France and Germany vs. Ireland and economic reality
This should displease CL’s huge Irish readership: France and Germany are teaming together to beat up on little countries who don’t gouge corporations sufficiently. These two countries, which together are responsible for some of the deadliest ideas in human history (Bonapartism, Marxism, Nazism, croissantism), want to force European Union nations to “harmonise” their tax rates. Ireland lowered its corporate taxes over the last decade, and next year the corporate tax decreases to a puny 12.5%. The Franco-German alliance wants them to “harmonise” their butts back up to 30-40%.
Because of their smart tax policies, Ireland has gone from basket case to powerhouse. Its per capita income is now one of the highest in the world. This poverty-reduction programme has worked even better than the traditional Irish solution of exporting their poor to other countries. Yet now Europe’s dominant, stagnant nations (combined population: 142.1 million) may well force Ireland (3.8 million) to abandon its successful experiment. What’s more, the countries responsible for more war deaths than any other two nations on the planet — with the possible exception of Russia, depending on how you view WWII — are prepared to stop the citizens of Estonia (1.5 million) from imitating Ireland and lifting themselves from poverty.
Some conclusions from this sordid episode:
1. Church leaders generally smile on international agreements, judging that it’s better for nations to work with each other than to fight each other. But the contents of the agreements are morally neutral; sometimes, they can be the means for stronger nations to coerce weaker nations.
2. Entering into compacts like the European Union can lead to the loss of national sovereignty.
3. The religion of Europe’s elites is no longer Christianity: it is statism, and it has been for decades. They view the state as Christians view God, as the provider of all good things. Any challenge to the state’s supreme providential role, even when it can be proven in black-and-white statistics like poverty rates and incomes, must be beaten back.
4. To minimize poverty, one thing you should do is avoid penalizing the institutions — i.e., businesses and corporations — that facilitate the creation of wealth.