Posted on 07/31/2015 5:45:30 PM PDT by NRx
Everything I needed to know about why the European Union would fail I learned at a truck stop.
It was in 2001 when a bus tour I was on stopped at a truck stop on the German Autobahn. For the American readers, you must understand that European truck stops are much different from what you get in the states. In Europe, the facilities are clean and the food is actually decent. They don’t have the same hot dogs sitting in the cooker for five days. And no, you can’t buy six gallon soda cups.
As it were, in this truck stop the inside was what you expect to see in Germany. It was clean and efficient. You grabbed your tray, stood in line quietly, pointed to the food for the scowling German lady cook to serve you, and moved to the next station. It had just enough order, cleanliness, and gray color inside to remind you that you were in Germany, but without making you feel like you were in East Germany.
As the bus wound its way across Europe we eventually stopped in Italy at the identical chain of truck stop. This is where I had an epiphany about the European Union, the Euro, multiculturalism, and why it’s all a bunch of garbage.
Italy is a great country, but nobody is going to tell you it’s like Germany unless they are a completely clueless moron. Instead of the quiet line of people collecting their food and proceeding to the next station, you instead had a mob of people yelling, waving their hands, and rushing the counter in a huge mass. If you didn’t push forward, you didn’t get food. In other words, it was Italian.
This is when I realized the EU and the Euro would never work. The idea that you were going to get Italians, Germans, Spaniards, Greeks, French, Dutch, etc. to live under one government and one currency is simply madness. Not only are the Germans far too impatient to deal with the hyper-emotional Italians, but the Italians are far too laid back to want to deal with a bunch of controlling Germans. This of course applies to the other countries as well. The Dutch really don’t like the French telling them what to do. The French don’t like the Germans. The Germans don’t like the Spaniards (or anyone else), and everyone dislikes the Swiss mostly because they were smart enough to not join the EU and share the misery.
And really how could it be any different? The idea that you’re going to put all these different people, languages, and cultures under the same currency and control is just mind-boggling stupid. Now they want to bring in all of Eastern Europe and possibly Turkey to add to the excitement? Yikes.
Culture matters far more than today’s enlightened man is allowed to admit. And frankly, most cultures probably are better off having nothing to do with each other in terms of common governance. For starters, having one currency with countries that have defaulted multiple times (like Italy, Greece, Spain, etc.) is like opening up your bank account to your entire extended family: An extended family complete with check writing privileges to your deadbeat cousin and crazy uncle. Who wouldn’t expect that situation to eventually lead to conflict?
Then you have to ask some more pointed questions. For instance, why does Germany want to support Italy? Why should Italians be held hostage to the wishes of German taxpayers? Why should Greek politicians care about spending when they know everyone else will bail them out? The entire idea breeds nothing but contempt and hostility as any collectivist system eventually does.
This is why I thought more than a decade ago (2001) that the Euro wouldn’t last 20 years. I’m now 13 years into that prediction and each year I feel more certain that the entire thing will fly apart.
The only issue we need to worry about when it does fly apart is whether it will kick off another war, which it very well might. This is no small irony considering the leftist imbeciles that backed the forming of the EU did so with the idea that it would prevent future wars by tying everyone together. Of course what they didn’t anticipate is when everyone is tied together they are more able to swing knives at each other.
I like every country I’ve been to in Europe. But, the reason I like them is because they are different. Trying to make them all the same in a multi-culti rainbow of happiness requires an all-powerful overbearing government that must rule by lowest common denominator. The different groups, and different group interests, will ensure that fights happen so nobody has it any better than anyone else. By trying to make everyone happy, you make nobody happy. Didn’t we learn this already from other failed Marxist experiments?
I left Europe at the time when they were transitioning to their suicidal Euro experiment. I kept some of the old currencies when I was there for souvenirs. I’m thinking I’ll be able to spend them again after the Euro and EU finally goes away.
He may be right about the EU failing, but he obviously hasn’t been in an American Truckstop in 40 years.
The majority are clean, and the food is good. Yes they sell large sodas but they also sell almost everything else.
The German Autobahn may be fun, but the American Transportation system is second to none.
This commentary on the impact of differing cultures and diversity has profound implications for the United States as the Mexican population is relocated into our nation.
I don’t know who this “Craig Rowland” is, but I’ll tell you this ... he’s a talented writer and he makes a great point.
Well they had a common currency once before and it worked quite well. It was Gold.
“Trying to make them all the same in a multi-culti rainbow of happiness requires an all-powerful overbearing government that must rule by lowest common denominator. The different groups, and different group interests, will ensure that fights happen so nobody has it any better than anyone else. By trying to make everyone happy, you make nobody happy. Didn’t we learn this already from other failed Marxist experiments?”
This is the lesson we have not learned in the USA!
MULTI-CULTI HAS NOT EVER WORKED, AND NEVER WILL!
“If you didn’t push forward, you didn’t get food. In other words, it was Italian.”
Embarrassingly, true. I’m half Italian and visit my gramps villa every 2-3 years. I love it there but don’t want to stay. The concept of simply lining up is totally lost to these clowns. Even getting groceries is like entering a subway train, no order. And they think Americans are uncultured sheesh. You converse with someone is like yelling at someone which you have to raise your voice.
If you drove out of New York City and headed west you'd get to Denver, Colorado in a bit under 1800 miles. The same distance would take you from London to Moscow -- through France, Belgium, German, Poland, and Belarus.
On the NYC-to-Denver trip, you'd be less than 2/3rds of the way to San Francisco. The distance from NYC to San Francisco -- all of it in one country -- would take you from London to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Agree. Been to Europe, the truck stops, and have been to many truck stops here in the U.S.A.
Here’s a neat teaching exercise for a kid.
Ask them to look at a map of the US with interstates shown.
Ask them to tell you the shortest route from Chicago to Seattle. 2 choices I-80/I-84 and so on, or I-94/I-90.
People almost always pick the southern route.
The Northern route is shorter because of Earth curvature, but that doesn’t show on a flat map.
Wife and I drove team 98-04, and never had any problem with showers or food at Flying J, TA, or Petro.
Petro still has the best Country Fried Steak in the US. Darn thing was as big as a hubcap.
I agree.
I would put the Iowa 80 up against the best Europe has to offer.
Also many of the Petro’s, some of the TA’s, and many of the mom and pop’s.
The Williams truck stops were good prior to being bought by Pilot. Pilot closed the restaurants and put in fast food, but their coffee is excellent.
Best burgers I ever ate were at a mom and pop on, I think, 59 somewhere southwest of Texarkana.
Second best were at another mom and pop in Oregon.
Though i’ve never been there, I understand the autobahn has speed limits now.
Oh Man, best burger I had out there was the place in WY about mid way through the state on I-80. Has it’s own exit, and I can’t remember the name. Man old age sucks!
The U.S. Interstate is the greatest mass transportation system ever created by man.
the whole world is festering with unhappy souls
the French hate the Germans
the Germans hate the Poles...
I didn’t need to see truck stops to know that the EU would fail.
All I needed to know is that those people have been at each other’s throats for a thousand years.
Why would they stop now?
... and I don’t like anybody very much.
Yes it is, and thank you President Eisenhower for your foresight.
Given the opportunity Libs would abandon it in a second for government controlled high speed rail.
Idiots.
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