By Tom KandoNo day goes by without some article quoting an asinine politician who says something like this: “America is in danger of becoming a socialized welfare state, like those awful European countries such as Sweden, France, Germany or the Netherlands. ”
Shouldn’t informed opinions about Europe be based on having been there, and having been there fairly recently, and having done more than just a cruise down the Mediterranean? Most of these statements come from people who don’t know what they are talking about.
It reminds me of an old World War Two veteran who told me once that Europe was just one big slum. He knew, because he had been stationed there in the late 1940s. Or Rush Limbaugh who announced that the American lower class enjoys a higher standard of living than the European middle class.
The truth is that Sweden, the rest of Scandinavia, The Benelux, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the UK and other parts of Western Europe which American conservatives demonize, are doing BETTER than we are.
Granted, comparing the US and Europe is hazardous. Europe’s Southern underbelly (the P.I.G. countries - Portugal, Italy, Greece, etc.) and now Ireland, are in trouble. Not to mention the former Communist countries (where I grew up). Countries like Rumania are economic basket cases.
BUT: American conservatives are specifically telling us to never, ever emulate countries such as Sweden, France, Germany or the Netherlands. This is absurd. Economically, these countries could teach us a thing or two, to put it mildly!
They are doing better in every conceivable way. Their public health is better, they live longer, there is less poverty, their schools are better, their diet is better, their infrastructure is better, their transportation system is better.
Why? Because they enjoy a hybrid system which combines the benefits of the free market with those of “socialism.”
On the other hand, America is ruled by “marketism,” unfettered Capitalism. As a result, we are falling further and further behind. See what Thomas Friedman has to say about that in his New York Times syndicated column on December 2. We can’t even build a bullet train, something which Japan, France, Germany, China and even Poland already have.
So when someone warns me that “America is in danger of becoming a socialized welfare state, just like those awful European countries such as Sweden...”, I guffaw and say, sarcastically, “oh, not that!”
Dozens of millions of Americans have been brainwashed into believing that pure capitalism works better than a mixed economy. As a result, we have the worst rates of poverty and economic disparity in the Western World. What this country needs is PRECISELY a strong dose of the social and economic policies that still prevail in much of Western Europe. We should be so LUCKY as to become more like Sweden - or Canada, for that matter.
Go check it out. Without facts, opinion is meaningless.
Americans who read this might say, “okay, you treacherous immigrant. America has given you everything, and now you criticize it, every chance you get. Go back to your beloved Europe, you ingrate!”
My European friends and relatives might also ask me why I don’t return. Their reasoning would be somewhat different: Many of them believe that I am living in a hellish country, which is also a mistake.
But things aren’t that simple. My life is here. My family, friends, career are here. I am an American. I love American culture, the American people, American freedom and space. I cry for America, but I don’t abandon America. leave comment here
14 comments:
I'm more worried about a danger that Europe becomes more like America--centralized. Just imagine all those European health care systems being shut down by a European Union health care system. The end of European state sovereignty is well on the way.
You can find a pretty recent comparison of national average GDP per capita here;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita
There are some limits to how much these comparisons tell us:
These comparisons tend to not be terribly accurate, because currency exchange rate fluxuations make a big difference here. A $.05 drop in the cost of a Euro would change everything.
The comparison shows the U. S. to be more or less running with the "winners" in Europe.
But, the U. S. has a more skewed income distribution than the European countries. In the U.S., the wealthiest amopng us enjoy a much greater proportion of income than do the similar classes in Europe.
That most likely means that 90% of Americans who aren't among the elite 10% are probably not doing great relative to their European peers.
I think that gets to a more relevant question,"how are most citizens faring in a nation?"
Gordon:
You have made many "states' rights" types of comments over the years. Good points. Your perspective suggests that if some European countries are doing well (E.g. Holland, Norway, Switzerland, etc.), it's because they have not been swallowed by a vast centralized monster (say, in Brussels). So centralization and hugeness are the inherent problem.
In the US, the debate goes way back to Jeffersonianism vs. Hamiltonianism. While I am more Hamiltonian than you, I find your arguments persuasive.
I'm aware of the fact that, in Holland for example, much of the middle-class population drives newer cars than we do in many parts of this country. But come vacation time, they - more often than not - get to sit in their shiny new automobiles for endless and, obviously, stressful hours in bumper-to-bumper lines - hundreds of miles long - to begin their eagerly-awaited "happy time." For that reason alone (and I have many, many more), I'll take the good old USA over any other place or country east of the Atlantic!
Rudy:
I, too, prefer spending my vacation in an old, beat-up car driving cross country, passing an occasional car every six hours or so. I drove to Malaga on the Costa del Sol one summer and still suffer from PTSD.
If only America could use its vast space as collateral, we would all be millionaires.
Steve:
Your “more relevant” question is precisely my essay’s question.
Your points are totally correct - I have made them myself many times (which proves that they are correct - haha): I am an avid follower of international per capita incomes. As you state, because of exchange fluctuations, in any given year America can rank number #3 or #4 in the world, or number #10 or #12. In addition, per capita (= mean) income is a poor measure of well-being, since it does not reflect the distribution of income. The median is a better measure. And as you suggest, while US mean income may still be among the world’s highest, our median income is not, because the distribution is so skewed.
Yes, the US is still running with the “winners” in Europe. Most social indicators still rank us among the top 10 or 20 countries of the world (out of 200). The annual UN “corruption” rankings, life expectancy, % of people with higher ed., you name it. It would be silly to deny that America remains one of the 15 or 20 countries of the world where quality of life is reasonably good for a majority of people. What is worrisome is the slippage, over the past few decades, and the political process and rhetoric behind it.
See for example today’s Sacramento Bee: According to the Program for International Student Assessment, the US ranks #17 in the world in reading, #31 in math and #23 in science. Most of the top-ranked countries are Asian.
Which reminds me: I don’t mean to be a Euro-chauvinist. My blog is called European-American, and I write primarily about Europe. I don’t know enough about Asia in order to write about Asia. My arguments are simply international.
denigrerend!
I assume that you mean "denigrerend towards Europe." That makes no sense, since the article PRAISES Europe. It is usually wise to read an article before commenting on it.
I could not agree with you more.
It is a bit sad that so many people who have really trouble making ends meet with unemployment or health costs or foreclosures are taken for a ride by the politicians.
Kind regards
Very thought provoking and well written article Tom. Thanks.
Tom Bridges
I am enjoying your blogs, and have shared with some friends of like mind. It is good to know there are other progressives in our area!
Bram, Tom and jolene,
We appreciate your supportive comments. Keep them coming.
Good that they are nuanced, too, as when Tom was critical of another post, a few days ago.
Well said! Very interesting!http://americaisindanger.blogspot.com/
braveheart,
I checked your profile, your blog, your favorite movies, your experiences traveling. Very Interesting.
Let's keep in touch
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