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Originally Posted by highthief
Or is it enlightened? I was thinking that (in light of the recent California execution) that the US is one of the very few (maybe the only?) Western nation with an active death penalty. It's the only Western nation without universal health care. It's the only Western nation that still seems to have aspirations of some degree of imperialism. It has the largest gap between rich and poor of Western nations.
Is the US therefore behind the times, or is the US ahead of the times (will other nations abandon universal health, restore the death penalty and invest hugely in the military?). Nations have, after all, made such changes before.
This is not a US bashing thread. Take it elsewhere if that's what you want to do. It's a legitimate question that needs to be answered in a dispassionate manner.
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My take is that socialism has made Europe weak. I used to think that was a good thing as it kept them from killing each other, as is their want every 50 years or so. I think I was being short sighted as I was not thinking of threats from the east (China), or the growing Islamic militant movement. A strong Europe is important as long as they can (for once) keep their guns from pointing at each other. America alone will not be enough, but with Europe the Western ideals of personal freedom will prevail. While socialist politics and polices have made Europe weaker and poorer then it should be, and non-integrated immigration has torn at the social fabric (they ARE done rioting in Paris right?) and taxed the system even more, I think there is a budding movement away from those policies.
This cusp will come when the social system can no longer be supported by the shrinking tax base. The question will be, will the socialists go kicking and screaming, dragging everything down until there is no choice but to change policies, or will wiser policy prevail and Europe will adopt a system closer to that of Ireland.
I would not call America enlightened or anachronistic in all this, we operate in a different set of circumstances than Europe, and as such or policies will be different. We may well shift to the feel good but ultimately crippling policies of socialism for a time, but for now we are what we are.