Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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, “h is makes many of our best dishes illegal.” (Czech spe-
cialties, 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
. h roughout the EU, people are compromising as one-size-i ts-all
governance takes a toll on some of their particular passions.
While Europeans seem to i nd clever ways to get government on their
backs, the American chorus has long been, “Get the government of our
backs.” We don't want regulations—especially the extreme examples cited
above. While the i nancial crisis that erupted 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.
On the other hand, in Europe, workers' protection, environmental protec-
tion, and what seems like an obsession for regulations in general make even
surviving as a small employer tough. Europe is a challenging, even demoral-
izing environment for running a small business. While I appreciate the way
Europe organizes much of its society, I'm thankful I run my business here
rather than there. In Europe, I could never have the creative fun I enjoy as
an entrepreneur in the USA.
Is the American approach “wrong” and Europe's approach “right?” As a
taxpayer and a businessman, I see pros and cons to both systems. We can all
benei t by comparing notes.
Europeans Work Less
One priority of the European approach is striking a comfortable work-life bal-
ance. h e EU has about 500 million people, with an annual economy of around
13 trillion dollars. To put that into relative terms, the United States, with 300
million people, has an economy of approximately the same size. Proponents of
the American system point out that Europeans don't make as much money as
we do. It's true—with more people generating only the same gross economy,
they earn less per person. But Western European workers make essentially
the same per hour as ours do. h ey just choose to work fewer hours.
I was raised believing there was one good work ethic: You work hard.
While we call this
the
work ethic, it's actually only
a
work ethic. Europeans
have a dif erent one. h
ey choose to work roughly 25 percent fewer hours
