SUDDENLY? NOT to ME and thousands of American scholars of liberty!! For over a century!
..AND FIND MANY OTHER POSTERS HERE
Posted on 05/22/2010 5:23:37 PM PDT by Steelfish
Crisis Imperils Liberal Benefits Long Expected by Europeans By STEVEN ERLANGER May 22, 2010 PARIS — Across Western Europe, the “lifestyle superpower,” the assumptions and gains of a lifetime are suddenly in doubt. The deficit crisis that threatens the euro has also undermined the sustainability of the European standard of social welfare, built by left-leaning governments since the end of World War II. Europeans have boasted about their social model, with its generous vacations and early retirements, its national health care systems and extensive welfare benefits, contrasting it with the comparative harshness of American capitalism.
Europeans have benefited from low military spending, protected by NATO and the American nuclear umbrella. They have also translated higher taxes into a cradle-to-grave safety net. “The Europe that protects” is a slogan of the European Union.
But all over Europe governments with big budgets, falling tax revenues and aging populations are experiencing rising deficits, with more bad news ahead.
With low growth, low birthrates and longer life expectancies, Europe can no longer afford its comfortable lifestyle, at least not without a period of austerity and significant changes. The countries are trying to reassure investors by cutting salaries, raising legal retirement ages, increasing work hours and reducing health benefits and pensions.
“We’re now in rescue mode,” said Carl Bildt, Sweden’s foreign minister. “But we need to transition to the reform mode very soon. The ‘reform deficit’ is the real problem,” he said, pointing to the need for structural change.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Why would NYT write this article? Where is the “bash conservatives” angle that I am missing?
Social Democracy must die if Europe is to survive.
The one conservative reporter for the Times was probably forced into writing his monthly article. They likely enticed him with booze and tickets to a Mets game.
The Euros will go to their historical fall back position. ALL foreigners (not born in Country) out.
Obviously the influx of middle eastern types have not helped the nanny state. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, bah bye.
Americans are mutts so we don’t get the Cultural Hegemony movement of the Euros.
I expect the Euro concept to collapse and the various countries will revert to their previous independent States.
sort of like the Rats deserting the shinking ship.
The most startling thing about this crisis as well as our own housing crisis is how painfully apparent they were. We have two others staring us here in the states in the face and in truth are tied in to varying extents depending on the state. Of course i speak of state budget issues and illegal immigration. At least some first tentative steps are being taken on those fronts.
For too many years politicians thought they had some magic mathematical formula whereby one plus one gave them three.
The headline should read: “European liberals finally run out of other people’s money to spend.”
Europe will not be able to deport the muslims back to the sand dunes.
All foreigners out of Europe?
I’ll believe it when I see it. The majority of these countries are still run by limousine liberals who imported all these millions of 3rd worlders to cement their voting blocks for generations.
Now that the financial crisis is soo bad, they are finally starting to implement heavier NIMBY policies. But again, I’ll believe it when I see it that Cultural Relativism worshippers like the UK, Netherlands, and France start shutting down its asylum policies & open border immigration, the lush welfare benefits for them all (free housing, free food, free everything) and start putting the needs of their own citizens and nation first.
...ever been to a party filled with academics who just got back from a year studying in Europe?...remember how they used to go on and on about how ‘advanced’ Europe was and how backward the US was?...deep down I always suspected that one day the Shumer would hit the fan over there...like the good old American saying goes: “there ain’t no free lunch”
SUDDENLY? NOT to ME and thousands of American scholars of liberty!! For over a century!
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.