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    <title><![CDATA[Discussion on How China is taking over Italy ]]></title>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172]]></link>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Just an example of the consequences.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57987]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Ultimately, the borrower becomes slave to the lender.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57987]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[JohnMcGrew@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:35:24 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Long term vs term limits]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57735]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[The advantage to long term elected officials is that it takes time to learn the ins and outs of congress, it takes time to build a reputation that puts a congress critter on a committee and eventually become the chair for the committee.  The disadvantage of a long term official is that they get too ingrained into the political machine and forget who their constituents are.  Term limits would only work if everyone elected had those limits.]]></description>
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        <dc:creator><![CDATA[sboverie]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:57:28 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Pet peeve alert.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57720]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I hate people who complain about the evils of long term elected officials, yet keep reelecting the same people over and over.Monitored elected officials are far better than unelected bureaucrats appointed by a usually faceless group of ruling elite.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57720]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Hates Idiots]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:43:01 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[In a perfect world...]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57714]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[the public servants should be the most efficient people in their community.I guess that in such kind of society, there would be necessary a law to 'obligate' those efficient people to work for the community for a giving period of time before being replaced, meaning, people really efficient would be more interested in other things than running public services, or in other words, we keep elected politicians for lack of good alternatives and therefore, we base our leaders selection on promises and agendas of groups of interests.]]></description>
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        <dc:creator><![CDATA[FuzzyIce]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:07:08 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Awkward situation]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57707]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[The unelected technocrats are put in charge to clean up the mess that the elected officials made.  The unelected technocrats have a freedom from having to campaign for the position, they can push through changes that might help while they are under the pressure to do something and dealing with opposing factions.  The problem with too many elected officials is their ambition is not matched by their abilities to solve problems important to the majority.  It also points out a flaw in the constituents who vote on a gut level and not intelligently.  I prefer democracy over technocracy but I would like to see technically proficient types be seen as leaders.  I prefer intelligent statesmen over the partisan ones.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57707]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[sboverie]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:18:40 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[none of it matters.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57706]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[The west has become a lazy place  full of lazy people.  35 hour weeks.. etc   the only way Europe and Britain can get out of this mess is by working again..  ..  and getting rid of all the illegal scroungers they let in.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57706]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[jameswrightone@...]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:16:36 -0800</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Here's the problem.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-8172-57694]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[The technocrat's judgment is easily clouded over by political bias and bullying.  And no one really cares about who's in charge of Italy and Greece anyway, because both are headed for failure with or without technocrats.The ECB refuses to act as the lender of last resort, and there is no flexibility in EU's partners to shoulder costs of a bailout of a sovereign entity, not to mention the domino effect on banks.  The Euro will be dead shortly.]]></description>
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        <dc:creator><![CDATA[gork platter]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 06:50:08 -0800</pubDate>
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