Final Word from Monday, March 22, 2010
As if Czech politicians didn't have big enough egos, The Economist now says the countries of eastern European have something to teach the West about how to react to economic crisis. Through luck, judgment and friendly help from abroad, it says, these governments have staved off disaster better than some Western countries. But they still have a mighty task ahead of them to catch up on what they missed while behind the Iron Curtain, the magazine says. Isn't The Economist missing something? Isn't it precisely because eastern Europe hasn't caught up to the West in terms of government borrowing, taxation, consumerism, speculative investment, environmental spending and global bureaucracy that they are holding their own so far? Catching up to the West will merely increase the East's susceptibility to crisis. And many politicians of the region are working double time to make it happen ASAP.[Czech Republic as soon as possible Central Europe]
Glossary of difficult words
ego - a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance;
to stave off - to avert, prevent, avoid;
to hold one's own - to retain a position of strength in a difficult situation;
susceptibility - the state or fact of being likely to be influenced or harmed by something;
to work double time - to work twice as hard or as fast; to work overtime;
ASAP - as soon as possible.