Oddbean

German Economic Meltdown: The Devastating Price of Government Control A shocking new report reveals the catastrophic consequences of socialist-green policies in Europe's former industrial powerhouse. The German Economic Institute (IW) has exposed the brutal truth: a staggering €210 billion in investments have vanished into thin air since 2020, as bureaucrats and eco-zealots continue their stranglehold on the free market. The numbers are devastating. In just the first half of 2024 alone, €40 billion in potential investments evaporated under the crushing weight of state intervention. This isn't just a temporary setback – it's the predictable result of unleashing government bureaucrats on a once-thriving market economy. The data shows a systematic destruction: €100 billion lost during the Ukraine crisis years, preceded by €70 billion vanishing during the pandemic-era command-and-control policies. Let's call this what it is: a government-manufactured crisis. While politicians trumpet their "green transition" and "social justice" agenda, the real economy is bleeding out. Construction has ground to a halt. Manufacturing is fleeing. Innovation is being strangled by red tape. The supposed "climate salvation" is really an economic suicide pact. The solution? It's brutally simple: Get the state out of the way. The path to recovery demands nothing less than a complete dismantling of the bureaucratic apparatus that's suffocating private enterprise. We need: - Radical deregulation across all sectors - Complete elimination of green energy mandates - Abolition of suffocating social programs - Free market solutions instead of state planning - Unrestricted private capital formation This isn't just about numbers on a spreadsheet. This is about freedom – economic freedom that's being systematically destroyed by bureaucrats who wouldn't recognize a market solution if it hit them in the face. Every day under this regime of state control pushes Germany further toward economic irrelevance. The choice is stark: continue down the path of socialist-green destruction, or return to the principles that actually create prosperity – free markets, private property, and individual liberty. The clock is ticking, and €210 billion is just the beginning of what we'll lose if this madness isn't stopped. https://www.iwkoeln.de/presse/iw-nachrichten/michael-groemling-210-milliarden-euro-fehlen-bereits.html #Economy #germany #greennewdeal #mises #Libertarian #FreeMarket #Socialism #bitcoin #Liberty #Deregulation #PrivateProperty