Word: majority
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...political. The advocates of the EMU see it as an important step toward creating a strong political union. The idea of a United States of Europe was conceived at the end of World War II by politicians who believed that abolishing national governments would prevent a repetition of the major wars that had engulfed Europe during the previous 75 years...
Although this argument seems far less persuasive after 50 years of European peace, the single currency is applauded by European federalists as an important step toward a federal government. Since there is no major country in the world that does not have its own currency, abolishing national currencies is a major move toward abolishing European national states. When Spaniards and Italians have euros in their pockets instead of pesetas or lire, they are bound to feel more like "Europeans...
Transferring monetary policy to the new European Central Bank is a major step in shifting power away from national governments. Although the motivation for the move to a single currency is political, it will have important economic effects. European countries will have higher unemployment because a single currency and a one-size-fits-all monetary policy will not be able to accommodate national differences in cyclical conditions. Outside the EMU, when growth slows and unemployment rises, a fall in a country's interest rates can provide an offsetting stimulus to demand. But with a single currency for all Europe, there...
...radically different environments and is biased against poorer kids," says Etta Kralovec, director of educational studies at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. In the early '90s she surveyed Maine high school dropouts, who all cited their inability to keep up with homework as a major factor in the decision to leave school. Kralovec's solution to the inequities: "Homework should be done in school by all students--poor, middle and upper class--so that they all have the same access to computers and teachers." Boston's Dorchester High School has taken a step in that direction...
Only California has a major state program; it began a year ago with a budget of $5 million. Only a fifth of that has been spent, and there are limitations, chiefly that the state can't do much for witnesses who don't want to switch jobs, change their kids' schools and otherwise uproot themselves for a court case...