October 26, 2006 - 1:00am
By Ari Rabkin
Deckhead:
Between the Lines
Body:
Critics of America, particularly on the Left, often say that Europe has a healthier society than the United States and that our country ought to emulate Europe and European social democracy. This view is misguided. Much of Europe has very deep economic and social problems, and they are largely caused by precisely the features of European society that some would have us emulate in this country. We have problems in America, true, and we should try to learn from the rest of the world. However, European examples are more negative than positive. Many of the policies that Americans view as characteristically European— generous social welfare, high taxes, lax immigration policies and restrained punishment for crime— are now being discredited in Europe.
