ANTICIPATING THE COMING CONVULSIONS as the welfare state dies. Both here and in Europe. It’s never pretty when they run out of other people’s money. “The problem with the Tea Party is not what it does – at best, right now, it can only make a moral and political case; it does not have the numbers to make anything happen without non-Tea Partiers joining it. The problem with the Tea Partiers, in the eyes of the liberal establishment and the pet moderate GOP enablers, is that it dares to point out the indisputable truth that must be hidden at all costs: That the social welfare state is unsustainable and will collapse.”

UPDATE: Reader Anthony Calabrese writes:

As an American in London, I am seeing it first hand. Your statement about the welfare state’s death convulsions are true — there is a small business owner on BBC news talking now about a restaurant of his getting trashed in Ealing, a rather nice part of West London. He noted that despite all the talk of this being a response to poverty, the looters are wearing designed tracksuits and communicating by I-Phones.

This family has had a furniture business in South London for 140 years. No longer — it is burning to the ground right now.

There even was a street fire in my neighbourhood of Notting Hill.

One difference from the US is that in London, there is much more mixing of socio-economic groups than in the US. So I think we may see a long night.

Be prepared.