The U.S.’s Misplaced Admiration for Europe

People in the U.S. have a special fascination with Europe. It seems like many Americans still think of that continent as their parent civilization -- an example to be admired, a model to be emulated. I think it’s time to consider whether this admiration has been taken too far.

For the American left, Europe’s appeal comes from its social democracy. European’s government-run health systems deliver care comparable to the U.S.’s semi-private system, and at much lower cost. European college tuition is a fraction of what it is in the U.S. France’s generous child-care system dramatically eases the lives of working parents. Add paid parental leave, government-mandated vacation time, and other government-mandated benefits and services, and you have what looks like paradise to many American progressives.