Friday, May 7, 2010

"Athens or Washington, It's the Size of Government"

By Mona Charen

""The President of Greece warned last night that his country stood on the brink of the abyss after three people were killed when an anti-government mob set fire to the Athens bank where they worked." — The Times Online

That "anti-government mob," it must be understood, consisted of civil servants, tens of thousands of whom took to the streets to protest austerity measures. Greece is in the midst of a general strike. Airports are closed. Trains are not running. Classrooms are empty. Trash is piling up. The Wall Street Journal reports that "Angry youths rampaged through the center of Athens, torching several businesses and vehicles and smashing shop windows. Protesters and police clashed in front of parliament and fought running street battles around the city." The Greek crisis, like a fraying rope on a footbridge, is also sending shudders throughout the Eurozone.

This is more than a financial crisis. This is a national meltdown. And while facile comparisons to the U.S. must be avoided, there are nonetheless lessons for us —particularly in light of the direction the Democratic Party wants to travel."

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