NYT Editorial: How Austerity Kills---Fiscal policy, it turns out, can be a matter of life or death…

[hfojvt]

4. knr - except I might point out

that almost all of those deaths took place BEFORE austerity

"that is, deaths above what pre-existing trends would predict — occurred from 2007 to 2010."

The stimulus was not passed until February 2009 after Obama took office, and until January 2011, Democrats had control of the House, the Senate and the White House. So a) it was before austerity, and b) it was when Democrats were in charge.

However, two more points

1) it was a Bush/Republican recession http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021566043

2) In spite of weak job numbers, Republicans opposed another round of stimulus from 2010 on when money to states and cities could have prevented more job losses http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2819737