Absolutely agree that Americans have more of that go for the moon attitude. I have definitely noticed that with various Americans I have worked with. It can often be very refreshing.

But I have also noticed how it can lead people astray. Americans have such optimism about their ability to do anything that they have no realistic understanding of their boundaries too many times. It can lead to absolute disaster for them.

My point is that I think most of this is a cultural difference. Americans have a willigness to take on risk that Europeans don't have. I don't think the systems per say are the cause of that difference.

I like sometimes to read old newspapers from the 1800s. You notice even then when government policies were not that different in terms of things such as welfare services was not much different in Europe, Canada and the US.

Yet, even then America was full of snake oil salesmen, hyper optimistic entrenpenurs and people who wanted to change the world in a big bang way. The American hyperbole and can-do attitude was still very much there. You see this kind of stuff all over the world. I read accounts from British visitors to the Netherlands in the 1600s. The relative difference between the Dutch and the English was very much the same back then as today.

Bottom line is that I don't think European socities have to change in a fundamental way. There are always tweaks and improvements. To me it is primarily about the detais, not that say Europe needs to abandon the whole concept of welfare states.

Also many of the systems here is needed BECAUSE of particular cultural traits. In Norway government has to play a more active role in innovation and greenfield projects because the kind of venture capitalism and eagerness to make it big, doesn't exist here. Norwegians are simply not as motivated as Americans to get really rich.

I have noticed that in various corporate settings when we have Americans over. I remember one American leader making a toast to "making lots of money together." I could scarely imagine a less Nordic toast. We are okay with it. We know American culture is different.

I notice it also when working with American editors when writing a book. The sales culture and money making aspect is so much stronger with Americans. I think many of us Europeans often just want to make something we think is great and make sure that it is not a total disaster in the market. Having maximum success in the market is not necessarily our primary goal. Like we would want to make something of quality that we believe in, rather than only making money.

One benefit in the US is of course that Americans are more willing to try crazy things going against convention. But I suspect these attitude also vary within the US just like they vary quite a lot within Europe. I think many of us Nordics find a lot of continental Europe overly conservative.