Confronted with the prospect of recession, governments around the world are in a hurry to stabilize the economy through Keynesian policies. The origin of the current economic turmoil is the expansionary monetary policy of the Fed and - to a smaller extent - the other big central banks of the world. The recession is the price that has to be paid for the cheap credit that stimulated oversized investments in housing and consumption. But, although now investors and consumers in developed economies rediscover in... the 13th hour prudence and frugality, the governments - unlike the father in the biblical parable of the prodigal son - plan to do all they can to encourage their irresponsibility to continue.