Slouching Toward Austerity

Charles Hughes Smith at “Of Two Minds” blog describes the politics of resentment succinctly and ends:

“Now that the “housing never goes down” fantasy has imploded, the dwindling remains of the once-great middle class are slouching dejectedly through the ruins of the political center (which cannot hold because there is no center, only a State/Plutocracy Elite and a rabble of State dependents defending their fiefdoms), filled with bitter resentments at this undeserved plight–for isn’t this the Greatest Empire the World Has Ever Known?–beset by anxieties about the rough beasts (let us call them austerity, restraint, humility, responsibility, patience, sacrifice and thrift) whose hour has come round at last.”

Road To Prosperity: Stimulate Production, Not Consumption

An interesting piece by Nathan Lewis at The Daily Reckoning that should be tattooed on the forehead of every misbegotten pundit confusing the airwaves with his bad definitions and sorrier prescriptions. Lewis doesn’t make the usual libertarian mistake of discussing concepts without refining the context in which those concepts are applied. First, he distinguishes between types of spending cuts. Second, he also addresses the issue of public perception and attitude, which most libertarians don’t even consider part of the debate. Third, he takes into account the order in which things are done. Continue reading