August 17, 2010 |
In 1962, the historian Barbara Tuchman published a book about the start of World War I and called it The Guns of August. It went on to win a Pulitzer Prize. She was, of course, looking back at events that had occurred almost 50 years earlier and had at her disposal documents and information not available to participants. They were acting, as Vietnam-era Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara put it, in the fog of war.
Would like to compliment your excellent blog.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to this post, let me add two fascinating quotes:
#1. “The US must reduce its record budget deficit as soon as the economy returns to a sustainable growth rate without relying on government assistance. Americans understand that we have to go back to living within our means as a country. When we have an economy that’s growing again and we get unemployment down, we’re going to have to bring those deficits down. Deficits can be very damaging to growth. That’s why you cannot live with future deficits as large as ours are likely to be.”
Timothy Geithner. 2009 AC.
#2. “The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest we become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero. 55 BC.
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econotwist