General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I am amazed - really quite amazed - at some of the Brexit opinions I am reading here on DU [View all]Akamai
(1,779 posts)to vote the way they did. The EU requirements that countries do not have more than 3% deficit in any year and never have a national debt higher than 60% of GDP spun many countries into a tailspin, including Greece, Portugal, Spain.
Take a look at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stability_and_Growth_Pact
This has led to high unemployment, cut back on social services, etc., for Europe, even far higher than the unnecessary unemployment, tenor, and our country because of Republican enforced austerity programs, which are neither effective nor productive.
If I wasn't unemployed youngster in the UK, the austerity politics of Cameron may well have motivated me as well to react with strong antagonism to his suggestions to stay within the EU. And in other countries are part of the EU, many, many citizens are watching their life savings being eaten away from the demonstrably false "austerity" economics forced on them by wealthy elites.
Thom Hartmann points out that austerity measures have never made a country great, that deficit spending--especially for such useful things as roads, bridges, etc.--bring real prosperity and wealth to others. Since Ronald Reagan, public works have been side lined, especially with these know-nothing Republican extremists.
Keynesian economics has been proven time and time again to be effective in restoring economic growth by Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and other right wing thinkers, or stopping that effective set of tools.