Has the scrooge of Europe finally learned its lesson?

Germany might abandon its fiscal prudence. Good.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
(Image credit: Steffi Loos/Getty Images)

Germany may be about to loosen its famous commitment to budget discipline.

A looming deal between German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democrats promises to spend more money on everything from child allowances, to pensions, to tax credits for homebuyers. Fiscal hawks are already crying foul, claiming there's no clear way to pay for these commitments.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.