>Question for American liberal Pollyanna Europhiles: Do you guys
>actually, like, you know, read anything about Europe in the
>newspapers or magazines, or are you all just basing your utopian
>projections on your viewing La Dolce Vita on DVD or something?
I'm not a Pollyanna Europhile but I do remember sitting at the dinner table once with my ex mother-in-law when she had a heart attack. This was in a village near Seville, Spain. In less than an hour she was in the hospital in Seville, where she stayed until she was well. During all that time neither she or anyone in her family had to fill out reams of paperwork and answer a million questions about finances. She just showed her national id card and that was it.
Nothing like that would ever happen here unless you're mega-rich. And even then some personal assistant would have to answer the questions.
As for my bona fides, my daughter is a member of the EU with a passport and everything. I lived with her family in Spain for over a year and visited frequently during more than a decade. She and her mom just got back from Spain and England for the holidays.
So, like, you know, bite me.