<<Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Many European countries are pursuing “excessive austerity,” risking a marked slowdown in economic growth> Dec. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Austerity measures backed by the European Union nations trying to resolve a debt crisis are “suicide,”> -- Joseph Stiglitz,

Now we see those austerity programs are leading to economic recessions (or worse). German companies are now reducing investment because they are worried about key export markets reducing spending and implementing austerity measures. This is predicted to lead to GDP contraction in Germany:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/21/b...

<Three research groups on Tuesday cut their 2012 forecasts for German economic growth, with one becoming the first major institute to predict a recession for Europe’s bulwark economy.>

<... many economists expect at least one quarter of contraction next year in German gross domestic product, as global demand falls and the debt crisis affects its neighboring export markets. >

<...Another research group, the IMK, forecast that Germany’s economy will shrink 0.1 percent next year as austerity programs hit demand for German products and investment. It had forecast 0.7 percent growth in October.

The institute warned that, while some countries must bring down their budget deficits, the kind of AUSTERITY being implemented in Italy, France, Britain or Belgium risked damaging economic growth. >

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...

It's okay as far as it goes...but ends with a "nasty dilemma": to cut spending or not cut spending-- as if that was the only policy choice to be made!

Indeed. Those, and many other, conundrums will probably get a footnote in the 2012 BBC Wall Planner.

Overall Eurozone ideology and governance has more alignment with doctrines of federalism than 'neoliberalism' to my mind. But then, a large proportion of the US appear to believe that they have been, and will be, voting for some form of 'conservatism' over the past few decades. Ism life strange?

Books:
1) The Audacity of a Joke:
Thoughts on Reclaiming Your Wallet
(A lighthearted, zany look at Obama’s first term)

2) It Takes a Taxpayer
(it always takes a taxpayer)
Definitive proof villages don’t come cheap

3) It Takes a Teleprompter
A look back at famous Obama speeches

4) It Takes a Lightweight
A fun, educational look at democrat voters.
(of course it also takes trillions and trillions of taxpayer dollars

5) Ayers/Obama an Explosive Combination
(Thoughtful, probative,
one for the intellectuals.)

Magazines:
Ghetto Slums and Gardens
(A young, hip, urban lifestyle magazine, for an underclass on the go) The year end issue has a special pullout:
“4782 Free Programs You Probably Didn’t Know About”

“Owned”
Another underclass friendly publication.
This Month:
Break The Chains of Capitalism: Get Owned.
(Obama can help)

DVDs:
An Unsolved Mysteries Box Set:

Where’s The Birth Certificate?
Where’s Rev. Wright?
Where’s General Betray-Us?
Where’s The Hope & Change?
Where’s Joe Biden?
Where’s The Democrats Budget?
Where’s ObamaCare?
Who Listened To The Debt Commission?
Where’s The Equality?
Where’s The Compassion?
Where’s The Tolerance?
Where’s Democrat Results?

The unsolved mysteries team tackles these mysterious riddles. (it should be noted the Birth Certificate episode aired before Trump had the man-child produce it)

Don’t forget you can also reserve Obama’s new book for 2012:

Good one!
Oddly enough, I was just thnking that!

(cover your eyes CM, cover your eyes)

Merry Christmas, tpstar.

Here’s to: Walking Through A Ghetto Wonderland.
(well actually more like duck and cover instead of walking)

Not exactly that one but was thinking along the lines of:

Silver and Gold Chains
The Little Dealer Boy
Little Town Of Filthydelphia
Grandma Got Run Over By A Carjacked SUV

Do You Hear What I Hear?
(sounds like a police siren)

God Arrest Ye Merry Gentleman

Do You Hear What I Hear?
(sounds like a 45)

Little Saint Nick(got me bail)
Tyrell The Snowman
Rudolph The Red Haired Junkie

"Debt the Halls"

"Jingle Bankruptcy"

"Giddy Up Gitmo"

"Little Drummer Biden"

"We Three Wise Latinas"

"Let There Be Pelosi On Earth"

"Rocking Around the Credit Rating"

"God Rest Ye Merry Corpse-men"

"I'll Be Homeless For Christmas"

"O Come, All Ye Faithful Obamabots"

"Grandma Got Run Over By Obamacare"

"We Wish You a Merry Mainstream Media"

"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like One Term"

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Beer Summit"

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell It On the Mountain"

"All I Want For Christmas Is My Birth Certificate"

"I'm Dreaming of a Typical White Person Christmas"

"Christmas At Ground Zero" featuring Bill Ayers

"Spread the Wealth for Christmas" featuring Joe the Plumber

"Science" magazine has just chosen an NIH study as the Breakthrough of the Year. [ http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-R... ; http://www.nih.gov/ ] The NIAID-funded project showed how early HIV treatment could also be an effective means of prevention. Several other NIH projects are among Science's list of the top ten breakthroughs.

The issue of salaries for government employee is quite nuanced [ http://www.npr.org/2011/02/24/13400... ]. The principle of respecting individual dignity suggests that a case-by-case evaluation of salaries is appropriate. Moreover, many government employees are better educated than their private-sector counterparts, suggesting they are in fact underpaid [ http://www.nirsonline.org/index.php... ; http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/03/03/m... ; http://blog.timesunion.com/statewor... ].

< <Colonel Mortimer> wrote: Merry Christmas to all >

- Ron Paul, End the Fed

Yes, I shouldn't have provided the complete list (only top ten perhaps).

<The Obama administration on Friday blocked a new South Carolina law>< that requires voters to have photo identification because of concerns it would hurt minorities' ability to cast a ballot.

Under the law, anyone who wants to vote but does not have a photo identification must obtain a new voter registration card that includes a photo. A birth certificate or passport can be used to prove identity.

The Justice Department said the requirement could harm the right to vote of tens of thousands of people, noting that just over a third of the state's minorities who are registered voters did not have a driver's license needed to cast a ballot.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/...