The Times has two stories today...

...that bode well for the economy. In the first, "Defying Others, Germany Finds Economic Success":

The government on Friday announced quarter-on-quarter economic growth of 2.2 percent, Germany’s best performance since reunification 20 years ago — and equivalent to a nearly 9 percent annual rate if growth were that robust all year.

How did they do it?

From the start of the financial crisis, Mrs. Merkel has been the leading advocate of fiscal austerity, a view that won out at the Group of 20 meeting in Toronto in June when the leaders of the world’s biggest economies promised to reduce their budget deficits. (My emphasis.)

So is that the answer, austerity as opposed to stimulus? The jury is out:

If policy makers in Berlin are right and the turning point has been reached, they will look wise. If the fragile recovery cracks, as worrisome signs of a slowdown in the United States and a cooling down of Chinese growth may augur, they could still bear the brunt of the blame for doing too little to foster regional and global growth.

On the same page is the story, "Detroit Goes From Gloom to Economic Bright Spot":

After a dismal period of huge losses and deep cuts that culminated in the Obama administration’s bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, the gloom over the American auto industry is starting to lift.

Jobs are growing. Factory workers are anticipating their first healthy profit-sharing checks in years. Sales are rebounding, with the Commerce Department reporting Friday that automobiles were a bright spot in July’s mostly disappointing retail sales.

So is that the answer, government intervention in the economy? Not so fast, say Republicans:

Some Republicans and other critics of the administration are less bullish, and suggest it is too early to know if the restructuring will stick or how much credit the federal assistance is due.

This is all very confusing. It reminds me of a play I once saw at the Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, "Michael, Margaret, Pat & Kate." It was a one-man "musical reminiscence" featuring folksinger Michael Smith (above) about -- what else? -- growing up Irish Catholic. Near the end, Smith confesses that he never achieved the fame enjoyed by such friends and peers as Steve Goodman and John Prine. I remember him saying something to the effect:

Maybe I didn't try hard enough.

Maybe I tried too hard.

Maybe "trying hard" doesn't have anything to do with it.

And that's what I wonder sometimes in these debates about the economy. Maybe it's all beyond our control. Maybe the economy moves in huge cycles that have nothing to do with monetary or fiscal policy. Maybe it's just hubris on our part to think we can influence events.