Is the West Imploding?

It's been a while since I've last blogged. This year I've written (and passed) the LSUC bar exams, in the process of planning a wedding, and moved twice. It hasn't been easy, but it's been a fun ride. So amidst the insanity, I'm taking a few minutes to blog.

Greece's economy seems to be crumbling like an Icelandic volcano, and the left wing nut bars of Greece would rather stay on a sinking ship than fix their disastrous economy. Greece is amazing, from a once colossal empire to a state with millions of unrepentant Marxists and Stalinists that refuses to even acknowledge the reality that their welfare state is completely and utterly unsustainable.

So, like all Western governments of the past few years, the answer for the EU is to print money to bail out a loser-country in the hopes that it will stave off the inevitable for a few more years. The fact is, the welfare state that we've known since the 1970's is not compatible with a vibrant, growing economy in a free nation. You either have personal responsibility, or you have dependence on Big Brother for everything.

Obviously, I'm being a bit dramatic, but the massive entitlement programs that the West has built up will have to be addressed by austerity measures far more meaningful than those imposed by the Socialist Greek government. If anything, Greece's default would have been a valuable lesson for the rest of the Western world on the need to control the size and scope of government. Continued bailouts will likely lead to a missed opportunity for reform and restructuring.

I worry that in 5 or 10 years time, the West will face a far more serious crisis of the UK, France, Germany, or even the United States facing default. If Greece's debt can effect world markets the way in which it has over the past week, just imagine an American default crisis. The Depression would look like a holiday.

But alas, all hope is not lost. President Obama's disastrous economy policies are speeding the renewal of American conservatism and drastic change in the makeup of Congress and the executive. America, the beacon of freedom for the world, will survive in spite of Obama, not because of him.

If we had to go through Carter to get Reagan, perhaps Mr. Obama will lead to a new Reagan-like figure that will usher in a new era of personal responsibility, limited government, strong national security, and the rule of law.

All of this ridiculousness does make one thankful to live in such a stable and responsible country as Canada with health banks, sound fiscal policy (for the most part), and a growing private sector.