I recently had the privilege of hearing Vaclav Klaus, former President of the Czech Republic, speak at an event at my college. He spoke on the political state of his nation, of the European Union, and the potential lessons and warnings for America.

Klaus was born in Prague in 1941, amidst the Nazi Occupation. The Nazi rule gave way to Communist Party control, which lasted until the Velvet Revolution in 1989. This means Klaus lived under nothing but tyranny for the first 48 years of his life.

So when he says the mentality behind the European integration reminds him of the Communist days, he knows what he’s talking about.

Klaus made (among others) two major points applicable to American politics. The first was about economics. European Union leaders use the economy as a tool for social and environmental ends, like emissions limitations. When their system is already centrally planned, and then takes on the burden of such undertakings, economic growth is, Klaus says, impossible.

We’re seeing this mentality unfold in America. For all of President Obama’s talk about jobs, the main concerns are social goals such as government mandated healthcare, financial intervention, environmental regulations, and so on. Actual economic success only gets lip service while disastrous legislation like the ACA is called necessary. Europe’s crisis is rapidly becoming our own.

Klaus’s other profound point was in response to a question regarding the character necessary to resist such a mentality. He answered that he and his political colleagues were not career politicians. They had normal lives, normal jobs, and it was the tribulations of Communist rule that inspired them to take action. The problem with the European political class is that they don’t do anything else. Klaus said that they all know each other, all went to the same schools, the same organizations, the same events.

This is visible in America as well. Politicians are usually Ivy League credentialed and have spent their whole lives in political or social engineering roles. Our own President was, infamously, a “community organizer.” There is a massive disconnect between the political world in which these people dwell and the world in which normal citizens live. This explains ObamaCare exceptions for Senators, the outrageous shutdown closures, and other baffling government actions.

One last point about Klaus. He, when advocating for political change and free market principles, was accused, of all things, of being a KGB agent. This was hurled against a man who suffered under tyranny for over half of his life. And he endured. He laughs off criticism and attacks, and fearlessly, yet without malice, speaks his mind, no matter how controversial.

All of America’s politicians could learn an important lesson in thick skin from this courageous man.