I disagree with the authors cynical view of "how Americans see Europeans".
Americans see Europe as wonderful people who's ingenuity, creativity and genius are being stifled by a largely educratic upper class who believe they are so intelligent they can "plan" and "direct" an economy better than the free market can.
These "Oxford thinking Educrats" are simply too arrogant to admit they don't have the answers to all the social and economic forces impacting their society, and are therefore unwilling to allow free market chaos, and system thinking to take root. This view is embedded, in an elite upper class who's historical culture is dictatorial, autocratic and class warfare based.
These central planning educated guru's, choke the small business entrapaneurial spirit of Europeans through regulatory control, and super high taxation rates. Further, these obstacles prevent the nimble, intelligent middle class genious from rising to the top of business success in Europe.
Many of us, would simply like to see them recognize the destructive impact it's having.
Practially everyone in America knows of the success of the founder of Virgin Airlines, (because it's so rare) But, where are the Bill Gates, and dot.com entrapaneurs of Europe? I'll tell you were they largely are, stuck behind a centrally controlled and managed government telecommunication system, which is unable to visualize all the interdependent connected variables effecting its industry, and respond rapidly to the market-based shifting sands of business demands.
Oh, don't get me wrong, some make it through the myriad of obstacles the central planners have put in front of them. But, for every one that does, a thousand are never heard or seen from again.
In other words, we disagree with their approach to economic success, and believe the European people's leaders simply do not know, what they do not know.
America's economic engine is riding on the backs of entrapaneurial creative enterprises, our businesses better understand that in five years, nearly every product they sell today, will become obsolete. Europeans still haven't come to grips with business at the "speed of thought", and are largely dependant on government planners, who's time has well passed them. This same thinking threatens to infect America if we allow the liberal based left wing Democrat party to gain more control and influence over our industries.
On a different note: I have travelled in Europe and formed relationships with average joe-six pack Europeans young and old. Not the educratic elite, which typically write these kind of newspaper columns. And the view they share, is quite different from the view described in the articles you've posted. They recognize, as do most Americans, that our people can be very different from our government policy makers. They have the ability to look beyond (maybe more than our television dominated culture), to the historically important role America has played in ensuring world peace, prosperity and freedom. They recognize that without America's example, this world would be a far different, less freedom nurturing place, then without our influence. As we recognize the same important role they've played toward this common struggle to create an environment around which peace and democracy becomes the rule, rather than the exception.
The strife dominating the media, is largely a manufactured event, due to the biased liberal nature of our educratic elite media on both sides of the Atlantic. |
