I'm an economist, but I'm also an American citizen - and like many citizens, I spent the past eight years watching in horror as the Bush administration betrayed the nation's ideals. And I don't believe we can put those terrible years behind us unless we have a full accounting of what really happened. (...)
That's why this time we need a full accounting. Not a witch hunt, maybe not even prosecutions, but something like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that helped South Africa come to terms with what happened under apartheid. We need to know how America ended up fighting a war to eliminate nonexistent weapons, how torture became a routine instrument of U.S. policy, how the Justice Department became an instrument of political persecution, how brazen corruption flourished not only in Iraq, but throughout Congress and the administration. We know that these evils were not, whatever the apologists say, the result of honest error or a few bad apples: The White House created a climate in which abuse became commonplace, and in many cases probably took the lead in instigating these abuses. But it's not enough to leave this reality in the realm of things "everybody knows" - because soon enough they'll be denied or forgotten, and the cycle of abuse will begin again. The whole sordid tale needs to be brought out into the sunlight.
(...) let the truth be told.
O economista americano que escreve isto 'e Paul Krugman. Numa carta ao proximo Presidente, Obama.
Uma carta que vale a pena nao apenas ler, mas estudar a fundo. Pelos conselhos que da para os EUA vencerem a crise, retirando os ensinamentos da historia e reconhecendo o que esta crise tem de diferente de todas as outras.
Uma carta que eu recomendo ao Primeiro Ministro e a todos os ministros e dirigentes do PS.
Uma carta que eu recomendaria a Dra Manuela Ferreira Leite e ao PSD, se tivesse a esperanca de que ainda aprendessem alguma coisa...
