On the Fritz

ОМСК Ass BackwardsСтрана дурaков, the Land of Fools, remember? Borotino and all the characters are unforgettable! And so Germany does best, it seems, in this type of land. A short article in Zero Hedge describes the situation with a 30% drop in German retailers:«In 2025, 2,440 retailers went bankrupt—a 9 percent increase over 2024—with fashion stores, bookstores, and bakeries particularly affected.«HDE President Alexander von Preen argues that politicians should lower energy costs and payroll taxes, while landlords should adopt more flexible, revenue-based rents to reduce vacancies.“With the decline of smaller specialist retailers, many city centers are losing their distinctiveness and thus their heart,” says HDE CEO Stefan Genth.With Germany battling an overburdened social system, a surging federal deficit, soaring energy prices, and a massive spike in crime and costs due to migration, the choice of retailers in city centers may be the least of its problems. And yet, this barometer pays testament to all the rest.«Maybe Germany's wish is to bankrupt the country to its foundations, by which, after total control is exerted over the last remaining wisps of freedom, a new 4th Reich will emerge from the ashes.And doing that ass-backwards is what the EU does best!