Music Banter - View Single Post - The 'Big Government' thread: US vs EU, and whether either (or both) are doomed

Ronnie Jane Devo · 04-23-2010, 09:04 PM

Let me start by saying I'm not that well-read on the technicalities of how the government works here in the US, and I don't know shit about how it works in Europe, but as an armchair philosopher I find the "big vs. small government" question a fascinating and important one to ponder.

There seems to be a reasonable consensus these days that the US federal government is at an all-time low in its ability to function, and at least close to an all-time high in corruption. At the same time though, most people continue to view the federal government rather than the state governments as the place where the majority of big decisions (health care, drug law, gun control, abortion, immigration, etc.) should be handled. This seems to me increasingly a bad idea, not only because of the current state of politics here, but also because it hinders the kind of political experimentation that is important in the evolution of a legal system.

Much of Western Europe now seems to be leaps and bounds ahead of the U.S. in terms of everything from health care to public transport to internet service, which basically boils down to better governance, fairer business regulations and a far greater synergy between the public and private sectors (whereas in the US those sectors have become quite antagonistic to each other). What I'm curious to know is what role you guys think the political unification of Europe has had in this, if any -- whether the European Union is making '21st-Century governance' more possible for Europe, or whether it may actually be setting up Europe to be 'United States Pt. 2' by centralizing power too much and letting the wealthy elite run amok with the system. There is, after all, a major public debt problem over there, and of course many parts of Europe were hit hard by the recent financial crisis, which seems indicative of a predatory financial industry similar to the one that exists in the US.

There seem to be a whole lot of pro-EU people out there, so perhaps those of you could explain what you consider advantageous about the EU, and how it can avoid the problems that the centralization of power seems to have caused in the US. Also, if you think the problems in the US have more to do with the structure of the American government, or the American business culture, or even something else, feel free to make that case.

Hope this isn't too tldr, and thanks to anyone to responds!

04-23-2010, 09:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
Ronnie Jane Devo moon shoes Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 57	The 'Big Government' thread: US vs EU, and whether either (or both) are doomed Let me start by saying I'm not that well-read on the technicalities of how the government works here in the US, and I don't know shit about how it works in Europe, but as an armchair philosopher I find the "big vs. small government" question a fascinating and important one to ponder. There seems to be a reasonable consensus these days that the US federal government is at an all-time low in its ability to function, and at least close to an all-time high in corruption. At the same time though, most people continue to view the federal government rather than the state governments as the place where the majority of big decisions (health care, drug law, gun control, abortion, immigration, etc.) should be handled. This seems to me increasingly a bad idea, not only because of the current state of politics here, but also because it hinders the kind of political experimentation that is important in the evolution of a legal system. Much of Western Europe now seems to be leaps and bounds ahead of the U.S. in terms of everything from health care to public transport to internet service, which basically boils down to better governance, fairer business regulations and a far greater synergy between the public and private sectors (whereas in the US those sectors have become quite antagonistic to each other). What I'm curious to know is what role you guys think the political unification of Europe has had in this, if any -- whether the European Union is making '21st-Century governance' more possible for Europe, or whether it may actually be setting up Europe to be 'United States Pt. 2' by centralizing power too much and letting the wealthy elite run amok with the system. There is, after all, a major public debt problem over there, and of course many parts of Europe were hit hard by the recent financial crisis, which seems indicative of a predatory financial industry similar to the one that exists in the US. There seem to be a whole lot of pro-EU people out there, so perhaps those of you could explain what you consider advantageous about the EU, and how it can avoid the problems that the centralization of power seems to have caused in the US. Also, if you think the problems in the US have more to do with the structure of the American government, or the American business culture, or even something else, feel free to make that case. Hope this isn't too tldr, and thanks to anyone to responds! __________________ Last.fm