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Now?.....or pain later?

If, as it is said, much of the world's economy is dependant on how the US economy fares, then this assessment by Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize winner in Economic - writing in The New York Times - of what America must do to avert a fiscal crisis down the track makes for sobering reading:

"Spend now, while the economy remains depressed; save later, once it has recovered. How hard is that to understand?

Very hard, if the current state of political debate is any indication. All around the world, politicians seem determined to do the reverse. They’re eager to shortchange the economy when it needs help, even as they balk at dealing with long-run budget problems.

But maybe a clear explanation of the issues can change some minds. So let’s talk about the long and the short of budget deficits. I’ll focus on the U.S. position, but a similar story can be told for other nations."

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