European Union?

I went to Europe last August. To Ireland, actually. Which means I had to use Euros.

Euro coins are fun to look at. There's minting for all the different countries in the European Union: Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, ect. But the Euro, the whole concept of a European Union, that's in trouble now. Mostly because of the Greek threat of sovereign default.

Many people have been questioning the relevance of the EU in light of the recent debt crisis in several of the EU nations. People say in the press and in casual conversation that the EU was inherently a flawed model. It might be a reasonable assumption, considering you have about 27 different countries all with the different languages and cultural moires. Many of the cultural differences are responsible for the economic state of each country right now. The Greeks and Italians, traditionally a laid-back, vibrant people spent much of the money infused into the European economies when the EU was created on social welfare, while a country like Germany, which traditionally has a rigid work ethic, invested more heavily in its industry and manufacturing base. Some critics call the EU model unworkable because of different national sensibilities.

To those critics, I say, do you remember the hundreds of wars fought across Europe over centuries because of religious conflict, territorial disputes and the like? An economic union like the EU is designed to keep conflicts like World War II from ever flaring up again, for countries on this motley continent from ever trying to kill each other. And in the age of a global villiage, instant communication and the like, wouldn't a common currency make more sense? Will a political union in Europe, like here in the United States, ever be created. I don't know, its food for thought. But money squabbles have the nasty potential to turn into gun battles, and Europe has seen enough of that.