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FIRE AWAY….Max Boot says that America is still fundamentally strong and will bounce back from its current economic woes. I think he’s right about that — though with the caveat that we probably have some tough times ahead as we wind down our current account deficit, as we have to. But then he tells us exactly why America’s economy is such a winner:

Looking deeper at the causes of American competitiveness shows that we score especially strongly not only in domestic market size (No. 1 in the world) but also in such areas as time required to start a business (No. 3), venture capital availability (No. 1), the cost of firing an employee (No. 1), ownership of personal computers (No. 2), university/industry research collaboration (No. 1) and quality of scientific research institutions (No. 2).

Italics mine. Look: I’m on board with the idea that many European countries make it so hard to fire employees that it ossifies their economies and hurts growth. Some of their rules pass understanding. Still, is it really something to be proud of that America is the easiest country in the whole world in which to get fired from your job? No wonder Boot’s party still can’t escape the shadow of Herbert Hoover.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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