1. Standard membersh76
    Civis Americanus Sum
    New York
    Joined
    26 Dec '07
    Moves
    17585
    22 Aug '12 13:30
    http://bostonglobe.com/business/2012/08/21/europe-leaders-face-post-holiday-blues/VxfklONzCBGxFPGdmjzqaJ/story.html

    Southern Europe appears to be in recession again and it's governments appear to be facing the cruel trilema of:

    1) Defying the angry mob and instituting austerity measures
    2) Begging central and northern Europe for big bailouts
    3) Dropping the Euro and floating and then destroying their own currencies

    If the status quo continues, it's very possible that central and perhaps even northern Europe will be dragged into recession. On the heels of 5 years of already tough times, can the EU take another blow like this? How long before Germany gets tired of being the buy everyone goes to for charity or until Spain and Greece and Italy stomp out of the room in a huff?

    Of course this will impact the US as well.

    One of these decades, these irresponsible western governments are going to learn that, by and large, you can only spend about as much as you bring in (give or take a few billion, of course).
  2. Joined
    24 Apr '10
    Moves
    15242
    22 Aug '12 14:20
    Originally posted by sh76
    One of these decades, these irresponsible western governments are going to learn that, by and large, you can only spend about as much as you bring in (give or take a few billion, of course).
    No, they probably won't. But I applaud your optimism.
  3. Germany
    Joined
    27 Oct '08
    Moves
    3118
    22 Aug '12 14:26
    4) Using a combination of tax hikes on the wealthy (most of the Southern European economies have very low taxes on the wealthy), tackling tax evasion (a rampant problem in Greece and Italy, for instance) and reducing government waste and corruption to bridge the deficits.

    German politicians may sound worried about the bailouts to Greece and Spain, but due to the euro crisis the yield on German bonds has dropped so much that they are now essentially borrowing for free. So the longer the euro crisis lasts, the more matured bonds they will be able to replace with new, nigh-yield-free bonds. Trust me, they are not as worried as they sound.
  4. Joined
    03 Feb '07
    Moves
    193195
    23 Aug '12 01:13
    Austerity - punishing the poor for the f----ups of the rich.
  5. Standard membersh76
    Civis Americanus Sum
    New York
    Joined
    26 Dec '07
    Moves
    17585
    23 Aug '12 02:34
    Originally posted by Kunsoo
    Austerity - punishing the poor for the f----ups of the rich.
    No, it's giving less of the rich people's money to the poor because they don't have as much to give.
  6. Germany
    Joined
    27 Oct '08
    Moves
    3118
    23 Aug '12 05:36
    Originally posted by sh76
    No, it's giving less of the rich people's money to the poor because they don't have as much to give.
    Again, that's not the issue. EU countries where the rich actually do pay a significant amount of taxes are doing just fine.
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