Quote of the Day: Massive Failure

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From Ryan Avent, surveying both the weak current economy as well as the spectacular destruction about to be let loose in the near future:

It’s just shocking to think about the dangers that loom and consider the extent to which they’re driven by governmental failures.

And yet, to a large extent, governments are merely responding to the wishes of the public. It’s a simple fact that the average Joe (or Dieter or Emile or Carlotta) believes pretty strongly in folk economics — low inflation, a strong currency, and balanced budgets — and decidedly doesn’t believe in bailing out people who aren’t them. On the latter front, this applies both to Germans who don’t want to bail out Greeks and Americans who don’t want to bail out underwater homeowners.

It’s all perfectly understandable — and about as self-destructive as insisting that we should plant crops by the phase of the moon. Which might be about where we’re headed if we don’t get our act together soon.

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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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