Connecticut Commentary: Red Notes from a Blue State

What’s coming at us – at warp speed – down the red-brick road is an economic catastrophe. Things are really bad when the Chinese, our dept patrons, begin to throw Ben Franklin our way. According to an article in the British Telegraph , former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee and now head of China's green energy drive Cheng Siwei admires Ben Franklin enough to have read him, which is more than can be said for President Barack Obama’s economic advisers: “Mr Cheng said the root cause of global imbalances is spending patterns in US (and UK) and China. “’The US spends tomorrow's money today,’ he said. ‘We Chinese spend today's money tomorrow. That's why we have this financial crisis.’ “Yet the consequences are not symmetric. “’He who goes borrowing, goes sorrowing,’ said Mr. Cheng. “It was a quote from US founding father Benjamin Franklin.” The Chinese problem is that the country’s leaders -- far more persuasive than, say, send’em-a-dead-fish Rahm Eman...

Former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee and now head of China's green energy drive Cheng Siwei on Ben Franklin: “Mr Cheng said the root cause of global imbalances is spending patterns in US (and UK) and China. “’The US spends tomorrow's money today,’ he said. ‘We Chinese spend today's money tomorrow. That's why we have this financial crisis.’ “Yet the consequences are not symmetric. “’He who goes borrowing, goes sorrowing,’ said Mr. Cheng. “It was a quote from US founding father Benjamin Franklin.”