Why Europe is falling way behind America’s powerhouse economy

An American in Europe these days might find themself in a strange situation — or at least that was my experience, having recently spent a week there, traveling from Germany to Norway to Spain. In the United States, we talk about our economic problems. In Europe, the talk is all about how Europe has been unable to keep up with the U.S. powerhouse.

The facts are stark. In 2008, the United States and the euro-zone economies were roughly the same size. Today, the…