Mullings An American Cyber Column By Rich Galen

US & Int'l Papers

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Europe's Tsuris

Wednesday June 21, 2006

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The President is off to Europe to, as the AP's Terence Hunt put it, "strengthen ties with European allies unhappy about Iraq."

European Allies unhappy? Well, isn't that just too, too bad.

Let's look at just how well things are going over there in Merrie Olde Europe.

Airbus - whose parent company is owned by Germany, France, and Great Britain - had this terrific idea for an enormous airplane, the A-380, which could carry up to 800 passengers.

They lined up customers and strutted - if a flying planet can strut - over the Paris air show. They sneered at Boeing's feeble attempts at a new airplane - the 787 Dreamliner.

Guess what? Wiring and other problems with the A-380 will cause delays of "six to seven months" in deliveries which will, according to the International Herald Tribune "probably reduce operating profits by a total of �2 billion between 2007 and 2010.

Not only that, but airlines which had bought the planes and planned schedules based upon the unattainable delivery timetables promised by Airbus are likely to demand compensation which will make the hole even deeper.

An airline analyst said that "when the 787 Dreamliner comes on line, Boeing will have a relatively modern and attractive product line."

Good for us.

How about overall economic health? According to published sources, the economy of the European Union grew by a lusty 0.7% in the first quarter of 2006.

On the unemployment front, According to Eurostat, seasonally adjusted unemployment in the full EU stood at 8.3% in April. In France, unemployment was slightly higher at 8.9%.

If that weren't bad enough, according to Expatica, "German unemployment remains stuck at 11 per cent and the economy has been in stagnation for most of the past five years."

Compare that to the first quarter numbers in the US: An annual growth rate of 5.3%. The economy in the US is so strong that the Federal Reserve has seen fit to raise interest rates again in May to help keep the US economy from overheating.

The US latest unemployment number which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is at about 4.6% - slightly more than half the unemployment rate of France.

Hey, this IS good news!

What else? Let's take a look at that pesky issue of immigration. According Euractive.com, "exclusion and even exploitation of immigrants [in Europe leads to] employment, housing and health problems which are not only acute in the initial stage after arrival but they continue for many years."

Even CNN.com reported, "Inevitably, with 15 million people unemployed in the European Union alone, the influx of outsiders has been resented in some areas -- whatever the reasons for their arrival."

Referenda on a European Constitution failed in France and Holland last year. So, the EU leaders have decided on their a well-practiced head-in-the-sand (or, as they say in Germany Kopf im Sand) theory of leadership.

According to the AP, Europe's leaders have decided to "put aside questions over what to do with their constitution for at least two more years, opting to focus on promoting Europe to their citizens by pressing ahead with economic measures and a common immigration policy.

We have already seen how well they are doing on those issues.

A metaphor for just how dreadful things are in Europe, Terence Hunt reported the following:

As Bush was driven to his hotel, curious onlookers, most of whom remained motionless and expressionless, gathered along Vienna's streets. One group struggled unsuccessfully to unfurl a "Go Home'" banner from a restaurant balcony in time for it to be seen by occupants of the speeding motorcade.

Probably a bunch of unemployed immigrants who helped design the Airbus 380 and voted against the EU Constitution.

On the Secret Decoder Ring Page today: A definition of the title, links to two of the articles, a self-serving Mullfoto, and a topic-appropriate Catchy Caption of the Day.

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