<p>I think a joke is an economy that has a lower per capita income on a ppp basis for the bottom 95% of its population than virtually all the OECD countries, that has a life expectancy that is lower than virtually all the other major economies and that, after the real estae crash, now has a nation that has virtually no household wealth among the bottom 80% of the population. Tragedy is probably a better term than joke. (And amazingly, the upper third who pay virtually all the income and social security taxes are perfectly happy to finance the military that protects Europe and Japan.) You are right, its not a joke and I shouldn’t be laughing.</p>