Expanding the United States?

Question

Alright, here is a question thats going to get some angry replies, I'm sure. How would people feel if the United States expanded by admitting other nations in as states? I have always been a big advocate of expanding the United States by admitting Canada, and/or the UK, and/or Australia, etc. in as additional states. For this to work of course the Federal Government would need to be weakened to accomodate greater autonomy for the constitutant states, however, I believe that a greater union would result in prosperity for all. Everybody can see that the economy/security has improved in Europe as a result of greater economic and social integration resulting from the European Union. Why not expand the United States, at least to those nations who share similar modes of government, economics, societies, and values? I feel this would be a great improvement for both the current United States, and the new states that would be added. What does everybody else think?

http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/

Damnit, I knew I would have to do this... here is a line by line rebuttal of Ραθχελ Ν.Σ.’s response.

Why would we take the UK? It's already part of the EU. Also, Australia is doing pretty well on their own. Why would we want Canada? They don't have anything to offer us but we'd have to pay our tax dollars to maintain their country and their people.

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We would like to add the UK to the US because they share similar values, a common language, economic prosperity, virtually identical economic system, as well as a very similar political system. By you're own admission they are part of the EU, and therefore looking for greater political integration into a larger system, why not the US?

Answer 1

Fences make good friends. The same goes with allies.

Some people you like better as a neighbor than a bed partner.

How about we take care of Americas problems first? Immigration? Remove the Welfare State? Abortion? Homosexual marriage? We have bigger problems than adding more states.

Answer 2

Why would we take the UK? It's already part of the EU. Also, Australia is doing pretty well on their own. Why would we want Canada? They don't have anything to offer us but we'd have to pay our tax dollars to maintain their country and their people.

And how do you suppose we'd get these places as "states?" Just waltz in and say, 'Hey, you want us to lord over you for no particular reason?" Yeah, I'm sure that would go over well, *rolls eyes* especially with all the Anti- American sentiment that exists.

Plus, do you realize how large these places are? They are broken up into states/ territories already. If we just admitted them as a single state, they'd probably have about a bazillion representatives in the house and could pass whatever they wanted. You do realize that they also have completely different politics and ways of running their respective governments right?

Frankly, I don't want an "AU" and Australia and the UK wouldn't be part of an AU anyway due to their location. You do know that the EU has its own leader, and is not a country. It’s a bunch of countries that have their own laws, presidents, governments etc. They just have a set of other laws that they have to follow along with a separate leader over them. It’s somewhat better for them because some of those countries “recently” got out from communism (Iron Curtain Countries) so it helps them somewhat get the country up and running. Also it makes it efficient that they have the same currency because the countries are so small and are in close proximity to each other so it makes exchange faster.

We’re nowhere near the other countries you propose to “admit” to the US and we don’t use Canadian stuff enough to all have the same currency. We're already the economic superpower of the universe without expanding. Use diplomacy to get what you want with out having to support them forever with your tax dollars as a member state.

We’re already part of a stupid union of countries, it’s called the UN and frankly, we don’t need more anti-Americans telling us how to run our country.

This is just the dumbest thing I have ever heard. There is no logic or legitimate reason to even consider doing this.

Answer 3

First off, for anybody to be annexed by the US, they have to want to. The nation in question would have to hold some sort of referendum to make the decision legal, then the people of the US would have to do the same to accept them. I don't see any nation in the world wanting to become part of the US. Any nation that did so would eventually become independent again because they wouldn't want to lose their national identity, prosperity notwithstanding. Also, I don't see any government figure allowing the US government to be weakened to facilitate such a union. Power is an addictive drug and I don't see any of them letting any power go.

We would be castigated the world over for being an imperial power. Some people who had previously been enemies would become allies out of fear of our "imperialism". No matter what we would tell them and regardless of any facts to the contrary, they would believe we intend to "conquer" them next. Just like now. (I would enjoy annexing Venezuela for a few days just to see the look on Hugo Chavez's face.)

I just don't think it would work. The prosperity you mentioned would be another bone of contention with Europe in particular. They converted over to the Euro for the specific purpose of knocking off the dollar as the dominant currency in the world. Pursuit of land and money have caused all the major wars in the last few centuries. I think someone would take such acceptance to any such union that a war would inevitably follow.

Answer 4

Thats a dumb idea because mexico and canada have been trying to create a unified north america. Except they are framing the deal where canada gets over riding power and it makes America part of the british empire.

So screw that, cause America should be the power that has jurisdiction over everything.

Then mexico plans on lazily riding things out and forcing the other countries to repair its impovershed infrastructure.

What we should do is invade mexico then send all the mexicans to Iraq and take over iraq and call it mexicaq. Then ship all the janky bs broken nonsense and mexican ugly art and land marks over to mexicaq and just pick america up after the mexican american war like it should have been in the 1800's.

Maybe expand into canada a bit. Take over cuba and the poverty areas up to the panama canal and set up a mine feild as opposed to a wall. More like a death wall! Blow! Turrets! Terminators! Drones! Orbital weapons!

Then we take the oil in old-Xico.

Answer 5

I can't see any of the counties you mention being interested in being attached to the United States. Something similar is being done by free trade agreements in North America but these are far behind the European model. As a Canadian, I would be against annexation now as we were in the past. We do share common interests with the U.S. and work together on may fronts. Things are fine just the way they are but having an independent voice is very important to us.

Answer 6

Canada has had the right to join the US since your nation was founded. No Canadian in their right mind would willingly join the US. We have our own history, our own culture and if in 1776, a few hundred thousand people saw no need to join, I seriously doubt 30 plus million would consider it either. Nice dream you have though. Use up all your own resources and hope someone joins you so you can use those too. I hope you wake up soon and realize not all want to be American. Before you all take my stance as anti-American, it is not, it is Pro-Canadian. Both sets of my grandparents were American and my wife is a direct descendant of a U.S. President. You make decent neighbors but are a shade too paranoid for my liking and way too gun happy. Have a great day and try not to piss off another country today.

Answer 7

The European Economic Community is essentially a treaty which results in the comingling of economic interests of the participants - it is not an absorption of any one country by another. In fact, I doubt that any of the members would want their sovreignty and independence relinquished by becoming part of one or another super-nation. Similarly, the countries you mentioned are independent states, and even (in the case of the UK) having a different form of government - a titular monarchy governed by a parliamentary democracy. The benefits you suggest can be achieved by "admitting" other nations as states can more practically be (and, in many cases, are) achieved via treaties and economic and military alliances. Your suggestion would lead to a disjointed, highly taxed, and unwieldy conglomeration but, in any event, I don't think any of the nations you mentioned would want to be our next North Dakota.