All comments on the “European perspective…“ piece were deleted. One appeared briefly but that commentator has since bitten the digital dust---presumably for an indiscretion committed on someone else’s blog.

One must say some pretty horrible and stupid stuff to get kicked off this blog site (lose one’s posting privileges). The standards are low. I can sympathize with those who edit these comments---they actually have to read the worst of them.

I take what I can get. So I am responding to the “ghost” commentator (”Anglin4” if I recall correctly).

The commentator disagreed with my informant and speculated that Europeans are pessimistic and cynical because they have a 50% tax rate which makes it too hard to have kids and raise families. This, after I had made it quite clear (it’s right there in the title) that Europeans are cynical because they don’t want to get blown up in a nuclear exchange between the Bumbling Giant In Decline and the Rising Russian Bear.

Europeans are justifiably fearful when America insists on “protecting” them from those nasty Iranians and those ghost nukes they just might get sometime. Why Iran should want to nuke Europe---a market for their oil---is beyond my comprehension.

And Europeans know---as Americans apparently do not---that Russia has long had friendly relations with Iran. Why would Iran want to send a nuke sputtering into Russia---who is their friend and has nukes in numbers second only to the US? It defies sanity. Unless, of course, you profit from the US armaments, energy and security industries.

Europeans have noticed what happens when America sets out to militarily “protect,” “free” or “bring democracy to” another nation. About a million or so dead in the Iraq War. Four million displaced. The country in ruins. We don’t even count the dead in that ongoing loser in Afghanistan. How much health care could those wars have funded right here in the good old US of A?

I don’t envision us bombing European cities (except maybe Slavic places like Yugoslavia) but setting up our “missile shield” over there is like putting up a forest of middle fingers right in the face of Russia. How would Americans like it if Russia wanted to put up a missile defense system on the Mexican border to protect America from say, Venezuela and that crazy guy, Hugo Chavez?

Europeans just don‘t want to risk becoming a nuclear battleground simply to enrich the already bloated American military-industrial complex. Our “defense” industries are just about the only growth stocks in our collapsing markets right now.

Besides, most technological people on the Planet are aware by now that a salvo of modern missiles is virtually unstoppable---nuclear missiles launched from submarines even more so. Furthermore, America’s antimissile missiles have never hit another missile in testing unless it had a homing beacon installed and they knew when, where and how it was coming.

“Star Wars” may have fooled Russia when Reagan was President, but now “missile defense” is a program of socialistic, economic welfare for the US arms industry---not a realistic way of stopping real life missile attacks. In Alaska our Congressional delegation wants to keep this missile defense thing going just to get our small share of the loot---who cares if the fool rockets can hit anything or not?

Yeah, but what about the “high taxes” being paid in Germany?

My German friend felt Europeans enjoy an “excellent life” thanks directly to a high tax rate. Europeans get more than just great health care for their up to 50 percent progressive taxes (and a sales tax). They get retirement benefits, unemployment benefits, longer vacations than Americans, cheap efficient public transportation systems, clean cities and streets.

On the other hand, while the tax rates are much lower in America (especially for the rich), we live and make war on borrowed money and are so far in debt we will never pay it off.

And our health care system ain’t that great either. However, the excessive profits of the health care industry are now being used as direct campaign contributions to sway our Congress---and to pay for advertising propaganda to convince the gullible American public that heartless, profit-seeking HMOs are more compassionate than a government where at least we can vote the politicians out if we don’t like what they do.

In Europe private health insurance companies are nonprofit. Executive pay is determined by the numbers of persons insured. And, while doctors don’t get quite as rich as they do here in the US, their offices are run far more efficiently. Europe is, in general, much more digitally advanced and wired for the Internet and for keeping electronic records. Most medical records are centralized and available to every doctor.

In France all medical information is computerized including billing the government. Doctor’s offices are almost run single-handedly. Everyone is insured rather than gouging the well-off, denying those with preexisting conditions, and kicking people off the program when they get really sick and truly need the help.

Among technologically-advanced nations, European countries have a much better social safety net. The US is at end of the list in education, health care, health outcomes and unemployment insurance.

As for the European economic situation---it was America’s unregulated, socialism-for-the-rich brand of capitalism that sent the more fiscally conservative German banks into a tailspin. Great Britain---which completely and foolishly bought into our uncontrolled finance markets by purchasing our toxic assets---is faring much worse than Germany. Germany and France were financially hurt by the toxic waste we sold them and the market destabilization we caused overseas but are coming out of their economic recessions. The European system doesn’t award “bonuses” to executives of failed institutions. They are true fiscal conservatives in the literal meaning of that term.

This is not about dueling lifestyles. I am told that Europeans like to party, enjoy excessive consumer consumption and generally want and enjoy the same material life as Americans. But Europeans are more insightful about government, taxes and war. And merely mentioning the word “socialism” does not automatically suck all the logic out of their brains.

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Responses to Responses:

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to respond. I’ve been on a climbing trip. Just now getting time to answer back.

To prey: You understand.

To Prog1: People who go by imaginary names should not question the existence of my European friend.

World War II was over a half century ago. America keeps the Cold War alive to keep the Cold War big-time armaments industries profitable. You can’t stop terrorists in caves with nuclear submarines---but you can get more rich building nuclear submarines.

Since WW II we, the USA, have squandered our military power by invading small countries. Some of those wars have lasted longer than WW II and are still ongoing. We couldn’t whip Vietnam and we’ve got our hands full with two weak, little Middle East nations.

The Bumbling Giant is in decline---rotting from within. We have lost/given away the skills and infrastructure to manufacture hard goods (except arms); to feed and clothe ourselves; and to live within our actual means. We are broke, busted, bankrupt. The only thing saving our asses is that we are too big to fail or fall too quickly or we‘ll drag the World down with us.

Again, Iran doesn’t have nukes. Again, our anti-missile missiles can’t hit squat. Jihadists don’t have nukes. Muslims are pissed off because we are in their countries with our military. We support terrorist groups within Iran. It don’t get more plain than that.

We are in Europe to “project” (our power) and maybe to protect. Either purpose is a dubious game---we in America are broke and the Chinese already own us. All we can do is blow up the World because we possess the most weapons of mass destruction---and we‘re still scared! That’s why we are the most dangerous Armageddon/jihad nation on Earth.

To The Insider: I don’t mind learning new stuff. I’ve been lucky to avoid hospitals. You could have given just one reason why you prefer American hospitals over European ones. You blew your “gotcha” moment by not giving a single fact or anecdote to support your alleged personal experiences.

Iran wants to bomb us (even though we are customers for their oil) because we want to steal their oil. Because we have been messing with them for over 50 years. Because we are over there (see response to “Prog1“). These “Gulf Wars” are one, long botched gas station stickup.

Iran is militarily weak which is why we threaten and bully that nation. If they had nukes and missiles to deliver them we wouldn’t be able to mess with them like we do. Whether Iran wants to blow us up is a moot point---they haven’t got the means. And if we left them alone they wouldn’t hate us so much.

Any sort of nuclear exchange between our nuclear missiles and those of Russia or anyone else would mean disaster for all of us on the Planet---this is the horrible meaning that my more insightful European friend understands.

To Desajacobbson: The answer to the question lies somewhere over the rainbow.

Rudy Wittshirk