{"id":393935,"date":"2010-03-05T11:08:00","date_gmt":"2010-03-05T16:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/defecit-hawks-who-dont-understand-economics-are-about-to-ruin-the-recovery-2010-3"},"modified":"2010-03-05T11:08:00","modified_gmt":"2010-03-05T16:08:00","slug":"deficit-hawks-who-dont-understand-economics-are-about-to-ruin-the-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/393935","title":{"rendered":"Deficit Hawks Who Don’t Understand Economics Are About To Ruin The Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Project Syndicate<\/a>:<\/p>\n

A wave of fiscal austerity is rushing over Europe and America. The magnitude of budget deficits – like the magnitude of the downturn – has taken many by surprise. But despite protests by the yesterday’s proponents of deregulation, who would like the government to remain passive, most economists believe that government spending has made a difference, helping to avert another Great Depression. <\/span><\/p>\n

Most economists also agree that it is a mistake to look at only one side of a balance sheet (whether for the public or private sector). One has to look not only at what a country or firm owes, but also at its assets. This should help answer those financial sector hawks who are raising alarms about government spending. After all, even deficit hawks acknowledge that we should be focusing not on today’s deficit, but on the long-term national debt. Spending, especially on investments in education, technology, and infrastructure, can actually lead to lower long-term deficits. Banks’ short-sightedness helped create the crisis; we cannot let government short-sightedness – prodded by the financial sector – prolong it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read the rest at Project Syndicate –><\/a><\/strong>
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