Hats off to Greece!

People are not big on "austerity" nor "cutting back" when it involves themselves. Likely won't be long before they are back on the track of overspending and once again holding out their hand.
 
The only hat I will tip to Greece is the one that allowed them to trick the EU (and Germany) into throwing them 80B euros. You might as well have had a giant bonfire and set it all ablaze for the good it will do.

You think some politician derived austerity package is going to change hundreds of years of Greek behavior?

MARK THIS POST (and all others who are saying it). This money will do nothing but push the problem down the road and we'll have to revisit Greece.

Also, keep an eye on contagion. This will not contain it.
 
Imagine that you are in serious trouble financially. You're spending more than you bring home by a good bit. Your bank is ready to foreclose, your cards are maxed. You approach your parents, hat in hand, and ask them for a loan. They tell you to shape up, they want to see a plan for how you'll get your life on track.

After a long weekend of hard decisions, you agree to slowly scale down your spending. The most optimistic projections you make (that are sure to PO your wife/the unions to no end) show 3 long years later, you're still spending more than you make:

In exchange for emergency loans, Greece has agreed the new cuts over three years with the aim of slashing the public deficit to less than three percent of output by 2014, from 13.6 percent last year.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100503/bs_afp/greecefinanceeconomy
 
There's 3 parts to the problems of Greece imho

1. Have a 2nd class euro for the PIIG countries. This would be devalued until the losers decide to pull their fingers out of their posteriors and do some work.

2. Hope that some foreigners will arrive ( like the 7th cavalry ) and buy up anything worth buying up as the locals are hopeless

3. The Greek politicians take an immediate 10% pay cut to show they are willing to carry their part of the burden they would normally have dumped on the Greek people. Seeing as how its basically their fault. And make it 10% a year until their debts are paid off.
 
Quote from Humpy:

There's 3 parts to the problems of Greece imho

"... The Greek politicians take an immediate 10% pay cut to show they are willing to carry their part of the burden they would normally have dumped on the Greek people. Seeing as how its basically their fault. And make it 10% a year until their debts are paid off.

Yes. The current plan is like "vowing to gain only 20 pounds over the next 4 years instead of 50".
 
Quote from gastropod:

The bigger of Europe's problems is that it is turning into a Moslem caliphate!. That FACT alone will reduce "Europe" "beloved Europe" the "precious" ECU to a dung heap is monumental...oh, yeah, you can try to ignore the BIGGER THINGS...just try to ask one of the European posters here to discredit what I posted. I REALLY REALLY feel for Europe, but to me to see Europe as some place of future growth...as it becomes a Moslem caliphate...hardly!!!! Not a single non-Moslem European poster here would have ANYTHING to do with such a post...I am SORRY FOR THEM!!! Are you European? If you are...you sure are in denial!!!

-gastropod

You mean a Jewish governed Muslim caliphate? LOL:D :D :D :p
 
That's the basic trouble with Democracy - the politicians have to promise more and more to get elected and the state gets less and less. Until the "garden of Eden" becomes a dung heap.
They will look to their friends to help them out until their patience is exhausted.

Personally I wouldn't give them a penny !!

Oh dear

well maybe there is something better ?
 
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