The Europeans who advocated major austerity for Greece to solve its budget problems are now watching as the country slides into depression. They seem to have believed that punishing Greek politicians for their profligate ways was more important than keeping the country as a going concern.

European powers, led by fiscally conservative Germany, have been insisting that Greece correct years of mismanagement by enacting swift waves of cuts and other major economic reforms to regain the confidence of investors and ensure the integrity of the euro. Slashing the deficit quickly is essential to ushering in a sustainable future, they have argued, and the resulting social pain is necessary to impress on Greek politicians and society that such excesses should never happen again.

How’s that working out, Merkel and Sarkozy?

Unemployment has surged to 18.8 percent from 13.3 percent only a year ago. Overburdened public hospitals are facing acute shortages of everything from syringes to bandages because of budget cuts, with hiring freezes forcing the mothballing of operating rooms even as more unemployed are relying on the public health system. Rates of homelessness, suicide, crime and HIV cases from intravenous drug use are jumping.

If you think this approach looks familiar, it should. It’s the same kind of thing American deficit hawks are promoting. Oddly, the Republican party has a lot of people in that category, despite the party’s culpability in raising the deficit to unheard-of levels.

Friends don’t let friends vote for Republicans.