Europe is financially in trouble due to over spending and socialist programs that were not properly funded. What I mean is the unsustainable spending that many European countries put into social programs and the increasing growth of government and encroachment on personal liberty.
That is a load of American right wing propaganda crap.
Europe is in no more financial trouble than the rest of the industrialized world and in fact some European countries are in very good condition.. those "Socialist" Scandinavian countries in particular.
Not properly funded.. give me a break. Most European countries before the crisis had budgets with slight deficits or surpluses. The US has had a deficit since before Reagan.... every single year.. and you accuse us of over spending? LOL And the only reason that some European countries like the UK and Spain are in any sort of trouble is because of the US sub-prime crisis and them following the US lead. You should stop listening to the right wing anti-European propaganda and look at the freaking facts instead.
I also fear because many European countries are beginning to oppress Islam with burkha and minaret bans (I don't think religion should be oppressed).
First off.. many? the Swiss have had a minaret ban, which is nothing but a populist xenophobic bs law any ways and does not really impact anyone since a minaret would have to get building permission and those are rarely given due to height restrictions in local areas. For example in the town I live, no building can be taller than 3 stories, hence there is a defacto ban on minarets, and any other building over 3 stories.
As for burkhas.. it has nothing to do with religion, never has been and never will be. It has everything to do with outdated traditions of suppressing women. And before you started attacking Europe for how we do things, maybe it is time for you too look at your own country where Muslims are basically hunted. The amount of anti Islam attacks is going up and now you are even banning entry to your own citizens because of their religion and where they travel.. pathetic.
I was talking as a generalization of European nations and the EU, mainly of the biggest nations like France, Spain, Germany, and the UK.
That you were, and we are 30+ countries with 30 plus economies and 30 plus legal systems and traditions.
I agree with you on this. I think America can offer advice and offer to help European countries, but it's up to them to accept it or take our advice. European nations, as sovereign entities, should govern themselves and not be governed by other larger nations.
Why? America does not have much to teach Europe... unless being greedy is a skill. Your social and economic system are in shambles because of greed and corruption and only being kept alive because there is a de facto agreement to ignore things by attacking Europe. After all that is the best way to divert attention away from yourself.. point out others problems and make them even worse than they are. Hell you cant even police your own politicians, let alone companies working in your own country. You protect your industries far more than Europe and yet you call for more liberalisation in Europe... pathetic double standard. Come back to us when you allow non Americans to own US airlines and media. You imprison more people than any other nation on the planet and have strange morality laws that would offend any one in Europe. Ups look she has a bare breast.. uproar and scandal.. but murder and guns and drugs go by unnoticed.. pathetic attitude. Your legal system is highly biased towards the rich and against the poor usual black population.
If anything America could learn a few things from Europe.. like how to run an election and healthcare system.
Plus the growing oppression of religion (Islam) is beginning to make me worry Europe seems to be going down an unsustainable socialist route where the state has more power over individuals and religious freedom.
Err what growing oppression? That we want to free oppressed women from backward practices is suddenly oppression? Then I guess you have no problem with female genital mutilation and other backwards practice.. forced marriages and worse? How about incest .. that okay with you because it might oppress some freakish traditionalist religious practice?
Seriously, using the "socialist" tag is just in poor taste and utterly wrong and seriously tarnishes your credibility. First off a majority of the countries in Europe have or just had right wing governments. Secondly just because our policies live up to the American right wing philosophy does not mean it is socialist. American conservatives are not the main stream world wide conservative movement.. they are in fact so far from main stream that is is sad.
As for religious freedom.. we have just as much freedom as American's on that front, but we do not mix politics and religion unlike Americans do. While America lets its religion dictate its laws and rules often, in Europe we have had that and found it to be a bad way of doing things so we try to have a very clear line between the two. That does not mean we oppress religion in any way or form. Religion is a personal thing and something that can not and must not be forced on others.