After a steady but unnourishing diet of America-bashing by the dinosaur media, it's refreshing to read something positive for a change. Hat tip: Free Republic
What is, still, right about America?
01/31/2010 | WesternCulture
Posted on Sunday, January 31, 2010 8:03:11 AM by WesternCulture
Is USA still to be viewed as the leading nation on Earth?
Yes and if anyone of us here in "Old" Europe (I'm Swedish) would claim it sooner is Britain, France or Germany, they're either lying, joking, ignorant or downright insane.
But this is not why most intelligent Europeans supports the US (and believe me, there are hundred of millions of us).
We participate in the WOT and seek cooperation with America because Western Civilization is one and we won't forget what you did for us during three major wars (the Cold War included) last century.
Let's all forget Chirac though.
Some members of this forum accuse me of being an America basher. I don't bother a lot. In one way, I can understand those who do so (especially after having posted somewhat provoking articles entitled things like "What's wrong with America? etc), on the other hand, most people here seem to understand that I love the US and view America as the closest ally we Western Europeans have in this cold, dark universe.
I just have to watch "Cops" in order to find out that everything is not right about America, but at the same time I'm very well aware that everything beautiful and friendly I remember from my, so far, one and only visit to the US was not a hallucination.
I'm not saying America is better than Europe, but there are a lot of things we Europeans could learn from the ideals and the spirit that has made America great.
The fact that Americans could learn a lot from great European minds like Einstein, Goethe, Schiller, Leonardo da Vinci and Rabelais does not make this less true.
Each European school child ought to study men like Lincoln, Reagan, Benjamin Franklin and find out what they stood for.
It's true that the average European family enjoys a clearly lower standard of living than that of its American counterpart (the Griswolds:)).
We Euroweenies also have a huge problem with Muslim immigration and low fertility rates (luckily enough, even European Muslim immigrants display low fertility rates. For instance, in the largest city in Scandinavia, Stockholm, Muslim areas can't keep up with the parts of the city dominated by non-Muslims in this domain. Sad, isn't it:)).
When it comes to Economics, Americans strike me as much more clearsighted and insightful than especially Continental Europeans.
Yes, there are parts of Europe, like Ireland and my corner of the continent where people are not afraid of achieving GDP growth, but every time I leave Scandinavia and enter the part of Europe "south of the border", I feel trifle depressed as I don't sense that I'm surrounded by a spirit of optimism and belief in the future any longer.
There are many individual exceptions, like dear friends of my family down in former DDR who today have a very nice house and all that but, more importantly, believe in hard work and feel free to speak their minds where ever the go in their own, magnificent, country.
Europe must turn its back on Socialism and not least silly strikes once and for all. Whatever one thinks about Berlusconi, he will go away sooner or later, but not because Italians sabotage their own economy.
If my continent at large wishes to enjoy the same kind of material standard of living as average families do here in Sweden, there is no other way to go than Capitalism.
Most people are not aware that Sweden has more successful multinationals per capita than more or less every country, but this is actually true and furthermore it is the main reason Swedes live so much better than people do in Cuba and North Korea. We Swedes definitely believe in Capitalism. We owe everything to it!
There are different sorts of Capitalism (in this sense I'd say it's very interesting to compare Japan, Sweden and America btw), but even if my nation is different from America in many ways the prosperity both Swedes and Americans enjoy basically derives from a spirit of entreprenuership, know-how and old fashioned work ethics. Values that, for some strange reason, seem to have been abandoned in some parts of Western Civilization nowadays.
Europe has a huge production capacity and I can't see any basic reason why the average family in France or Italy could not own a nice Volvo, BMW, SAAB, Audi or M-B, a nice, well built house and a summer house on top of that like the average Swedish family today does (even if we too have unemployment, poor single mothers, people who drive around in wrecks etc).
In the 1970s, a large portion of the people here in the Nordic countries believed in Socialism and high taxes.
In the 1980s things began to change.
I recall the former finance minister of Sweden, Feldt, describing our taxation system of that time as "perverted".
Presently, the Swedish government is lowering taxes, despite the "so called" crises like we use to say here in Volvo Land.
Even if the Swiss, the inhabitants of the Nordic Countrises (Finland + Scandinavia) and the Liechtensteins might not be overly impressed by the prosperity of ordinary Americans, USA is the wealthiest part of the world in case you don't view Scandinavia as a "part" of the World.
This is something Americans indeed ought to be proud of, as poverty actually is Hell and Christianity teaches us not only to fear God and act morally, but also to be productive and strive for material well being.
I don't wish to trade what I have here in Scandinavia for anything (and yes, I actually like Swedish winters; snow is something beautiful and you can use ice together with orange juice and vodka - great fun). But I would like to live and work at least for a year or so in the US.
Back to Christianity.
Even though things like church attendence is a joke in my country and many other parts of Europe as well, I doubt Christianity ever will "fade away" in my nation or any other one here in Europe. It's in our blood, in our hearts and in our history.
However, I think Europeans in general would benefit from attending a traditional American church and discuss religion and other matters with the members of it. I absolutely wish to do so next time I visit America.
Next issue.
Concerning politics, I can easily see why many true Americans dislike Obama. On the other hand, his costly healthcare reforms can be stopped/have been stopped and America will survive him just like USA survived Carter.
USA has taught the world that large governments does not necessarily equal prosperity and military strength.
Quite contrary, USA has been extremely successful in both of these regards despite being a nation founded on the small government principles and individual freedom.
Not only Europeans, but Americans themselves as well as people all over the world should study the history of America and reflect upon what Americans actually mean when they honor the idea of "freedom for all". Even as a child, I personally was very aware they weren't talking about the right to eat fast food and shop at big malls even if this indeed is a part of American culture.
But isn't it true that most Europeans usually side with Liberal American politicians and fail to understand that Republicans usually have very good points?
Yes and no, Carter and other left wing American politicians are popular over here in Europe, but they're not invited to my home. Everyone who sincerely loves freedom and true independence is.
Today, many Europeans admit that Reagan did the right thing. I would say even a larger share of the Europeans will admit this in the future.
Some people associate the year of 1984 with horror (thinking of the novel by George Orwell), but in the world of politics as well as that of economy 1984, was a wonderful year. Reagan jumpstarted the American economy and even Liberals and Socialists were beginning to understand that just perhaps, Communism would be defeated.
I feel like it's 1984 again. Both in America and Europe support for Socialism and big government solutions is dwindling and the economy seems to be on the right track. Chirac is gone and together with the non-Western nations that oppose Islamofascism we will triumph in the WOT!
Happy days are here again?
Islamofascism isn't defeated yet and parts of the world like Michigan and Southern Italy will continue to face mass unemployment for years to come, but on the other hand there are many signs that the world ecomomy is gearing up for steady growth.
Skål/Cheers to everyone here and if you ever visit Gothenburg, Sweden, feel free to contact me, I'll take you on a tour in my wonderful Volvo (although my next car, perhaps, will be a SAAB - as I can't afford a Koenigsegg:)
From me and every other sane European:
God bless America!
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