Like Argentina and Venezuela, Greece's economy is plagued not just by institutional problems, but by a pervasive anti-capitalism that continually cripples the ability of individual Greeks to build wealth and a solid economy.
European integration supposedly represented the end of nationalist tensions—and the dawn of a new era for a continent still deeply shaped by two wars. The Eurozone supposedly bolstered economic power and prosperity, harnessing the trading power of several nations into one competitive superstate. And the Euro supposedly created a currency that would rival the dollar as a global force.
The Greek government has spent freely for many years to enrich itself and its special interests at the expense of taxpayers. And now, it is not the Greek politicians who will suffer, but the taxpayers who face a future of unending debt payments.
The Greek crisis illustrates the latest failure in Europe's attempts to build a lasting prosperity through consumption and redistribution of wealth. It's been going on for 150 years, and it remains to be seen if Europe will learn anything from the present crisis.
Much of Bolivia's alleged socialist miracle relies on the commodity boom, but there is a real laissez-faire element behind the boom, too. Bolivian President Evo Morales is allowing Bolivia's small-businesses and informal economies to truly thrive and grow.
The euro is an inflationary fiat currency, but it’s apparently not inflationary enough for many profligate European governments that want their own local currencies so they can inflate even more, and use easy money to temporarily cover up many economic sins.
Pope Francis's two major writings as pope are marked by a relentless pessimism and a world view in which human institutions such as markets are constantly making life worse and worse. This view, however, is not supported by the facts.
The world's central banks have been pouring new money into the financial system, which has produced a dangerous amount of distortion to prices in the market. And what do we have to show for it? Economic growth is anemic, at best.
Opponents of secession and decentralization claim that secession is self-destructive because small states will find themselves defenseless in the face of military aggression. In fact, small states enjoy many advantages in wealth, flexibility, and decentralization that are lacking in larger, centralized states.
