TED JENKIN: Europe is burning because people can’t pay their bills. America should pay attention

The article argues that cost-of-living pressures behind protests in France and Italy should serve as a warning to the United States. It says headline economic measures such as growth, unemployment and falling inflation can obscure whether households can afford essentials, and that sustained financial strain can undermine trust in governments and their economic claims.

It points to protests over wages, housing, living costs and public services, while noting that not every demonstration is about household bills and most protesters are not rioters. The author describes US pressures including housing, childcare, food, education, health insurance, taxes and utilities, and says credit is increasingly used to cover shortfalls. The supplied article text ends while discussing how France’s public debt and interest costs constrain government spending.