, but still lacks a representation proportional to popular vote.

Barack Obama

4 candidates?
Obama, McCain, unknown 1 and unknown 2 (both 3% of votings or so)

Riight "4"...

There's no perfect word to call them, cause it's a tricky country name to give to it's inhabitants, what we in spanish call "adjetivos gentilicios"(adjectives that refers to the nationality of the natives of a determined country, I think there's no word in english for this adjectives). But the name of the country itself reveals that they aren't America, only that they are the union of several states placed in the american continent, so call them america is plain wrong, as calling it's natives, americans(they are, but not the only ones). But that isn't the problem, the problem is that America and americans were names previously given to the contintent and to the inhabitants of that continent, there lies the problem. To me the best way to call them is, same as in spanish, estadounidenses = united staters, if you want it in a single word, staters would fit almost perfectly, as also USA is sometimes referred as "The States", so calling the inhabitants of "The States", "staters" would be almost perfect. Even when other countires have a similar name, like Mexico, which it's complete name is Estados Unidos Mexicanos = United Mexican States, it's inhabitants are named mexicans, so there's no confusion there.

The name american used to refer to themselves(US citizens), I think, came from the Monroe Doctrine(before that, America meant only the continent, and americans were only the inhabitants of the continent), well, to be more specific came when the Mornoe doctrine was given a different meaning to it's original, when USA grew stronger and became a world potence and the possiblity of communism spreading through America(the continent)was a threat to America(the country). But I won't refer to the Monroe doctrine cause US citizens, united staters, staters, whatever you want to call them, are a little sensitive about this issues and could be offended, as they might think I'm bashing their country, which I'm not, it's just history, so read it from wikipedia: Monroe Doctrine
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Ralph Nader was at least a candidate.

so your problem was that only two were popular?

Nader has absolutely impacted elections in the past, just ask al gore.

Do you think Obama is able to change your wealth system, so you can have free public wealth system, as many europeans countries has?
In Spain Wealth system is public and it works so good, and i know in other europe countries like France or the Nordic countries they have this public sistem too ( private hospitals are allowed but public hospitals, good ones, exits)

I ask you this quetion cause i dont know if it was on Obama Program , or if people in your countrie would support this decition, if so

How would you call an inhabitant of the United States in one single world without using 'American'.

unitedstatian
or just gringo :P

in spanish there is a proper term for Usa people: "estadounidense". I don't know why english is such a poor language.

Bottom line is:
PLEASE STOP CALLING USA AMERICA!!!

Team America:
World Police
:D

What's the wealth system about? Somehow the goverment gives you money so you can be wealthy, I wish we had that system in Argentina. :P

What you mean is the Universal Health Care System. Most western countries have it, I think it's a french invention, well at least we have it for them, the generation of 1880 made Argentina emulate France and England, but most of our plublic systems are a copy of France's(metric, health, education, etc). But we are sunk in corruption so they doesn't work as good as in France, but still are quite good, thanlk to the effort of the professionals and workers. ;P
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Do you think Obama is able to change your wealth system, so you can have free public wealth system, as many europeans countries has?

I don't know what this is. If it's socialism, i don't think he could do that, nor do i think that more than 1 in 50 Americans would support it.

you think he means universal Health system??

I'm almost certain he means Universal Health Care System. But maybe not. :P

in that case no, i doubt obama will do a universal health care system. I'd think it will be more availability of healthcare, and people having greater options (not based solely on employers' plans).

Personally i don't want universal health care, i think it degrades the overall quality of the system. But i do want availability of all who need it.

it's imposible to reconcile availability for all and high quality of health care. it costs too much

i mean Sanidad Publica, however it is called in ebnglish :PççMore than a french invention, is a Keynesianism economic system ( a mix between capitalism and comunism)

@guacamole: Do you think Roosvelt was comunist or socialist? :P Health Public system dosent mean always socialism, you can have Universal Health Care System and freedom of market, like in some of the west and norh europe countries