Heinz- This is a late follow-up, but a few thousand posts ago you commented to me that "Austrians have a natural distrust of government"...
Given this, how do you explain the reliance on government for so many vital things there (retirement, health care, etc.)? In other words, I'd think if citizens were really distrustful, they would want those processes in their own hands (privatized) vs. public...Is it perhaps the case that they are really more cynical than distrustful?
(BTW- I am assuming that any "trust" in government was developed in the period 1945-1980's....in which European governments took control, rebuilt/helped manage the rebuilding, and generally offered an ever-increasing benefits pie, without exacting equivelent costs..)..
Now that the benefits/costs ratio is changing, and the piper is being finally paid, perhaps the "trust" will erode?
Please straighten me out there (if need be)...Also, am I right in assuming that Western European demographic trends are worse than U.S., but better than Japan? U.S. can lessen blow by immigration, of course, as also Europe.....but in many (especially smaller) European countries, there is a much bigger (titanic) cultural clash issue there.....I wonder how that gets resolved?? A lot of social segregation I would think, although it may not greatly affect the economies per se (indirectly, perhaps)..
I believe Italy in the worst off in Europe....Germany pretty bad too..which countries are in worst/best shape? (demographically)..ciao |
