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May 17, 2005 I bow to “Euro-Wienies”, and so should you. Well, ok, perhaps not bow, but I at least give a nod (respect). Europe is a big place, and it's hard to avoid generalizing, so I'm just going to generalize anyway ;) , and while I'm generalizing, when I say, “Europe” in this column, I sometimes also mean those rich, industrialized, non-American, Europe-like, nations – Canada, for example. I sometimes disagree with how the EU responds to global crisis, but that's not the focus of this piece. So, why the nod? According to the UN Human Development Index, which rates countries and their standard of living based on per capita GDP, literary rate, life expectancy and several other factors, America comes in at, [drum roll], number 8. Isn't that just about enough to pull the air out of your whistle? If we are the best nation (certainly the richest), as we are so often told during elections by politicians from both sides, why do our infants die more often? Why can't we read? Norway is currently number one, and if you click that link, you will see that Canada was in the top spot for a good deal of the 90s. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, America is not (by many measures), the best place to live – there are greener pastures. Here is what I admire about Europe [including France, Craig]:
In Germany, there is a Church tax – it's optional, but many pay it, yet they understand the value of secularism – you won't find any “Creation” battles there. In France (yes, France), some private religious schools get government funding, yet they understand the value of secularism. The secular nature that predominates most of Western Europe is a slap in the face to American Religious Conservatives. Europe has by and large a much more generous and peaceful society (in terms of crime rates, especially) than we do, and they do it without the need to let Biblical law encroach into government (almost all social indicators, teen pregnancy and the like, are lower there). Turkey, being a secular Islamic democracy, will be a good edition to the European Union (one they are ready, which seems likely to be sooner than later). Europe seems to just do many things right. They seem to have less zealously practiced in government, in my humble opinion, at least when you try to map their internal alternate views into the American framework. For example, they privatize their industries when the need arises, something which we consider a tick to the right of socialism. Here, however, a slight tax increase on anyone is treated as a Biblical sin instead of a tick to the left of capitalism. Conservatives are as Al Franken described them - they can see no wrong with America; they see America as a four year old girl sees her mother. Nationalism is not patriotism. Liberals are patriots – they see what's wrong here, they see what works there, and they want to adjust policy to find solutions, even if that policy goes against some falsely assigned ideal – Carter and his privatization policies [believed by many to a key factor in the “Reagan economy”], for example. Liberals have less ego. Conservatives with their nationalism want to legislate flag burnings and marriage, while Liberals want to educate people and raise the standards of living [Liberals by and large support Democrats, but we realize that the Democratic party doesn't always do what Liberals want, often to its own detriment]. Look folks, this is America, not Europe, we have a slightly different sensibility and I'm not suggesting that we join the European Union just yet. However, Europe has in place policies which get labeled (negatively) “Liberal” here in the USA, and this is why Conservatives spend as much time casting Europe in a negative light as they do reminding people that we have gays living among us [horrors!]. Those policies over there by and large work, and work well. I realize this might be a bit of a scare to American Conservative politicians. Europe has achieved a level of harmony that we have yet to reach in some sense. Like any nation/region, they have their set of problems – they have less natural resources than we do (continental Europe, anyway), less space by and large, and more people to fit into a smaller space – more by about 100 million as compared with the US (again, continental Europe). But I rather think they can handle their challenges in practical and non-zealous ways. They don't appear as afraid to experiment and change direction. Sometimes it works, as in the privatizations France enacted, and sometimes it doesn't – the British version of Social Security and their attempts to privatize it is a good example of such a failure. This is likely a gross oversimplification of European politics on my part, but I think my meaning is clear. How long before we reach what they've had for decades now? Why can't we have a great education, cradle to crave health coverage and low crime rates? Conservative values, by and large, do not work. 'Abstinence only education' doesn't work. Comprehensive sex education early-on works, and Europe is good evidence to that effect; similar examples such as this abound, but I don't have the time to go into them point by point. An honest effort to level the playing field doesn't guarantee good results, but starting everyone on an uneven keel all but guarantees failure for many. Quite ironically, that which is still best about America, that which the Europeans and others haven't yet taken from us, is being dismantled by the Religious Right. The current attack on science and the very public back-turning which our president does in all things scientific might in the short term make some fundamentalist Christian sects happy. In the long term, it means we lose our science-based tech creativity. In a time when we should be actively encouraging more Americans to enter science and math related fields, the very nature of science is under attack in classrooms. Many American tech-related university programs would shut down if not for foreign students. The “brain-drain” was listed as a major threat to our future well-being – it made a short list of post-Cold War dangers, alongside terrorism. Centers of innovation have shifted throughout history – right now, it's still here – but leave it to Republicans, in their effort to appease the Right [in order to win elections at any cost], and we will throw that advantage away too in the name of the “free market” or some other silly non-working ideology. How about another rating – the Economic Freedom Rating. This one isn't handled by the UN, but instead, by the Conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation. There is one that should raise the eyebrows of the true Conservatives in the US – where do we fair? We come in at number 16, folks. And who is next on the list, just one behind us? Sweden! With it's high and slanted-towards-the-rich tax rates – rates that Republicans must surely label, “satanic” [one of the heaviest tax rates, the top bracket is a whopping 60%!]. Sweden made number 17, one behind the good old US of A – does Limbaugh know? Five others from the European continent made higher on the list than we did, if I counted correctly. If Sweden with its heavily mixed economy can do so well on an 'economic freedom chart' [it also does better than us on the UN-index mentioned above], then perhaps its time to Europeanize our mixed economy and therefore invest in our people. Sweden seems to be more efficient, no? Doesn't this throw a wrench into all of that “raising taxes and giving people a living wage will do really bad things [insert some fear-mongering here]” Conservative mantra/malarkey? Of course it does – it's nonsense. Further, you will find no example of a nation in the world that you'd want to live in that praises super low taxes combined with Biblical sensibilities. We have Liberal examples, in other words, but where are the Conservative examples? [I submit Sweden as a good example of a Liberal nation; I will take, by email, submissions for examples of successful Conservative nations.] To sum it up, the over-simplistic “Europe is a bastion of godless, Liberal, communists” view that Conservatives have isn't insulting or funny, it's more like calling a skinny man fat. Europe makes better beer, better cars, and, as much as I hate to say it (but I will because I'm a real patriot), better societies. When I hear a Conservatives say, in regards to same sex unions or easy access to abortion, that, “Europe is in moral decline”, I just laugh and look up crime stats. Who is in moral decline? Who has overcrowded jails, failing infrastructure on a grand scale, and huge percentages of homeless? Where would Jesus rather live? I realize that Jesus could drive bigger cars if he lived in the US, but, would he? Jesus would rather live in the US – he has more work to do here. [Karma must be on my side - I just received an email – the kind with the subject line in all caps – from the EUROPEAN LOTTERY COMMISION! It seems I shall soon be rich! See? Being nice to Europe pays off! ;) Now I can give even more money to the Sierra Club...] ------------ About the author Frederick Smith: I enjoy writing about the positive virtues of humanism - humanists are the good guys. Email: dahlek65@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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