Topic: The Dutch King Proclaims the End of Dutch Welfare State

[pisskop]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dutch-king-willemalexander-declares-the-end-of-the-welfare-state-8822421.html

King Willem-Alexander delivered a message to the Dutch people from the government in a nationally televised address: the welfare state of the 20th century is gone.
 

In its place a "participation society" is emerging, in which people must take responsibility for their own future and create their own social and financial safety nets, with less help from the national government.

Now, ladies and gents, pay attention to this.  Obama wants us to be more like Europe, and I think I can get behind this.

[LadyVirginia]

It was not immediately clear if the 100 million euros spent by the government on maintaining the Royal House, with its castles and parades, would be included in the austerity cuts.

link

[whimsicalmamapig]

wow, and with this and Merkel being re-elected and ready to enforce even more austerity, things aren't looking great for Obama's desire to make America more like Europe.

say what you want about the dutch view on social mores, they had always been good at making smart financial decisions (that is until they fell under the sirens call of utopian socialism after the trauma of WWII) but gladly they are coming to their senses. Seems like a rising group of like-minded germans has been making progress in the polls in Germany and Hollande is falling in popularity as we speak.

I would like to be inside Obama's head as he tries to align his communist ideology with the now changing environment in the Europe he so wanted to emulate. It must be rather difficult for a narcissist to realize that he has hitched his wagon to a falling star. and all of this irony is going to be way beyond the understanding of the lo-info Obama supporter so I would hope that some in the news media will spell it out to them in small single syllable words

[pisskop]

It was not immediately clear if the 100 million euros spent by the government on maintaining the Royal House, with its castles and parades, would be included in the austerity cuts.

link