Is America turning into Europe?

I think I've made it pretty clear I'm not too happy with a lot of what Obama is doing. I don't agree with all the stimulus... at some point we have to pay for it, even if not today. Some say it could double our tax burden in the future. No way we can support all the debt we are taking on with current tax rates. People slammed Bush for the huge deficit, but where is the uproar when Obama is going to DOUBLE the current deficit? Then it seems like everyday I hear of a new plan Obama has. Simplify the tax code, building a nationwide high speed rail system, etc. While I don't have an issue with either of these ideas, we can't even deal with the current problems... how can we take on these new issues. Simplifying the tax code sounds amazing, but does anyone really have faith in your tax burden actually getting lighter. It is in our best interest to keep it how is... as any change to the tax code will only increase your burden. Remember, we can't even pay for our current obligations... and definitely not the future ones. So all this aside, I read an amazing article by Charles Murphy. From this point I will steal from him.

America is a great country. But as time has gone along, many left Americans have viewed Europe in a very positive light. Many have looked at the way European countries are run and envy that system. Well, with Obama, you may finally be getting your way. Sure the system has merits, but it falls short in many, many ways. I had never really thought of this before, but Charles Murphy did an amazing job on the article... What makes humans happy is success, responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment. With social democracy(as in Europe, and what you are seeing a shift to in America), the responsibility is taken from the individual and moved to the government. Now everyone says GREAT, less for me to do, right? Without the government, if someone down the street is suffering, yo
u help... but when the government steps in, you let them do the work. Seems nice and simple enough? Well, what happen in America with welfare? I'll let Charles say it:

If we knew that leaving these functions in the hands of families and communities led to legions of neglected children and neglected neighbors, and taking them away from families and communities led to happy children and happy neighbors, then it would be possible to say that the cost is worth it. But that's not what happened when the U.S. welfare state expanded. We have seen growing legions of children raised in unimaginably awful circumstances, not because of material poverty but because of dysfunctional families, and the collapse of functioning neighborhoods into Hobbesian all-against-all free-fire zones.

As the government takes over more responsibility, as you are required to work less, you start looking out for themselves. It becomes less about others and more about satisfying your current wants. If the government is going to take care of the things that past societies had to do for themselves, your good human nature is no longer a necessity. The charitable giving decreases, you have less children... as it is all about what you want. Their is no longer a need for religion, so the church dies... eventually you get to where Europe is: A self-absorbed society that is slowly decaying as they no longer procreate and more immigrants take over the land. America is already almost there, the birth rates have plummeted, charitable giving is down, and less people are going to church.

The good news is that according to Mr. Murphy... it will swing the other way. Eventually, we will come back. His reasoning? The advancement of science. It is his belief that as we understand the human body more we will revert back to the ways of a less social democracy... here is me hoping he is right. Here is the article. It is very long, but it is WELL worth the time.