https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/04/05/shifting-the-foundations/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usFri, 12 Jun 2026 22:21:13 -0400<![CDATA[The Charles Murray of the Bell Curve fame argues in an WSJ article called &#8220;The Europe Syndrome&#8221; that the real effect of increasing dependence on the state is that communities, families &#8212; and individuals &#8212; begin to atrophy like disused muscles. &#8220;Europeanization&#8221; isn&#8217;t a cosmetic change, but a fundamental one. The effect is that we eventually expect things to be &#8220;guaranteed&#8221; to us by others and stop learning how to do it ourselves. But, from a systems point of view, this is sleight of hand. We are the &#8220;others&#8221; we&#8217;ve been waiting for to save us, and we are also the atrophied.]]>Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:50:45 -0400<![CDATA[Richard Fernandez]]>https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2009/04/05/shifting-the-foundations-n187749