American Delusionalism?

Julia Shaw / March 16, 2011

Like an eager kid who desperately wants to be included in his cooler older brother’s activities, America looks to the European Union for cues on sophisticated governance. But what happens when that cooler older brother is middle-aged, unemployed, and still living in your parents’ basement? This is America’s dilemma. Will America learn from Europe’s mistakes? Or, will America continue to be enamored with the European Union, despite its failed policies and unsound philosophical grounding?

Practical problems of governance abound in the EU. Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France all agree: multiculturalism has failed completely. French President Nicolas Sarkozy admits, “We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him.” Look no further than Greece for proof that the cradle-to-grave welfare state is financially unsustainable. Unemployment benefits, pensions, child-care subsidies, free university education, generous paid vacation and holiday leave, and government-provided health care—these programs cost money and require a robust economy to support the social-welfare safety net. As Europe’s population grows older and grayer, demands for more entitlements continue to increase. An ever-expanding welfare state needs the pitter-patter of little feet to fund it in the future. With the current declining fertility rates, by 2050 the European Union economies will have a mere two workers for every retiree. (more…)