To truly shift the Overton Window, our work amounts to more than forcing the the government's hand on what we the citizens expect from it (whilst out-competing highly motivated Tea Baggers). We have to change what we expect from ourselves as members of society, too.
We in the progressive blogosphere have all seen evidence that Europeans actually are better off than Americans in significant ways. A week ago, Paul Krugman published a really useful article that makes the case better than I've seen so far. So below is a summary. Because as progressives, we want the best for our countrymen and women.
Does European-style social democracy strangle economic prosperity? Paul Krugman answered this question with a definitive no in his January 12th article in the New York Times, entitled, U.S. could learn from Europe’s social democracy. "The story you hear all the time," criticizes Krugman, "of a stagnant economy in which high taxes and generous social benefits have undermined incentives, stalling growth and innovation – bears little resemblance to the surprisingly positive facts." The author then disproves claims of European stagnation. And what are these positive facts?
Krugman highlights 1) population growth, 2) employment, 3) productivity and the 4) tax systems in Europe, all of which contradict the ‘story you hear all the time.’
After all, the U.S. economy grew faster--on average--than Europe since 1980. But the author points out our fast population growth; in Europe, countries are either growing slower or declining. Krugman adjusts for the effect of population comparing our real GDP. What we find is a very different picture. For all our effort, we experienced 1.95% real GDP growth vs. a roughly similar 1.83% there. But wait, they do that on less.
By other measures, Europe also runs competitive with the United States. The author cites broadband access and speed as evidence that Europe is catching up technologically with the U.S. In 2008 our employment rate was at about parity with Europe. Their productivity nears U.S. levels, but with less hours worked because of shorter work weeks, longer vacation and more generous breaks and leave of absence.
A highly progressive tax system exists in the middle of this prosperity. Europe uses seemingly stringent taxation, ranging from "36 to 44 percent of GDP, compared with 28" in the United States. These taxes make health care universal and "social expenditure" distributed better.
"Social justice and progress can go hand in hand."
Consequently, European workers are taken care of better, more generously and more comprehensively. Yet despite this security, Europeans aren’t compelled to work less efficiently or be less successful. "The real lesson from Europe is actually the opposite of what conservatives claim," writes Krugman. "Europe is an economic success, and that success shows that social democracy works." Danes and other Continental counterparts are even happier than Americans.
Krugman further simplifies the matter for less interested observers. There's the sniff test, or, "what am I going to believe, you or my eyes?" Does a stroll through London or Paris reveal a less prosperous civilization than you'd find in New York City? Not really.
So what do we want? Do we want a society where we tell the younger worker to eat shit because he doesn't have a master's degree or enough "experience"? Do we start deducting invisible points because your middle-aged worker takes time off, growing unhealthier on your shoddy health insurance plan? Do we force more young families to enter to the 2 worker-class without having the choice of a stay-at-home mom or dad?
So if there were anything to the economic assumptions that dominate U.S. public discussion – above all, the belief that even modestly higher taxes on the rich and benefits for the less-well-off would drastically undermine incentives to work, invest and innovate – Europe would be the stagnant, decaying economy of legend. But it isn't.
Instead, the US looks evermore like a dressed-up version of the working class' 19th century, coal-stained existence we so conveniently (for our owners) forget, albeit with SUVs instead of calloused feet. Is it really worth it making the working class live this way? Precious fewer actual meals with family, (let alone time to cook it) no more biologically-mandated full night's sleep. Just go out there, another prospective victim of the real estate, insurance and credit casinos.
I say no. We're not doomed to repeat the past or forever tied to just passed. But before we can create a more just society, we're contending with a mad bull in a china shop. If we can stabilize our politics again, Krugman shows us that equity's still possible.