A Voice in the Wilderness In Defense of "Mere Conservatism"

Spain Takes It To The Streets

From MSNBC.com:

MADRID — Spaniards began voting on Sunday in local and regional polls expected to deal heavy losses to the ruling Socialists, who are blamed for widespread unemployment that has off a wave of pre-election protests.

The elections are a key test of how much the party's support has crumbled due to soaring unemployment and its handling of the financial crisis, and are seen as a prelude to general elections next year.

Tens of thousands of Spaniards demonstrated in the past week in city squares around the country against austerity measures that have kept a fiscal crisis at bay but aggravated the highest jobless rate in the European Union.

People are generally the same everywhere.  People want to work.  People need to work.  Jobs "created" by the government are not a long-term solution to the problem of how a society can keep its citizenry employed.  This is because government jobs are only possible with re-distributive policies.  Eventually you run out of other people's money and those much-maligned "rich" start taking their capital out of the economy.

Welcome to Spain.

The Socialists, in power since 2004, are also looking likely to lose the next general election, which is scheduled for March 2012, but could come earlier if big losses on Sunday spark a leadership crisis within the party.

After the euro zone debt crisis forced Greece, and later Ireland and Portugal, to take bailouts, Zapatero implemented round of measures to tackle a huge public deficit and persuade financial markets that it has the budget under control.

He is expected to maintain unpopular economic policies whatever the outcome on Sunday.

"Unless the government wants to run the risk of another episode of financial distress and the debt spreads sky rocketing again, it will have to implement another austerity package before the next elections," Fernando Fernandez, an analyst at Madrid's IE business school, said.

Okay, so I'm no expert in Spanish fiscal policy, but I know the basics of how economies run.  I know what works.  I know what doesn't work.  I know what needs to happen when a government has racked up massive debt and deficits.  (Any of this sound familiar?)

It sounds like the people of Spain are sick and tired of the talk of long-winded politicians who keep promising that they're "just looking out for the little guy."  The answer to such buffoonery is simple: elect quality people who promote free market policies and fiscal responsibility.  Easier said than done, but this remains the best way to change the dangerous course your country may be on no matter where you are in the world.

For more on the situation in Spain, definitely check out The Heritage Foundation's report on the European nation.