Belgium's World Record
The European country has gone nearly 300 days without a government. By Brian Palmer, Slate Magazine
Belgium tied Iraq on Tuesday for a very special world record: Number of days without a new government. (It's been 289 days since the inconclusive June 13, 2010, election.) Has living without a government made any difference to the Belgian people?
Not really. It's not quite accurate to say the country is without a government. In parliamentary systems like that of Belgium or the United Kingdom, the existing ministers remain in office when Parliament is dissolved in anticipation of an election. In the event that the elections are inconclusive, the ministers continue to perform their functions. They can't undertake controversial new initiatives, because they don't have a parliamentary majority to approve it, but they can accomplish administrative tasks. The Belgian federal government has a fairly limited portfolio by European standards, dealing mainly with defense, foreign relations, social security, and the judiciary. In these areas, it's been able to manage. For example, Belgium sent four F-16 jets and 150 military personnel to help with the Libyan no-fly zone.
Quick, Sevesteen! Fly to Belgium and enjoy!
Link to original post: http://www.slate.com/id/2289797/?from=rss
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3 comments:
Interesting, Mo.
Rachel Maddow had a whale of a show Tuesday night, pointing out that Republican governors won elections last fall selling SMALLER, LESS INTRUSIVE (LIMITED) GOVERNMENT... but now that they're in, they are GIVING us LARGER INTRUSIVE GOVERNMENT.
Getting pretty Big Brother. Like in Michigan, demanding emails of university professors who write to Rachel Maddow, or talk about union stripping next door in Wisconsin.
That's not smaller, limited government is it? And the Mackinac foundations proposing heavy handed conservative governemnt are funded by billionaire libertarians like the Koch Brothers.
Heavy handed Libertarians? Isn't that an oxymoron?
Yeah, "heavy-handed Libertarians" is one. Then there's "big-government, small government Republicans". That seems to fit them, too.
Lots of "morons" running around anymore, isn't there? Oxymorons and then the regular, run of the mill morons. Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann and Christine O'Donnell come to mind first and then, to prove I'm not being a Liberal, Leftist sexist here, there's the stalwarts of Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity and all too many over at Faux News.
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