Posted on 05/14/2010 5:14:48 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
A Nightmare for the European Dream
A commentary by Christoph Schwennicke
Political unity, a common currency, border-free travel and lasting peace. The European Union was to have become a kind of eternal utopia. Instead, no one has dared to further develop Europe since the days of Helmut Kohl. Now, the EU is looking decidedly mortal.
/snip
I am one of those people. I am one of those idealists who have always believed in the European idea and will continue to do so. It was and still is incredible how this continent has bundled together its economic, political and military forces, and that there is more that unites its countries than divides them.
/snip
As we know, this attempt -- the constitution -- failed. Things have been going downhill for Europe since then. Instead of creating a joint military, Europe must now be worried about keeping its common currency. Europe could end where it began: in Greece. Today, Bill Emmott's book reads like an early prophecy. Either Europe sees this existential crisis as a chance to correct the mistakes that were made for years, or this potential world power will go down in the history of empires as the first to fail before it even became one.
There are reasons to be very worried about Europe. It is as mortal as a Phoenician princess.
(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...
P!
That's the "European Dream"? If you believe that I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. The "European Dream" is having someone else pay for you to live the good life. Sit on your butt with your hand out expecting to be provided a living for doing nothing. The European Dream was that the productive class would remain stupid enough to keep paying for the freeloader class. Yet, like all Ponzi schemes, it is coming crashing down. And we aren't far behind them.
How is that working for you?
That “Constitution” was, what, 500 pages??
The European Union could have worked if they truly became a union of free states with open competition.
Instead, the European Union is nothing more than special protections for certain products/countries/companies and another massive layer of government bureaucracy piled on top of every nation’s already bloated government.
The idea will be tried here in North America, I fear, as a response to our declining economic situation. Unfortunately, spending will continue out of control and it will only result in further collapse of freedom and capitalism.
..and if you can’t make a union with France, Sweden and Portugal work out, what are the odds for your Global Government involving Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Argentina and North Korea?? George Soros, call your Therapist!
Instead, the European Union is nothing more than special protections for certain products/countries/companies and another massive layer of government bureaucracy piled on top of every nations already bloated government.
Very well said. Its a layer cake of demanding collectives not an open playing field for individual competition. Too bad, so sad. The funny thing is they don’t have the cojones to fix the problem. Some say we don’t either.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.