The Irreversible Plight of the Aging Welfare State

Eighteen years ago, Morgan Stanley’s Investment Strategist, Byron Wien, quipped, “Unless Europe engages in an extensive program of restructuring, in 20 years it will be a vast open-air museum.”

But Europe did not restructure herself. Instead, she clung tenaciously to her beloved Welfare State. As a result, the museum’s doors are now open…and what a delightful museum it is!

Every exhibit hall features fascinating artifacts of capitalism and/or real-time interactive displays of the “Welfare State in Motion” — i.e. in stasis. The “Paris Exhibition” gets our top vote: Plop yourself down at a café table, sip a $15 cappuccino and watch unionized employees pretend to work.

Be sure to put it on your bucket list.

As museums go, this one may be the most dynamic and expansive one on the planet. If current trends continue, a brand new “American Wing” will be opening soon. In fact, to judge from the graphic below, this museum may soon have docents strolling the streets of almost every major economy in the Developed World.

Read More at dailyreckoning.com . By Eric Fry.

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