Europe Isn’t Satan’s Playground
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Paul Krugman writes up something I’ve seen with my own two eyes in the last couple weeks.
The point isn’t that Europe is utopia. Like the United States, it’s having trouble grappling with the current financial crisis. Like the United States, Europe’s big nations face serious long-run fiscal issues — and like some individual U.S. states, some European countries are teetering on the edge of fiscal crisis. (Sacramento is now the Athens of America — in a bad way.) But taking the longer view, the European economy works; it grows; it’s as dynamic, all in all, as our own.
So why do we get such a different picture from many pundits? Because according to the prevailing economic dogma in this country — and I’m talking here about many Democrats as well as essentially all Republicans — European-style social democracy should be an utter disaster. And people tend to see what they want to see.
Does Europe have everything right? Do I think we should scrap the American system wholesale and follow in their footsteps? Absolutely not. It’s not all for us. We have a very different view of the world, success, and achievement than western Europe does. But, in the area of the social safety net they have some good ideas that are working hand in hand with good old American style capitalism. And much like the founders did, we should be copying the stuff that works in Europe and making our own uniquely American spin on it.
15 Responses to “Europe Isn’t Satan’s Playground”
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The views on this site are mine and mine alone, and do not reflect the views of my employer, Media Matters for America
© 2000-2011 Oliver Willis
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Where did this dogmatic hate about Europe come from? Would it be silly to suggest our conservative pals pressed this myth?
Some people are still stuck in 1964, when we really were “the greatest country on earth” and our standard of living was the envy of the world. Western Europe took a long time to recover from the ravages of World War II, but they did and in many quality of life questions, they surpassed us. It’s not just health care that is socialized and more efficient and available than our system. Most of Europe made cell phone service a public enterprise, and the reception is much better than the U.S.
It’s simple. The people who hate Europe haven’t been there.
The hate for Europe is in inverse proportion to the maximum distance the hater has been from the spot where s/he was born.
Cons demonize other coutnries so people won’t travel and see how corporations and Norquistnomics are ripping them off
Gee, other nations can have a similar level of prosperity and yet somehow manage to take care of a much larger percentage of their citizenry? As if the top five percent don’t have to hoard everything??? Who’da thunk?
Jody forgets to mention that the taxpayers of the United States have been paying for the bulk of European defense since WW2.
You really think the US wanted Europe to pay for its own defense? Who pays the piper calls the tune. If Europe paid for its own defense then it would follow a more independent policies. As it stands today, the EU is barely coming out from the US yoke. It still has a long way to go. First it has to kill NATO – an instrument that has now outlived its usefulness and is looking for a purpose in Af/Pak.
US citizens would probably have decent healthcare, decent public transit, etc., if you were not so busy subsidizing your government’s interference in other people’s countries and paying for arms and armies.
Thanks for answering that for me Jam. I was too busy smashing my head into my desk after reading that much stupidity in one post.
Gosh Jody, that concussion is probably why you are so slow to understand the economic implications of Europe getting a free ride on defense. Jamcan blames me for subsidizing european defense and thwarting his desire for a larger welfare state. Remember jam, never do for yourself when you can go on the dole and have it given to you.
Well then AO maybe you folks should wake up and close the warfare welfare kiosk.
Just imagine the economic and political implications of that move. Fool lol.
I lived in Europe for 3 years. From December 1999 to January 2000. The biggest difference between the average (notice I said the AVERAGE. I’m not over-generalizing here) European and American is our attitude towards money, success, materialism and contentment.
Americans constantly strive to accumulate wealth, status and material gain. We believe that this will make us happy and content. This is the American Dream. The average European (again, I’m talking the typical citizen) doesn’t care about such things. They’re perfectly content to have enough money to pay the rent, eat and have a good time with friends.
The stuff we care about, they don’t. What brand of clothes you wear. Who has the biggest, latest television. Having the fanciest, fastest car. Have the bigger, more decorated house. They don’t care about that kind of stuff nearly as much as we do. When I lived there, I was flabbergasted how gorgeous women who wouldn’t give you the time of day if they were American, didn’t care about how much money you made. Didn’t care about what kind of car you drove. Hell, they didn’t care if you even HAD a car. You didn’t have to take them to fancy restaurants. Just be nice to them and spend time with them. THAT made them happy. Not how much money you spent on them.
It’s the whole attitude towards what makes us happy. The average European wanted good friendships and to have a good time with those friends. THAT’S what happiness is. The average American feels that the key to happiness is to make a lot of money. We feel everything else comes with it.
That’s it in a nutshell. Are there materialistic Europeans? Of course. Are there Americans who define their happiness through there friendships and Life Adventures? Sure. But they’re not the typical European or American.
and of course I meant December 1996-January 2000
AO. The UK finished paying back the USA for the second world war about 2 years ago. It was in the news here.
Don’t try to confuse AO with facts. He’ll either ignore them or run away.
Actually, I have come to the conclusion that it is best to ignore the racist old coot all together. Don’t give him the attention he so obviously craves.
Jody forgets to mention that the taxpayers of the United States have been paying for the bulk of European defense since WW2.
Source?