XPost: or.politics, ca.politics, alt.economics   
   XPost: rec.aviation.military, soc.history.war.misc   
   From: a425couple@hotmail.com   
      
   from   
   https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/09/23/gover   
   ments-are-bigger-than-ever-they-are-also-more-useless   
      
   Governments are bigger than ever. They are also more useless   
   Why voters across the rich world are miserable   
     illustration shows a giant, deflated U.S. Capitol dome lying on its   
   side. A small man is using a pump to try to inflate it. The background   
   is orange with a couple of clouds   
   Illustration: Lehel Kovács   
   Sep 23rd 2024|San Francisco   
      
   Share   
   You may sense that governments are not as competent as they once were.   
   Upon entering the White House in 2021, President Joe Biden promised to   
   revitalise American infrastructure. In fact, spending on things like   
   roads and rail has fallen. A flagship plan to expand access to fast   
   broadband for rural Americans has so far helped precisely no one.   
   Britain’s National Health Service soaks up ever more money, and provides   
   ever worse care. Germany mothballed its last three nuclear plants last   
   year, despite uncertain energy supplies. The country’s trains, once a   
   source of national pride, are now always late.   
      
   Already have an account?Log in   
      
   The world’s poorest countries have experienced a brutal decade   
   Why has development ground to a halt?   
      
   European regulators are about to become more political   
   That will worry many in Silicon Valley   
      
   What the history of money tells you about crypto’s future   
   The thread from shipwrecks and sheep flocks to digital currencies   
      
   Why the Federal Reserve has gambled on a big interest-rate cut   
   The bold move carries economic and political risks   
      
   The Federal Reserve’s interest-rate cuts may disappoint investors   
   Jerome Powell could still surprise on the hawkish side   
      
   How China’s communists fell in love with privatisation   
   Even though they are not very good at it   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)