Economist.com | Europe and America The Economist seems to understand the reason so many in America were angry with Europe last year: obstructionism. Even when we have made mistakes in the past – Vietnam could be considered one, though it did have the effect of destroying a lot of Soviet infrastructure and contributed to their downfall – Europe looked the other way and let us do what we wanted....

Kerry Secret Policy Weapon Will Finish Bush Off Given that the US needs roughly 100 quadrillion BTUs to run its economy, and only 6% come from renewables, it will be decades before we have eliminated hydrocarbons as a source of fuel. Even then it’s unlikely given the abundance of coal in this country. I doubt this will turn out to be the winning election issue that these people think it will...

The European Predicament (washingtonpost.com) If there’s ever been an argument in favor of entitlements reform, it can be summed up in one word: Europe. Their economy is so saddled with regulations and has such a large fiscal burden that they can’t grow, even in relatively prosperous times. Party hats come out if unemployment drops below 8%. Without entitlements reform, that’s what...

WSJ.com – The ‘Average’ Interest Rate In Euro Zone Helps No One As far back as September I was suggesting that the solution for Germany’s potential deflation problem is to more deeply integrate itself with the rest of the European Union. This seems counter intuitive at first, but when you consider that monetary policy, and hence, short term interest rates, are controlled by...