Will at the League reflects on the painful austerity measures the government of Lithuania undertook to balance its books, and how the Lithuanian people, who remember how hard life was under Soviet occupation, are bearing up stoically. Excerpt:

Are we [Americans] too removed from real hardship to tighten our belts when it matters? The looming budget crisis has provoked plenty of talk about a dysfunctional political system, but maybe gridlock is symptomatic of a public that just isn’t acclimated to the idea of serious fiscal responsibility.

Remember Herbert Stein’s Law! And remember that in a democracy, people get the government they deserve.