The austerity exhibit.

I think it’s adorable, how so many people seem to believe that the deficit hawks actually want to grow the economy and reverse the horrific decline that’s beset us all; if that were truly so, they wouldn’t need the example of the United Kingdom’s certain failure to spur them on to Keynes (or Ireland’s before them, or Greece’s, or pick your own example from yon groaning dustbin): why, if that were truly what they wished, a full year of 9% unemployment—15% to 20%, when you stop controlling for this or that, and merely count the number of people who could be working, yet aren’t; one in five pairs of hands out there are devil’s playthings, ladies and gentlemen—surely that would have been enough to convince even the most skeptical? —No, this has nothing to do with growth, or economics, or governing best or governing least or government or stewardship or your pathetic cares or concerns or worries at all. It is merely that they wish to dismantle whatever mechanisms exist that redistribute any wealth at all from themselves (for all of them have some, had you noticed?) to them what needs it. No matter that these very acts of redistribution would grow the economy, would make all of us wealthier, including them, even more than they are now! —Richesse oblige. If they aren’t actively awfully terribly evil, then they are among the stupidest people ever to have drawn breath.