Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
China and India. With the unii ca-
tion of Europe, hundreds of millions
of people now have the same euro
coins jingling in their pockets...and
the value of those euros has risen.
While in past years it seems
Americans have been given two
options (big, bad government or
little, good government), Europeans
are more likely to strive for a third
option: big, good government.
In American politics, “socialism”
is often perceived as an all-or-none
bogeyman, evoking the stil ing Soviet system of the Cold War. h is think-
ing, which i xates on a Stalin-style oppression that has nothing to do with
today's European socialism, ignores the reality that socialism is a spectrum.
Every society on earth—including our own—includes some socialistic ele-
ments (such as our progressive taxation).
Like us, Europe is enthusiastically capitalistic. Europeans are just more
comfortable with a higher degree of socialism. Most Europeans continue to
favor their existing high tax rates because they believe that collectively creat-
ing the society of their dreams is more important than allowing individuals
to create the personal empire of their dreams.
While American culture tends to be individualistic—inspired by “up
by the bootstraps” and “rags to riches” stories—Europe is more focused on
community. While we are more religious, Europe is more humanistic. In
Scandinavia—the most highly taxed, socialistic, and humanistic corner of
Europe—you don't i nd a church with a spire on the main square. You i nd
a city hall with a bell tower. Inside, a secular nave leads not to a pulpit, but
to a lectern. Behind that lectern, a grand mosaic tells epic stories—not from
the Bible, but celebrating heroic individuals who contributed mightily to
their community.
Europeans pay high taxes to buy big, good government...and expect
results. h ose results include an extensive social-welfare network that puts
the i nancial burden of childcare, healthcare, education, and retirement on the
collective shoulders of society, rather than on individuals. I once asked Olle,
my Swiss friend, “How can you Swiss people be so docile about paying such
The Old World comes with a youthful
energy.
