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On Mon, 2/1/16, Knapp <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: [TML] Understanding World Domination.
 To: xxxxxx@simplelists.com
 Date: Monday, February 1, 2016, 6:30 AM

 OK, I was reading
 history about the USA. It seems we offered Spain a GREAT
 deal of money to buy Cuba from them but they said no. This
 got me to wondering why we don't buy other places. Why
 not just buy a country from its people? I mean go in and say
 to everyone in Cuba, we will give each person 20,000$ USD
 and the top people even more, if they agree to become a
 state of the United states. Why do the war thing? Why not
 just ask the people? They can vote on it or the top rules
 can make a choice. I could see this as being a good way to
 go for a lot of poor lands. Then the USA would grow and
 people would mostly be happy, much more happy than if we had
 bombed them or grabbed them like HI. So why is this not
 done? If it could be done then it seems like in traveller it
 might be a good way for an empire to acquire new planets.
 Just seems there must be some reason because I have never
 heard of it being done in real life.

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Well, just look at Zimbabwe for example. That would seem ripe for a 'buy-out'.
But then Mugabe wouldn't be 'God-King' anymore & he & his cronies would lose out big time.
Besides, what about all those people? Would they be able to stay or would they have to go?
Would they become US citizens? How much would they cost in entitlements once they burned thru the payout?
(note: we picked up Puerto Rico & the Philippines pretty easily but neither one turned into a very good deal in the long run. Just look at Puerto Rico right now. Practically bankrupt & they probably would be except that the territory isn't allowed to.)
Spain probably should've grabbed the deal but, who knows, maybe it would've triggered yet another civil war over there.

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