Greece - how strange

[0a]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Uri Geller is alive and well!

Er, thanks!

[Digga]

Norfolkit said:

Zod said:

Simpo Two said:

So the EU and the world is in turmoil (again) and all out pensions are heading south (again).

And what has caused this international horror? Why, because the Greek Government has decided to ask its people what they want.

That's not what it's about though: the Greeks think the question is:

Do you agree to the nasty German plan to take away your jobs and your money or do you instead want a magical Greek solution that will make everything OK again so that you can continue buy Porsches, retire at 50 and have the Germans pay for all of it?

But that is paper talk bks isn't it, the majority of Greek people don't own Porsches or retire at 50, they work like the rest of us

You should visit sometime, you'd like the place. Talk to a few locals for the full picture.

[s2art]

Got to say, I think the Greeks have got this right. The deal on the table just couldnt work. All it does is 'kick the can along the road' a bit further than the previous feeble attempts. The IMF wanted a 75% haircut for good reasons, and Greece should not be in the Euro for all sorts of reasons. Therefore any deal must involve an orderly transition out of the Euro and a bigger write off of Greek debt. The deal offered would be poison.

[s2art]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Mostly agreed, with the proviso that it will fail even if the Greeks changed quite a bit.

[Zod]

Norfolkit said:

Zod said:

Simpo Two said:

So the EU and the world is in turmoil (again) and all out pensions are heading south (again).

And what has caused this international horror? Why, because the Greek Government has decided to ask its people what they want.

That's not what it's about though: the Greeks think the question is:

Do you agree to the nasty German plan to take away your jobs and your money or do you instead want a magical Greek solution that will make everything OK again so that you can continue buy Porsches, retire at 50 and have the Germans pay for all of it?

But that is paper talk bks isn't it, the majority of Greek people don't own Porsches or retire at 50, they work like the rest of us

Er no.

There are more porsche Cayennes in Greece than people who declare an income of >€50k

The average Greek retirement age is 53

So, no it is not "paper talk bks". The Greeks don't pay their taxes, retire early and spend other people's money on luxuries. Time for them to struggle a bit for the next decade.

[munky]

^^ indeed. Greeks don't pay tax - avoidance is a national pastime. Therefore asking them if they want to pay more tax (in theory) is largely a rhetorical question, but even if it wasn't, what do people think would be their likely vote? How many countries would vote themselves a tax increase? Some things shouldn't be left to the voters.
In California, they have direct democracy to the point of insanity. If you get enough signatures on a petition, you can force a referendum on new laws or scrapping existing ones, and on spending and taxation (as I understand it, although I may have used artistic licence and forgetfulness to over-simplify). Duly, the Californians voted themselves huge increases in state government spending combined with tax cuts, and the state government is bust. Genius.