Warning Labels from History
"I'm going to go to war with the rest of Europe. This may mean diverting at least half of total GDP to weapons production and support of the army; consumers may struggle to find basic necessities."And it may put Germany in a two-front war that it may not win. Millions could die, our cities could be destroyed, and our country could be occupied by foreign armies for the next 40 years."
"We're going to organize the whole economy like the military. The insiders, like generals, will control everything and get the best food, lodgings, work assignments, and so forth."The plain people will be assigned cells...oops...I mean houses. There will be no unemployment. Everybody will have work to do...a lot of it."Malcontents and people I don't like will be sent to special camps in Siberia for retraining or extermination, whichever comes first."Then, we all may get poorer every year for the next half-century...until our children and grandchildren finally come to their senses."
"I'm going to put into place the programs that worked so well for Russia and Cuba. You know, nationalizing major industries. Price controls. Trade restrictions. Spending money we don't have."Then, when the price of oil goes down and the bills come due, there may not be any food on the shelves. Inflation could hit more than 1,000%. Crime might soar. The government could crack down. That sort of thing."
"Reducing a trade deficit through tough, smart negotiations is a way to increase net exports – and boost the rate of economic growth."