What is the proper role of government in the lives of people? According to columnist Christoph von Marschall of the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, it is the answer to this question that separates Europeans and Americans, and is at the heart of America’s debate over health care.
For Der Tagesspiegel, Christoph von Marschall writes in part:
“At issue is one of the fundamental ideological differences between the old world and the new: What freedoms and risks should society leave to the individual, and when should the community step in to help. On this point – the duties of the state – Americans and Europeans have nearly opposite views. Americans tend to consider it an evil. It is unfortunately necessary for the defense against enemies and their way of life as well as a few organizational tasks, but otherwise it should stay out of their lives. Europeans grant the state educational duties and responsibilities, from social security to salvaging the environment and climate. For the majority of Americans, this makes the hair on the back of their necks stand on end.”
By Christoph von Marschall
Translated By Jonathan Lobsien
August 19, 2009
Germany – Der Tagesspiegel – Original Article (German)
Little by little, the U.S. is turning Barack Obama himself, that exceptional politician, into a proper American. And he will not get a majority for the introduction of universal health insurance, even if he has approached the subject more cleverly than the Clintons did 15 years ago.
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