Thursday, Dec. 09, 2010
Austerity
Headlines about Europe's economic woes grew a bit repetitive this year, as every month seemed to bring news of yet another nation decreasing spending and increasing taxes in the name of deficit reduction. Much of the time, news of protests accompanied news of "austerity" measures. From Greece to France, Spain to Belgium, thousands of people demonstrated against their governments, railing against moves like raising the retirement age and instituting pay cuts for civil servants.