Thus Der Spiegel today. “The latest indicators suggest Germany’s once buzzing economy is beginning to stall,” explains the newspaper. “The development has created a serious dilemma for Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble. Critics say spurring growth is more important than his goal of a balanced budget.” Nicely put. The German finance minister is an imbecile, and the German economy is the proof. Nobody had the guts to assail him before the recent turn for the worse, though. Supported by Angela Merkel, Schäuble has insisted on balancing the budget from the very start of their turn. The trouble is that there is hardly any chance of getting rid of him at this stage. The German Chancellor is squarely behind him. And she will not budge easily. Which means that both of them will have to go if the German and thus the European economy is to be propped up by a fiscal policy focused on investment and growth. But the likelihood of such a turn in German politics is close to zilch, for the electorate is squarely behind Merkel and her team. That is the article’s ultimate message. Time to cry…