Euro

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  • Reply 21 of 41
    [quote]Originally posted by ZO:

    <strong>On another note, while I may appear a bit biased, I think the Italian Euro coins are the nicest. The Finnish ones are pretty nice too. All the others are pretty bland. Luxembourg, Spain, Holland, Belgium all have a royal's head (boring), the french one has boring hexagons on it and a few other boring things, and the german one has that odd eagle on almost all of them too.

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Si, è vero.



    Sei un' italiano emigrato o come mai ti trovi in Belgio?
  • Reply 22 of 41
    [quote]Originally posted by Amorya:

    <strong>



    I wish the UK would make their mind up! We're still in the 'err, we might do someday... perhaps' mood at the moment.



    Amorya</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Yes but it is slightly different for us than for most of the countries joining the Euro. Most of the countries joining have (until January) a low value unit of currency i.e. you can buy almost nothing with 1 Franc. But because the UK had late decimalization (the early 70's) 1 pound is still worth quite a lot i.e most chocolate bars & cans of drink are well under a pound as are all dally papers.

    So while in France you will be able to get more stuff for 1 Euro than 1 Franc (The French version of 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' is going to have to give away loads more cash)

    If the Uk joined up it would be opposite, by a massive margin 1 Euro is worth about 60p. So stuff (at a glance) is going to look almost twice as expensive. ('Millionaire' would be giving less cash here)

    It's a psychological thing
  • Reply 23 of 41
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    How does it work in the USA? I never worked there... If I live in NYC and then move to Atlanta, say, do I need to 'unregister' myself from NYC and let the city of Atlanta know I live there?



    heh that's a funny thought. but no you don't have to do nothing of the sort. you are pretty much free to move from state to state at will, unless you are a registered child molester or are restricted to because of some criminal activity.
  • Reply 24 of 41
    All economic factors aside (because I know nothing about them), the Euro is one gorgeous looking currency. I really wish the US had taken some initiative when we redesigned our bills to bring them up to date stylistically, rather than just adding security features and keeping the same old boring dead guys on green paper motif.
  • Reply 25 of 41
    [quote]Originally posted by poor taylor:

    <strong>the Euro is one gorgeous looking currency.</strong><hr></blockquote>

    IMHO I think the Euro notes look like someone went a bit mad with the crayons. money needs to look important, not like a 'fun colored picture'

    <strong> [quote]I really wish the US had taken some initiative when we redesigned our bills to bring them up to date stylistically, rather than just adding security features and keeping the same old boring dead guys on green paper motif.</strong><hr></blockquote>

    They could have even just made them different sizes. How is some one with really bad sight supposed to tell one green rectangular bit of paper from another?
  • Reply 26 of 41
    janejane Posts: 68member
    Another reason why Europe is such a great place to live; easy to work from one country to the other and now same money. It makes sense.
  • Reply 27 of 41
    Can someone post a picture of the Euro here?
  • Reply 28 of 41
    imacfpimacfp Posts: 750member
    [quote]Originally posted by ZO:

    <strong>

    How does it work in the USA? I never worked there... If I live in NYC and then move to Atlanta, say, do I need to 'unregister' myself from NYC and let the city of Atlanta know I live there?[ 12-29-2001: Message edited by: ZO ]</strong><hr></blockquote>



    If you're a non-citizen you do have to "register" (hopefully they do so) to live in the US for an extended period of time.

    If you're a citizen you don't need to of course, but you would need a new drivers license and would start paying taxes in that new state, etc. My point is somebody would know you left and arrived but they can't review or stop you from doing it.
  • Reply 29 of 41
    imacfpimacfp Posts: 750member
    [quote]Originally posted by poor taylor:

    <strong> I really wish the US had taken some initiative when we redesigned our bills to bring them up to date stylistically, rather than just adding security features and keeping the same old boring dead guys on green paper motif.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Perhaps so but I think from a physiological stand point the power of that "black and green" paper can't be underestimated. In many places our currency is the only currency.



    Chris
  • Reply 30 of 41
    peperonepeperone Posts: 204member
    [quote]Originally posted by MacAgent:

    <strong>Can someone post a picture of the Euro here?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    <a href="http://www.cnnitalia.it/2001/DOSSIER/euro/pop.monete/frameset.exclude.html"; target="_blank">http://www.cnnitalia.it/2001/DOSSIER/euro/pop.monete/frameset.exclude.html</a>;
  • Reply 31 of 41
    [quote]Originally posted by trick fall:

    <strong>



    Why exactly are their taxes too high?



    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Not so much that their taxes are too high. But if they look at another country and see a different tax structure you can either change that one to match yours or change yours to match the other.



    What I read was the complaint that taxes were too low and that the economy in that area was growing too much. Too much for who? The EU or the people who are working? So they wanted a tax increase to be in line with everyone else and slow the groth.
  • Reply 32 of 41
    peperonepeperone Posts: 204member
    Rumors say the Euro notes don't fit in French wallets. This will cause a global economic disruption.
  • Reply 33 of 41
    [quote]Originally posted by Infinite Void:

    <strong>Rumors say the Euro notes don't fit in French wallets. This will cause a global economic disruption.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    The French have money?



    I though all the Euros were using that super chip card thingy that I saw all over. That was years ago. Don't they all pay be cell phone or something like that? They still use cash?
  • Reply 34 of 41
    smalmsmalm Posts: 677member
    [quote]Originally posted by MacAgent:

    <strong>Can someone post a picture of the Euro here?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    <a href="http://www.euro.ecb.int/en/section/euro0/specific.html"; target="_blank">http://www.euro.ecb.int/en/section/euro0/specific.html</a>;



    If I had to choose one, I like the italien 1 Euro most.
  • Reply 35 of 41
    [quote]Originally posted by poor taylor:

    <strong>All economic factors aside (because I know nothing about them), the Euro is one gorgeous looking currency. </strong><hr></blockquote>



    The euro was designed by some Belgian (not me. Don't even think that), on a

    Mac , using illustrator and photoshop. Maybe he enjoyed the watercolour filter sooooo much, he overused it?



    The Vatican Euro has the pope's head on it, I heard. LOL.



    Damn. It just occured to me that I still haven't got any paper or coin Euro :eek: I should get out more instead of looking at threads about MWSF



    BTW, my own bank accounts and savings stuff and such have been in Euro for about two years. Likewise with payments and bills (I choose it that way). For me the transition is quite the non-event. All in all, it is a non-event, but hey they have do report on something on the news.



    The major drawback to the Euro now is that prices have gone up by about 7% . That's not nice



    I also have to agree with Anders, in that the Euro in itself is pretty much a doorstop. Other things like national souvereignity, taxes, pensions need to be brought in line first. But that's probably too hard for the politicians?
  • Reply 36 of 41
    [quote]Originally posted by Mediaman:

    <strong>

    Yes but it is slightly different for us than for most of the countries joining the Euro. Most of the countries joining have (until January) a low value unit of currency i.e. you can buy almost nothing with 1 Franc...



    It's a psychological thing</strong><hr></blockquote>



    The relative worthlessness of the franc to the pound is a function of the monetary stability England has had relative to France. It has nothing to do with decimalization.



    Also, London has been a financial center for centuries now. Abandoning the pound in favor of the Euro may affect this. The U.K. treats the taxation of capital differently than does the continent. If they have to harmonize their taxes in favor of the EU, this competitive advantage will be eroded.
  • Reply 37 of 41
    Andrew Sullivan's take:



    <a href="http://www.andrewsullivan.com/main_article.php?artnum=20011230&switch=1"; target="_blank">Euro-Indifference</a>



    The right approach to the European currency




    [quote]Wim Duisenberg might be in a lather of excitement, but the introduction of euro notes and coins this New Year's Day should be called what it actually is: a substantive non-event. Economically, the shift means very little. The currencies that still have bits of paper and shards of metal as their real-world incarnation this weekend died a while ago. The francs and pesetas and marks that still exist are living posthumously. What happens as 2002 begins is therefore not a real change, as even the euro-fanatics concede. It's the tidying up of something that has already been decided, in most cases without any genuine democratic input. Think of it as what happens when a couple of giant companies merge. The next thing that happens is the CEOs come up with a new brand name. The name isn't significant as such. It's often as abstract and unworldly as the tedious architectural images on the new euro notes. The euro, in this sense, is the Diageo or Accenture of the merger that was completed a while back by the men in suits. And just as merged companies have to change their letterheads and ads and logos, so Euroland governments are rebranding their currencies to reflect reality. It's all about p.r. and hype.



    But that, of course, doesn't mean that the hype won't work to some extent. When Spaniards visit Dublin and use the same notes and coins as they do in Seville, they will surely feel part of the same community in a way they didn't before. When Italians go to Amsterdam, they will feel something similar. This is what physical currencies do. They act on a psychological plane. One of the great achievements of the Anglo-Saxons in pre-modern England was to establish a unified currency and managed by that simple mechanism to shore up their political legitimacy. That's why the Queen is on the British currency and why George Washington is on the dollar bill. Symbols matter in politics. Currencies are a great marketing tool for governments to project the desired image to their shareholders and customers, i.e. you and me.



    Beneath the hype, that's surely the point of the entire project. And when you realize that, it becomes easier to see the entire phenomenon with some perspective. This has nothing to do with European "destiny." There is nothing inevitable about it. It may make sense for some smaller countries, and even some bigger ones. Those few living breathing normal Europeans who actually get a thrill out of a transnational identity will have a ball. The majority who don't will worry about price gouging, and counterfeits. The intelligent response, however, is neither Euro-fanaticism nor Euro-skepticism. It's Euro-indifference...<hr></blockquote>
  • Reply 38 of 41
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    [quote]Originally posted by roger_ramjet:

    <strong>Andrew Sullivan's take:



    <a href="http://www.andrewsullivan.com/main_article.php?artnum=20011230&switch=1"; target="_blank">Euro-Indifference</a>



    The right approach to the European currency




    </strong><hr></blockquote>

    i understand the thesis and found it fine, but i dont understand the conclusion : why do we have to be euroindifferent ? I don't see the connexion with what he said before.

    Of course : euro already exist, the difference is only that we use the same money, the other is that we can make direct comparison of prize in the whole euroland (considering prize whithout taxes),adn we can travel without changing money (and that's not a minor change indeed)

    This is an evidence that the major change is the feeling to be european: but it is an important change that people from different nations that have strugle between them during centuries, think they belong to the same big community : europe.



    Sometimes symbol are more important than reality.
  • Reply 39 of 41
    [quote]Originally posted by powerdoc:

    <strong>

    Sometimes symbol are more important than reality.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I don't agree. A currency can be an important symbol, yes. But more importantly it's a tool. And unless Europeans want the Euro to become a symbol of an economic fiasco, they'll do well to keep this in mind.



    December 31, 2001



    Commentary




    <a href="http://interactive.wsj.com/archive/retrieve.cgi?id=SB1009747651965217120.djm"; target="_blank">The Euro Is Here</a>. (registration required)

    Now It Needs to Get Stronger.



    By Arthur B. Laffer, founder and chairman of Laffer Associates, an economic research and consulting firm based in San Diego



    [quote]For any lesser goal, the missteps, foibles, embarrassments and absolute travesties the euro has suffered during its prolonged birth would have sufficed to terminate the experiment. But no matter how poorly constructed, improperly implemented and badly executed the euro has been at the hands of Europe's bumbling politicians, we all know full well that Nobel laureate Robert Mundell's vision of a common European currency is fundamentally correct.



    The euro simply cannot fail. The era of balkanized monopolies spewing heterogeneous paper spray-painted with portraits of the least attractive people known to have ever lived is over. Tomorrow, there is only one European currency. Long live the euro.



    By praising the euro I in no way mean to denigrate the dollar. Our Federal Reserve, led during the past two decades by Paul Volcker and Alan Greenspan, has resurrected the dollar from the laughing stock it was in the late 1970s to the best money the world has ever seen. It's now time for the European Central Bank to emulate Messrs. Volcker and Greenspan and do the euro proud. They still have a long way to go.



    During the past seven years, the actual and synthetic euro has depreciated by over 33% against the dollar. Global businesses don't like holding assets that depreciate, and to the extent they can, they'll substitute out of the depreciating asset and into appreciating assets. This is what economists call the substitution of monies in demand. In more common parlance it's called "capital flight," "hot money," or a "run on the currency."



    Whatever it's given name, businesses sell off a weak currency and buy a strong currency, which only makes the strong currency stronger and the weak currency weaker. This now is the number one problem the euro faces. The euro must become a strong currency on par with the dollar.



    The number two problem is best exemplified by ECB Chairman Wim Duisenberg's total disregard for the falling euro and his naively complacent references to stable monetary aggregates and stable European price indices, all the while poo-poohing the falling euro. I'm still at a loss to know what he was doing in the 1970s when we all learned firsthand just how bitter the fruits of devaluation really are.



    Europe has been able to get away with a falling currency for the past several years because of the enormous reservoir of demand brought on by currency consolidation. But this consolidation-induced demand won't last forever. It's about time Europe's central bankers straightened up and flew right. They need to jealously protect the value of the euro in all markets including the European goods market, the foreign exchange market and the bond market. A falling value of the euro in any of these markets is a sign of weakness and won't long be tolerated by global market makers. Strong economies don't have weak currencies...<hr></blockquote>



    [ 01-07-2002: Message edited by: roger_ramjet ]</p>
  • Reply 40 of 41
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    [quote]Originally posted by roger_ramjet:

    <strong>



    [ 01-07-2002: Message edited by: roger_ramjet ]</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Euro is not an economic fiasco, because euro bring stability : a huge boat is more stable than a small one.



    In this quote i see that the author is disapointed by the fact that euro is too devaluate to his opinion. I can add that the Dollars is too expansive : that's not good for the US exportation and it is good for importation.

    This year The american car industry is in trouble : too much importation (BMW increase is sell in US by a 10 % factor : the poor value of the euro was good for BMW ...).



    Europe prevents governements to do stupid things in orders to have some more votes. Euro give them obligations : they can't devaluate their currency if they will, they have the obligation to stop their deficits ...

    All europeans contry are in the same ship, so they control what their neighboors are making to avoid economic fiasco. Things will become more complicated, but stability will increase. And stability is a very important point for the growth of economy.
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