The Problem of Collapsed Asset Bubbles

Steven Pearlstein Tries to Rescue His Austerity Pushing Friends by Dean Baker

These countries are suffering today from the fallout from collapsed asset bubbles, not their internal structural problems.The fault for these bubbles sits squarely with all the wise people at the ECB and EU who are now pushing austerity. Somehow they thought everything was fine in the years of the "Great Moderation" even though all the danger signs were flashing bright red. 

Making the people in these countries suffer does not in any obvious way fix their structural problems. It just ruins lives. Yeah, me and my fellow crusaders don't think that's cute. Better to ruin the lives of the elites who caused this crisis.