Another Day, Another Meaningless Plan

Like Abbott and Costello's "Who's on first?" routine, the coalition agreement unveiled last week by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Green partner Joschka Fischer seems confused about basic issues, and destined to end where it began. But economists aren't laughing, because the E.U.'s biggest economy is also among its sickest: 3.94 million unemployed workers are draining government coffers, the GDP will grow only .5-.75% this year and the budget deficit will bust the E.U.'s 3% limit. Business leaders blame high taxes, expensive welfare programs and rigid labor laws, but the government seems to have learned nothing. "The [plan's] only really specific...