David Brooks writes about the economic crises here and in Europe. In Europe, Germans msut clean up the mess in Greece and Italy, even though they played by the rules: people paid taxes, government officials followed laws, and budgets were followed. 

Over the past few decades, several European nations, like Germany and the Netherlands, have played by the rules and practiced good governance. They have lived within their means, undertaken painful reforms, enhanced their competitiveness and reinforced good values. Now they are being brutally browbeaten for not wanting to bail out nations like Greece, Italy and Spain, which did not do these things, which instead borrowed huge amounts of money that they are choosing not to repay.

Continue reading “The Grasshopper and the Ant” →