however radicalism in the cause of zero inflation does not emerge here either as particularly wise, or even as the appropriate reading of the demands of financial conservatism. The "clouding" of distinct issues is seen clearly enough in the ongoing fixation with balancing the budget in the US. which resulted not long ago in partial shutdowns of the US government this has led to an uneasy compromise between the White House and the Congress-a compromise the success of which is rather contingent on the short-run performance of the US economy.