Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Among the original members of the European Union, Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Ire-
land were the net receivers. Back then, I remember no freeways in any of those countries.
Now they're rolling out freeways in all of them. And every time you drive on a slick new
thoroughfare, you see a European flag reminding locals where the funding came from.
The Cost of Policing the World
While it's easy for pacifists (at home and abroad) to grumble about the US military,
the reality is that we are the world's traffic cop. Americans pay with blood and
money to protect victims of tyranny and to defend democracy and free enterprise
around the world. Defeating the USSR, saving people from genocide in Kosovo,
and fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan are expensive. Typically, the US foots most
of the bill while Europe moves in with peacekeeping forces afterwards. Or, as some
people put it, “The US does the cooking, and Europe does the dishes.”
