Thursday, April 15, 2004
Random Musings
Near the end of May, I will have been in Europe for four years. That's a long time. During that period, I've gotten to know one or two Europeans, and have come to the conclusion that they know astoundingly little about the American way of life. Since their entire exposure comes to them through our media (most of which is entertainment), they end up with a very skewed idea of what America and Americans are like.
Of course, the only way for Europeans to really understand what makes Americans tick is to have regular interaction with more Americans. That's why I wish Europe and America would establish an open labor market akin to what Europe is doing within the European Union.
It's not that crazy, and wouldn't even be a jobs threat. The two economic areas are roughly equal in size, and I expect that the draw of jobs in America and Europe would be about equal. In other words, a labor exchange would balance itself out, and as many jobs "lost" to Europeans would be "gained" by Americans getting jobs in Europe. Economically-speaking, it would lead to greater efficiencies, as companies in both areas would have a larger pool from which to draw.
Of course, the biggest advantage would be the mutual understanding that would be built between the two areas. That SHOULD matter to Americans. I don't know about you, but I want future military adventures (and they will happen) to have shared responsibilities. America is big and powerful, but a medium-sized country such as Iraq weighs heavily on the budget. I can't say that Europe will suddenly go along with America's desires simply because they know us better, but at least the "aliens across the Atlantic" confusion would be taken off the table.
Of course, every time I say anything about merged labor markets, a schizophrenic voice inside of me notes that I'm someone who likes living and working in foreign countries, and would benefit greatly from such an arrangement. Okay, so I'm biased, but as I noted before...
...it doesn't mean I'm not right.
Near the end of May, I will have been in Europe for four years. That's a long time. During that period, I've gotten to know one or two Europeans, and have come to the conclusion that they know astoundingly little about the American way of life. Since their entire exposure comes to them through our media (most of which is entertainment), they end up with a very skewed idea of what America and Americans are like.
Of course, the only way for Europeans to really understand what makes Americans tick is to have regular interaction with more Americans. That's why I wish Europe and America would establish an open labor market akin to what Europe is doing within the European Union.
It's not that crazy, and wouldn't even be a jobs threat. The two economic areas are roughly equal in size, and I expect that the draw of jobs in America and Europe would be about equal. In other words, a labor exchange would balance itself out, and as many jobs "lost" to Europeans would be "gained" by Americans getting jobs in Europe. Economically-speaking, it would lead to greater efficiencies, as companies in both areas would have a larger pool from which to draw.
Of course, the biggest advantage would be the mutual understanding that would be built between the two areas. That SHOULD matter to Americans. I don't know about you, but I want future military adventures (and they will happen) to have shared responsibilities. America is big and powerful, but a medium-sized country such as Iraq weighs heavily on the budget. I can't say that Europe will suddenly go along with America's desires simply because they know us better, but at least the "aliens across the Atlantic" confusion would be taken off the table.
Of course, every time I say anything about merged labor markets, a schizophrenic voice inside of me notes that I'm someone who likes living and working in foreign countries, and would benefit greatly from such an arrangement. Okay, so I'm biased, but as I noted before...
...it doesn't mean I'm not right.
