Fiscal crises threaten Europe's generous benefits - Who could have seen this coming?

Here is your link.

This article strikes me as a case of the obvious. Another situation where reality insists.

From the article:

"The current welfare state is unaffordable," said Uri Dadush, director of the Carnegie Endowment's International Economics Program. "The crisis has made the day of reckoning closer by several years in virtually all the industrial countries."

The welfare state is unaffordable? NO!!!! Hey Inspector Detector I've got another hot tip for you: Water flows downhill.

More:

Germany will decide next month just how to cut at least 3 billion euros ($3.75 billion) from the budget.

They seem to be smarter than we are at this time. Our federal government is trying to invent new ways to spend more money.

Here is a shocker:

"We have to adjust our social security systems in a way that they motivate people to accept regular work and do not give counterproductive incentives," German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told news weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung on Saturday.

They are planning on not giving counterproductive incentives? They can't do that. The people are entitled to other peoples money!!!

Another good bit:

Large-scale immigration from outside Europe is challenging the continent's assumptions about its dedication to tolerance and liberty as countries move to control individual clothing - the Islamic veil - in the name of freedom and equality.

Does that sound familiar? On the whole I have to say that I prefer our illegal immigrants to theirs, although I'm not sure that the Muslim immigrants are illegal in Europe.

The Europeans are facing this reality: When times are good you can afford some welfare and social programs for a while. When times go bad you can't afford them any more. Another problem is that people begin to think they are entitled to them.