The trip is significant in more than one respect. After all, there is genuine (if incremental) "change" budding in European politics - most of it an attempt to turn back the kinds of stifling economic controls and regulations that the presumptive Democratic nominee seems to support here at home.



Obama will visit Germany, France and England this week. It just happens that those Western European nations have turned to right-of-center coalitions to remedy corrosive welfare systems, never-ending entitlements, unchecked union power and overregulation of industry.

In England mere months ago, the left-of-center Labor Party lost more than 400 seats in local elections, including finishing off the reign of London Mayor Ken "The Red" Livingstone.

In France, Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy swept into power in 2007, promising to cut back welfare rolls and revitalize the floundering French economy. In Germany, Angela Merkel vowed free-market reforms to undo theoretical social "safety nets" that have led to "terrifyingly high unemployment."

Then, Silvio Berlusconi unexpectedly won Italy's election this year, in part on the pledge to unknot the tangle of economic regulations hampering that nation.

Those are the top four economic powers in Europe. That's officially a trend.

And while Democrats at home are stoking populist anger over those wicked corporations - better known as your employer - Europe is learning a truism: Corporations don't pay taxes; people pay taxes.

Since 1995, nearly 30 European nations have cut their corporate tax rates to spur growth. Yet, the U.S. boasts one of the highest corporate rates in the world. (Unless, of course, you happen to be an unsuccessful corporation. Then Republicans will send you tax dollars!)

In the past decade or so, 25 European nations have also turned to a low flat tax - typically around 10 to 20 percent - rather than our extensive and complicated "progressive" taxation which penalizes success and is rife with fraud.

Many of these nations have witnessed dividends in increased jobs, population and growth.

Estonia's free-market model, for instance, often offers a zero corporate tax rate to lure foreign investment and capital. Both Germany and Finland have grumbled that the small Baltic nation is stealing their jobs.

Other European nations, when offered the choice, head in the very same direction.

Out of the 27 members of the European Union, only Ireland, the continent's finest economic success story, was allowed to hold a citizen referendum on the new constitution. Rather than shackle their nation with more controls, Ireland voted "no."

Let's call it anti-Unity.

Yet, here at home, certain parties can't contain their anticipation at the prospect of raising capital gains taxes, revoking "tax cuts for the rich" and punishing anyone who churns investment and creates jobs. The producers have become the enemy.

Instead, we're in for more redistribution, more entitlement, more regulation and less international trade. In other words, the same counterproductive policies that Europe is struggling to undo.

It must be pointed out that "right wing" in Europe isn't American-style conservatism. And it takes some self-control to avoid using the phrase "so-called" throughout this column. The economic trend, however, is evident.

So in the midst of our mild downturn, are Americans now ready to import these doomed policies?

Obama - as all presidential candidates - has proven astoundingly malleable on the issues, so who knows? But let's hope his European trip provides some instructive lessons.