Malaise - with pasta sauce

Really excellent essay. These libs just don;t get it, and never will. Italy; too bad, as it's a beautiful country, and the people are great.


I just posted a new Christmas-themed essay at the Island, "The Christmas Care and Feeding of Liberals"

Swing on by.

The malaise in Italy is actually representative of the prevailing situation in most of 'old Europe'.

I realize that 'Old Europe' is a Rumsfeldian term, and many people think that it isn't appropriate to use such a disparaging term. However, the systematic erosion of freedom has been going on over there for several decades.

Needless to say, it isn't touted as a freedom issue to the citizenry - most of them sincerely think that they are doing SO well. Their political leaders are skillful in tapping into the Socialist angst, and promising welfare, seemingly pro-labor reform and entitlements to all, especially illegal immigrants.

As a result, it isn't uncommon to find Germans, Frenchmen and Spaniards who think that they have America beat - in terms of mandatory vacations, reduced work hours, higher minimum wages, jobs for life.

A few decades of such Socialist bliss elapse before they find that their standard of living has dropped. But, rather than seeking to fix the real problem, they are now too far gone on smoking the entitlement-pipe.

Their solution: more of the same.

Actually, it is a self-remedying problem: another three-to-five decades and the demographics will win out! All that will be left of old Europe will be the buildings and the monuments. The culture and the people that created them will be a distant memory.

"Old Europe" was a pretty good place; "New Europe" will be a Muslim stronghold. Saladin will have finally won, centuries after his death.