XPost: soc.culture.baltics, soc.culture.czecho-slovak, soc.culture.russian   
   XPost: soc.culture.nordic   
   From: valtsu@stadissa.fi   
      
   James A. Donald wrote:   
   > On Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:44:09 +0300, Anton    
   > wrote:   
   >> Exactly. "Productive" is key here. I honestly don't belive a country can   
   >> remain productive for an extended period of time if there is a "vampire"   
   >> sucking all blood out but not injecting anything back.   
   >   
   > Why not?   
   >   
   > All the more productive countries are in exactly this situation, some   
   > more than others.  The richer you are, the more threats you get, the   
   > easier seems to pay off those making threats.  Who is paying the   
   > Palestinian terrorists?  The answer is, in large part, Israeli and   
   > American taxpayers.   
   >   
   > Of course the weaker you are, the more you get threatened - Hong Kong   
   > and Singapore have to make particularly big payouts, thought not, of   
   > course, as big as Finland did - does not seem to slow them down.   
   >   
   Well then, has it really slowed Finland down?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)