May 02, 2012
Actually, they did not do this (as far as I know), but if the government ever asserted that its motive in locking up journalists was to promote freedom of the press, presumably the NYT would not just take this assertion at face value. This is why readers must be scratching their heads over the assertion that:
“Aiming to ease budgetary pressure and spur growth, Prime Minister Mario Monti of Italy has announced cuts to state spending by the end of the year.”
Of course budget cuts will typically lead to slower growth, not faster growth. In a downturn, an economy needs demand. If the government reduces demand there is no obvious source of demand to replace it, which means that there will be less overall demand in the economy and therefore less growth.
Budget cuts across the euro zone have pushed the area back into recession. There is no reason to believe that further cuts will somehow boost growth.
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