Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Even as Europeans accept this system, they love to complain about the heavy-handed-
ness of big government. Cumbersome bureaucracy creeps into virtually all aspects of life.
Strict health codes for restaurants dictate that cooked food must be frozen if it's not served
within three hours. My Czech friend complained, “This makes many of our best dishes
illegal.” (Czech specialties, often simmered, taste better the next day.) A Polish farmer
I know gripes that, when Poland joined the EU, he had to get “passports” for his cows.
Italians chafed at having to wear helmets while riding their otherwise stylish
motorinos
.
Throughout the EU, people are compromising as one-size-fits-all governance takes a toll
on some of their particular passions.
While Europeans seem to find clever ways to get government on their backs, the
American chorus has long been, “Get the government off our backs.” We don't want regu-
lations—especially the extreme examples cited above. While the financial crisis that erup-
ted in 2008 brought attention to the problematic lack of regulations on both sides of the
Atlantic, America has long had a less regulated business environment than Europe.
