The other shoe

Wait until next year:

Many economists fret about an unpleasant scenario in 2011, when the stream of stimulus money will ebb, reserves will have been drained and revenues will still be meagre. Medicaid enrolment may still be swollen by recession. Promises to retired workers, including pensions and health care, will weigh more heavily than they do now. This year was painful, but those to come may be even worse.