[analog31]

I remember for the past 50 years, that Americans have been warned that looking across the oceans (or even the Great Lakes) for policy ideas would lead to "stagnation." The latest propaganda point is that Europe is even poorer than Mississippi. That sounds horrifying, if you've never been to either place.

Meanwhile it seems that Europe has been pulling ahead of us in measures that affect the quality of life for common people, including the working class. While the fear of "stagnation" was remotely believable during the 1970s, it's clear today that we're the ones who've been hornswoggled.

The US is still better for making software, as China is better for making printed circuit boards, but I'm not sure either of those things are all that bad for the common people.