Why Europe is Fucked!

It's written a bit tongue-in-cheek but there are some very astute and solid observations here.

"To ensure that nobody interfered with (i.e. voted for) this ever growing gravy train of bureaucracy, Euro Politicians (EMPs) decided to hold their own elections and voted themselves back in every year with more powers and more ridiculous salaries (+ expenses). To complete the picture and, then add to the logistical pandemonium of telling people what to do in loads of different languages, the Bankers stepped out of the shadows and created the Euro – one currency for all, a bit like the Dollar? Not at all, they started imposing taxes that were designed for all Countries (one size fits all) which may sound OK to an American, all States paying a similar tax rate! Here’s the rub – here in Europe there are people earning $200 per month in one Country and $2,000 in another, how can they all pay the same tax? A packet of 20 smokes costs $10 in Britain but, $5 in Portugal and, petrol is cheaper in most Continental European Countries than the UK. Consequently, and to the Bankers delight, the “loser Countries” had to borrow from them, with no real manufacturing or produce they were subsidised by the richer ones and, inevitably, are going Bankrupt. The solution sanctioned by the MEPs in Brussels is, to get the rich Countries to pay $Trillions to bail out the poor Countries – that way the Banks get their money."

The crux of this is that the one-size-fits-all push of international capitalism, combined with its requirement that the poorer "customer' pay as much, if not more, to support the massive infrastructure created to govern, "modernize" and homogenize the new larger territory is an almost inherently impossible trick to pull off.

I don't blame Europe for trying, but as always the devil is in the details.
The details are that millions of humans in dozens of nation states are just as selfish and willful and misdirected as you or I.

In any case, one hopes we are growing out of nation-state conundrum.
The EU was formed with the idea that it would lessen the poisonous nationalism that kept erupting into world wars.
I don't know, maybe it helped, but sorting out a dozen varied economies into one sleek machine is different game altogether.
I love the fact that the EU has worked to improve education and health in many countries in Europe and has held a very persuasive economic stick over the heads of some genocidal regimes to cease and desist.
And on a personal level, I can now go into bars and restaurants in southern Europe and not keel over from cigarette smoke--thank you, EU.
So, it's all a grand experiment. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

Good article !

Thanks for posting.