Now the NY Times is comparing Obama to Hitler.
April 1, 2009
Economic Scene
Stimulus Thinking, and Nuance
By DAVID LEONHARDT
Every so often, history serves up an analogy that’s uncomfortable, a little distracting and yet still very relevant.
In the summer of 1933, just as they will do on Thursday, heads of government and their finance ministers met in London to talk about a global economic crisis. They accomplished little and went home to battle the crisis in their own ways.
More than any other country, Germany — Nazi Germany — then set out on a serious stimulus program. The government built up the military, expanded the autobahn, put up stadiums for the 1936 Berlin Olympics and built monuments to the Nazi Party across Munich and Berlin.
The economic benefits of this vast works program never flowed to most workers, because fascism doesn’t look kindly on collective bargaining. But Germany did escape the Great Depression faster than other countries. Corporate profits boomed, and unemployment sank (and not because of slave labor, which didn’t become widespread until later). Harold James, an economic historian, says that the young liberal economists studying under John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s began to debate whether Hitler had solved unemployment.
No sane person enjoys mixing nuance and Nazis, but this bit of economic history has a particular importance this week. In the run-up to the G-20 meeting, European leaders have resisted calls for more government spending. Last week, the European Union president, Mirek Topolanek, echoed a line from AC/DC — whom he had just heard in concert — and described the Obama administration’s stimulus plan as “a road to hell.”
Here in the United States, many people are understandably wondering whether the $800 billion stimulus program will make much of a difference. They want to know: Does stimulus work? Fortunately, this is one economic question that’s been answered pretty clearly in the last century.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/b...hardt.html?_r=4&ref=business&pagewanted=print
Yep, we all know what happened to Hitler and the path he took Germany down.
Obama told his nation that he would make them proud again.
Hitler did the same.
Obama blamed all the problems on the other people.
Hitler did too.
Obama told the people that he would use government to cure their problems
Hitler did too.
Obama has told people that the government will provide for them.
Hitler did too.
Obama has used a logo that appears everywhere.
Hitler had one too.
Hitler rounded up all his political enemies using his military.
Obama uses lawyers and congress
Hitler nationalized businesses
tick tock tick tock
April 1, 2009
Economic Scene
Stimulus Thinking, and Nuance
By DAVID LEONHARDT
Every so often, history serves up an analogy that’s uncomfortable, a little distracting and yet still very relevant.
In the summer of 1933, just as they will do on Thursday, heads of government and their finance ministers met in London to talk about a global economic crisis. They accomplished little and went home to battle the crisis in their own ways.
More than any other country, Germany — Nazi Germany — then set out on a serious stimulus program. The government built up the military, expanded the autobahn, put up stadiums for the 1936 Berlin Olympics and built monuments to the Nazi Party across Munich and Berlin.
The economic benefits of this vast works program never flowed to most workers, because fascism doesn’t look kindly on collective bargaining. But Germany did escape the Great Depression faster than other countries. Corporate profits boomed, and unemployment sank (and not because of slave labor, which didn’t become widespread until later). Harold James, an economic historian, says that the young liberal economists studying under John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s began to debate whether Hitler had solved unemployment.
No sane person enjoys mixing nuance and Nazis, but this bit of economic history has a particular importance this week. In the run-up to the G-20 meeting, European leaders have resisted calls for more government spending. Last week, the European Union president, Mirek Topolanek, echoed a line from AC/DC — whom he had just heard in concert — and described the Obama administration’s stimulus plan as “a road to hell.”
Here in the United States, many people are understandably wondering whether the $800 billion stimulus program will make much of a difference. They want to know: Does stimulus work? Fortunately, this is one economic question that’s been answered pretty clearly in the last century.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/b...hardt.html?_r=4&ref=business&pagewanted=print
Yep, we all know what happened to Hitler and the path he took Germany down.
Obama told his nation that he would make them proud again.
Hitler did the same.
Obama blamed all the problems on the other people.
Hitler did too.
Obama told the people that he would use government to cure their problems
Hitler did too.
Obama has told people that the government will provide for them.
Hitler did too.
Obama has used a logo that appears everywhere.
Hitler had one too.
Hitler rounded up all his political enemies using his military.
Obama uses lawyers and congress
Hitler nationalized businesses
tick tock tick tock
