An American In Europe: Why Do They Hate Us ?
“Travel is good.” That should be the slogan of ailing airlines, because it’s absolutely true. We learn amazing things by getting out into the world and literally by rubbing elbows with our neighbors on this baby blue planet of ours. I just came back from my first trip to Italy, and while I have been to Britain many times and to France and to some of our close neighbors such as Canada and Mexico, this excursion did more to open my eyes than any prior one. Perhaps the most significant thing I saw is what appears to be the high standard of living over there. People are well dressed, much more stylishly I might note, than we are, on average. They look healthy, generally benefiting from some sort of universal health coverage and easier access to health care services. And they’re spending money, significant amounts of it, having vacations of their own, and patronizing the generally upscale shops and restaurants I saw along the way. There are some other things I noticed. Most shopkeepers and
