An ex-pat's perspective...

I lived for about a decade, on and off, in France and later moved to the United States. Nobody in their right mind would give up the manifold sensual, aesthetic and gastronomic pleasures offered by French savoir-vivre for the unrelenting battlefield of American ambition were it not for one thing: possibility.

This is from Roger Cohen's article in the NY Times, and I think it's pretty much right on in quickly explaining some of the ways the US and Europe differ in their cultural views on the roles of government and economic systems.

Churn is the American way. Companies are born, rise, fall and die. Others come along to replace them. The country's remarkable capacity for innovation, for reinvention, is tied to its acceptance of failure. Or always has been. Without failure, the culture of risk fades. Without risk, creativity withers. Save the zombies and you sabotage the vital. If America loses sight of these truths, it will cease to be itself.

It's a great read, so click here for the entire article...