EU Reading

Fire of Liberty

Here's several more articles on the recent votes on the EU Constitution referendum in France and Holland:

First, here's an editorial from National Review Online, which notes that the EU Constitution was a hindrance to a nation's sovereignty and lacks all aspects of a real constitution that limits the power of government.

Second, Max Boot has written a great column in The LA Times on how angry the voters in these nations are towards their leaders and their stagnant socialistic/centralistic ideas, namely the EU Constitution.

Third, here's a piece by David Brooks in The New York Times on how the Europe faces a demographic decline via abnormally low birth rates and its idiotic desire to cling to the failed policies of Keynesian style liberalism. He seems to have a good grasp on Europe's problems and it gels with Boot's thesis.

Fourth, check out Austin Bay's column, which presents a alternative solution to the EU that is based on free-market capitalism, reduced regulation, economic liberalism, low taxes and pro-US relations. Bay notes the US can offer such a partnership to Ireland, Britain, and Holland and call it the North Atlantic Free Trade Association. Sounds good to me.

Fifth, here's John O'Sullivan's column in The Chicago Sun-Times which has an interesting Plan B to rescue the beleaguered the EU especially with France and Holland rejecting the EU Treaty. Just see O'Sullivan's plan:

In reality there is always a Plan B, even if the politicians avoid considering it until Plan A has collapsed. Under this particular Plan B, the United States would rescue Turkey and the EU from their joint crises while also advancing U.S. interests in transatlantic integration.

It would work as follows:

First, the EU and the United States (together with its partners in NAFTA) would merge their markets to form TAFTA -- or a transatlantic free trade area.

Second, they would invite all the existing European countries not in the EU, including Turkey, Norway and Switzerland, to join this enlarged TAFTA. (Ukraine, Russia and Latin American countries outside NATFA would be eligible to join once they met criteria similar to those required for EU entry.)

Third, this TAFTA would establish joint procedures for harmonizing existing and new regulations between NAFTA, the EU and non-EU states,.

Fourth, free movement of labor would not be a provision in TAFTA, but there would be preferential immigration rules between members.

Sounds good to me.

I'd say this is enough to read now. I promise I'll move past the EU soon.