That would normally be a good response, but then this same small government establishment has for years explained heavy spending during the Reagan years as a function of the Republicans not being in control of a House of Representatives where spending constitutionally originates.

FORBES: The Small Government Establishment Joins the Establishment

While a 2006 French study found that people with diets high in beta-carotene had a slower decline in lung function over an eight-year period, heavy smokers and drinkers may not benefit.

CNN: Vitamin E may protect lungs

Italy, which has net foreign debt of just 21% of GDP, would probably escape the chop: even with its heavy debts and chronic lack of competitiveness, Mrs Merkel would reckon that the euro zone could not function politically without it.

ECONOMIST: The euro