Thursday, October 23, 2003
Italy's Reform Minister calls them as he sees them.
What's really funny about this is the characterization of this as "a public relations disaster for Mr Berlusconi." Nothing of the sort! Among those who've lost a fortune in purchasing power, this is actually welcome.
Here's the deal: France, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg have formed a core EU that wants to dictate terms to the other 21 members. That simply is not going to happen.
I remember when the Euro came into use, marked by a bunch of parties all across Europe. Those parties struck me as an attempt to make reality out of unreality with a gesture straight out of "Blue."
I hope that every citizen of a European country can live a long, happy, fulfilling life. I just fear that their natural tendency is to trade liberty for a cradle-to-grave nanny state. When the state has that much power, it only takes one lunatic at the top to reduce everything to ruins. When the state becomes an entire continent, well, there's only so much more damage that can be wrought.
No, it's the American model for me: I give up enough of my sovreignty to keep the country running, but I reserve the right to take back all power if my elected officials start acting like goats. This contrasts nicely with Europe, where all power flows from the state, and the peasants get enough self-government to keep them from pitchforking their leaders or, in the extreme, calling on the Americans to save them from themselves*.
*France doesn't get any more liberations.
What's really funny about this is the characterization of this as "a public relations disaster for Mr Berlusconi." Nothing of the sort! Among those who've lost a fortune in purchasing power, this is actually welcome.
Here's the deal: France, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg have formed a core EU that wants to dictate terms to the other 21 members. That simply is not going to happen.
I remember when the Euro came into use, marked by a bunch of parties all across Europe. Those parties struck me as an attempt to make reality out of unreality with a gesture straight out of "Blue."
I hope that every citizen of a European country can live a long, happy, fulfilling life. I just fear that their natural tendency is to trade liberty for a cradle-to-grave nanny state. When the state has that much power, it only takes one lunatic at the top to reduce everything to ruins. When the state becomes an entire continent, well, there's only so much more damage that can be wrought.
No, it's the American model for me: I give up enough of my sovreignty to keep the country running, but I reserve the right to take back all power if my elected officials start acting like goats. This contrasts nicely with Europe, where all power flows from the state, and the peasants get enough self-government to keep them from pitchforking their leaders or, in the extreme, calling on the Americans to save them from themselves*.
*France doesn't get any more liberations.
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