To continue getting breaking news and the full stories from The Boston Globe, subscribe today.

The Boston Globe

Editorials

Boston.com

editorial

Long-time austerity is wise, but Europe should ease up

  May 08, 2012

After the 2008 economic meltdown, both president Bush and President Obama chose to stimulate the US economy, arguing that it was worth it to increase debt in the short term to get the economy going again. Much of Europe did just opposite, tightening its belt, laying off government workers and dramatically scaling back government spending. Those policies have produced poor results in Europe. This weekend, voters in France, Greece and Germany soundly rejected politicians who have pushed through painful austerity measures.

Stay with the story. Get full access to BostonGlobe.com for just 99¢

Unlimited access to BostonGlobe.com for only 99¢ for the first 4 weeks. You can cancel at any time.

  • The FULL story all day: Enjoy all of the high-quality, in-depth journalism in the print edition of the Boston Globe — plus breaking news that's updated 24/7.
  • A truly reader-friendly format: It's online news that looks and reads just like the newspaper — uncluttered, uninterrupted.
  • Breakthrough technology: The responsive design automatically adapts content so it always reads perfectly on the digital device of your choice.
Get started today

Free access for home delivery subscribers.

Just need to link your home delivery account; one easy step.

Link my home delivery account

BostonGlobe.comSubscriber Log In

Contact us for help