Still, don’t expect much soon in the way of European economic transformation. This is the life they have chosen — one in which, they believe, the state relieves them of the stress of a market society. But the price is very high. Surveys show rampant European unhappiness and pessimism. European birth rates have fallen so sharply that populations are headed for steep declines. Why? Sadly, couples don’t place a high priority on bringing children into the paradise they’ve created.
But Europeans will have to find their own path. My concern is with Americans. Is it inevitable that, as we grow more prosperous, we will become more like Europe — losing initiative, insisting that our governments coddle us?
I worry that we are beginning to see the initial signs of just such a turn for the worse.
The good news is that people have been saying this for decades. The bad news is that to a significant degree they’ve been right.