The European Union: A Study on Overreach and Economic Issues

Ryan Purkait

Mrs. Alldredge

History 8

7 June 2017

How can we solve some of the key disadvantages of having a centralized government like the European Union (EU)? Currently, the EU lacks efficient communication channels, and it uses them very rarely. Another massive disadvantage is the economies of involved countries all are hurt when one country needs a bailout or goes into a depression. One simple solution would be to abolish the entire EU and to replace it with a peace treaty and a 100% free trade deal which would continue off the better aspects of the EU. Another more complicated situation would be to remove the centralized currency and economy making the impact of economic crises less spread out.

The European Union is a large coalition of 28 countries. The EU originally started as the European Economic Community in 1958 (European Union Website) with the goal of improving economic cooperation between the members. As the community expanded, it changed to the European Union in 1993 (European Union Website). This new organization was created to be in charge of managing policy for health to external relations and security, justice and migration. Additionally, in 1999 the Euro was introduced as a virtual currency across the EU for cashless payments. The Euro evolved into a full blown currency in 2002 when banknotes and coins began to be minted (European Union Website).

A few key problems with the EU are how its globalized currency can cause problems for all of the involved countries. Because the Euro only unites all of the countries currencies and not the economic policies, this can be a recipe for disaster. As seen by the Greek Financial Crisis, which was caused by poor government management, the Euro took a massive plunge in its value. Greece had to take many bailouts which they could not pay back, which was one of the causes of the sharp decline of the Euro (Greek). Another problem is the strain placed on member countries to keep up with the refugee crisis. The EU has accepted over 300 thousand refugees, but almost 140 thousand of them reside in Germany putting a strain on the government and public resources that Germany provides (Migrant). As many of the refugees do not speak German, this can cause problems for the job market losing out on a good supply of workers. The lack of working refugees can cause problems for the governments if they have to pay for the costs associated with refugees if they cannot support themselves. Another issue would be the lack and inefficiency of communication that the EU has. The headquarters in Brussels publishes press reports almost daily, but they are in different languages and usually, don’t propagate across most of the citizens. These inconsistent press reports can leave the very people needed to support the EU in the dark about what is going on in the EU. These problems can lead to serious consequences that have been shown time and time again.

The adverse effects of the Euro are that all of the countries using the Euro are affected when one has an economic failure. When the entire currency is being used across one of the largest markets in the world, but the market has different policies on how the currency can be managed in different locations, that can cause significant problems. It is severe when the Euro is considered the second most valuable currency just below the dollar. The connected economy can cause various consequences that were shown by the Greece debt crisis. One consequence was that countries using the Euro must agree to cut back government spending, which would lead to a decline in economic growth. Second, Eurobonds were introduced which could cause the US Treasury to compete with eurozone countries, increasing interest rates back in the US. To counter these very serious negatives with the EU. some countries have already attempted and tried solutions.

A few solutions have already been sought to improve the EU or the position of its member countries. One major solution is the United Kingdom’s Sterling Pound, which is a separate currency that has distanced itself from the declining Euro. A separate currency isn’t the best solution, however. The UK (while it is still in the EU), has to be under the policies that the EU introduces, which can lead to problems with corporations like the EU v. Apple and EU v. Microsoft, which can hurt the economy further. A much more extreme solution would be to depart from the EU as “Brexit” did. This solution can cause problems with trade relations and immigration of already integrated migrants.

My solution is to move the EU into a simpler less overreaching organization. The goal would be remove the euro and revert to currencies set by the countries and their respective economic policies. A global conversion rate should be set by the EU to keep trading simple. On the topic of trading, I believe that there should be no tariffs on trades within the EU and that should be maintained without forcing corporations to deal with strict and confining regulations. As the EU has maintained peace for the past 70 years, they should take steps to continue on this long time of nonviolence by combining all of the militaries of the member countries, creating coalition similar to NATO. All of these reductions in control should fix the problems caused by the globalized currency and overreaching immigration and business policies. Compared to the previous solution this solution keeps peace and trade deals in mind. Once Brexit succeeds, the UK will have to arrange trade deals with the EU and other nations instead of having already implemented policies.

Overall, the EU is in a rocky patch right now. A few of member countries are considering departing, and the currency, which is quite volatile, is beginning a slow deterioration. On top of that, the EU is caught up taking in the refugees fleeing the battle zone in the Middle East putting unnecessary strain on member countries. With some reform and improvements, it would be possible to turn the EU into a more transparent and less overreaching organization that leaves countries up to their own devices, improving peace, economics, and trade.

Works Cited

"COUNTRY COMPARISON :: POPULATION." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 17 May 2017.

"European Union Website, the Official EU Website." European Union Website, the Official EU Website - European Commission. European Union, n.d. Web. 17 May 2017.

"European Union." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 May 2017. Web. 17 May 2017.

"Federal Regulations Have Made You 75 Percent Poorer." Federal Regulations Have Made You 75 Percent Poorer - Reason.com. Reason.com, 21 June 2013. Web. 6 June 2017.

"GDP (current US$)." GDP (current US$) | Data. World Bank, n.d. Web. 17 May 2017.

"Greek Government-debt Crisis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 May 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Kenny, Thomas. "What Is the European Debt Crisis?" What Is the European Debt Crisis? The Balance, 21 Feb. 2017. Web. 17 May 2017.

"Migrant Crisis: Migration to Europe Explained in Seven Charts." BBC News. BBC, 04 Mar. 2016. Web. 26 May 2017.

Politico. "How to Solve Europe’s Migration Crisis." POLITICO. POLITICO, 08 Feb. 2016. Web. 24 May 2017.

Transformation Abstract

How can we solve some of the key disadvantages of having a centralized government like the European Union (EU)? Currently the EU lacks efficient communication channels and it uses them very rarely. Another massive disadvantage is the economies of involved countries all are hurt when one country needs a bailout or goes into a depression. One simple solution would to be abolish the entire EU and replacing it with a peace treaty and a 100% free trade deal which would continue off the good aspects of the EU. Another more complex situation would to be remove the centralized currency and economy making the impact less spread out.

RAFT

• May 17, 1954 - Brown v. Board of Education (Segregation is schools is outlawed)
• December 1, 1955 - Rosa Parks refuses to give up bus seat (Starts Montgomery Bus Boycott lead by MLK)
• December 20, 1956 - Montgomery Bus Boycott ends
• September 25, 1957 - President Eisenhower sends troops to a high school (Troops protect nine children at school for a year)
• February 1, 1960 - Greensboro Protesting begins (Four college students do sit-in protests)
• April 3, 1963 - Protests begin in Birmingham, Alabama
• August 28, 1963 - March for freedom in Washington D.C. (250k+ people march, MLK gives his "I have a dream" speech.)
• April 3, 1964 - Malcom X, an African American Muslim advocate gives a famous speech
• July 2, 1964 - Civil Rights Act is signed into Law (Signed by President Johnson)
• February 21, 1965 - Malcom X is assassinated.
• August 6, 1965 - Voting Rights Act is signed (Outlawed literacy tests to prevent blacks from voting)
• April 4, 1968 - MLK is assassinated in Tennesse (Shoot is arrested and convicted) 
  

Wonder, A Transformational Book

In Wonder, the main character suffers from a condition that deformed his face. After being homeschooled for most of his life, he has to go to a middle school. He is faced with the challenges of making friends and fitting in with a normal school environment. Most of the kids at the school are accepting, but a select group of kids target the main character and make life harder for him. The book really shows the power of kindness as most of the school rises up against the mean ones. The book is also transformative in that it shows how the main character's friends and family are affected by his deformation.

Roosevelt's New Deal

     As Franklin Delano Roosevelt was being elected, he promised to make a new deal for the American people. One thing this deal did was help reduce unemployment and help people who were unable to work survive with the little funds they had. The Federal Emergency Relief Act, which was brought about from the New Deal, helps subsidize the cost of people who need food or assistance. Another part of the New Deal's financial aid was the Social Security Act. This helped to fund elderly people and people who were disabled that couldn't find work.

     The agriculture industry was also changed quite a bit by the New Deal. Before Congress created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, farmers couldn't sell crops and livestock at a price high enough to support their family and they could lose their farms and jobs. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration paid farmers to sell less food driving prices higher and helping them continue to farm. In a response to the Dust Bowl, the Soil Conservation Service was founded to help protect the top soil that was crucial to farming.

     One major problem from the Great Depression was the banking system. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was founded and guaranteed banks deposits up to $2,500. Because of this, the public regained trust in the banking system, that it wouldn't fail again. One major cause of the crash was due to ignorance of investments. The Securities and Exchange Commission was formed and it required investors to be transparent in what they did.

     Before the depression, workers rights weren't the most respected thing. The National Recovery Agency was formed to help regulate how workers were rewarded and what conditions they had to work in. They also helped to make sure that companies couldn't suddenly shut down due to a disaster.

Morality and Decisions: How I've Been Influenced

Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor, once said “Let us not forget, after all, that there is always a moment when the moral choice is made. Often because of one story or one book or one person, we are able to make a different choice, a choice for humanity, for life.”

One story that influenced my ideas was the book Wonder, I really thought about how words and judging people by how they look can really affect them. The story is about a boy whose face has a deformity. Once he went to school, he was prejudged by all of the other children because of his deformity. The book made me think about how I prejudge other people just the way they look. Just by seeing what others wear or do, I think whether they are rich or not, or by hearing what they see, thinking whether they are rude or not. After reflecting on the quote with what the book has taught me, I can see how to be more of a caring person in society. Not looking at who someone is on the outside can be really beneficial. For example, you could make a new connection with someone whereas you wouldn’t have if you judged them just by how they looked or spoke.

Another story that influenced my thoughts was, learning about what happened during the holocaust to Anne Frank. After seeing how and why she was persecuted, my thoughts were influenced to feel for people that are being judged just by believing something harmless. She had to hide away from her neighbors and the Nazis because they would be judged by how they looked and what they believed in. The story of Anne Frank has helped me reflect on how to be a better person in society by not judging beliefs. In today’s current society, this is happening more and more with Islamic refugees and immigrants being denied entry to the United States just based on what they believe in.

Overall after reading Wonder and learning about Anne Frank, I see the importance and effects of judging people just by they way they are on the outside, without consideration of who they could be on the inside.

Museum of Tolerance

     My time at the museum was an enjoyable experience. During the experience, I felt like the atmosphere of the museum was amplified by our tour guide, Walter. He made everything seem very serious and intense by emphasizing on the tragedies that happened during the holocaust and making it our responsibility to make sure history won't repeat. We also heard a lot about how many of the victims of the holocaust felt. The people who escaped felt survivor's guilt, a sadness that they couldn't help their friends and family stuck back in Nazi Germany, and the people who were imprisoned in the death camps were tortured with work and horrible living conditions.

     Now that we have been educated on the horrible events that happened during the holocaust, it is our responsibility to make sure it doesn't happen again. Near the end of our tour, our guide told us about what we could do to change the world. He told us to not take matters into our own hands and hurt others just because the world doesn't work the way you want, elect people who share similar ideals and goals.

Civil War RAFT

Dear Jefferson Davis,
     The way our nation is currently conducting itself is terrible. We have been ripped apart because of the ideals we promised to follow when founding our country and it has lead to the most bloodshed in the history of mankind. First it was the Battle of Fort Sumter and now after the tragedies that occurred in July at Gettysburg, it must stop.  If we do not reach a common ground then both of our independent states will collapse. This month, I will be honoring our fallen soldiers with a speech overlooking what the Constitution states about our principles. I suggest you also review what we believed when our nation was founded and consider what we have turned it into.

Sincerely, Union President Lincoln