Financial Crisis in Greece

[Niko777]

*****************

My_name_is_Spyros_and_I_am_a_MALAKAS_HELLENE.mp4 - YouTube

[lavce pelagonski]

Well said if only they would all wake up and realize this is happening to them

[Tzameti]

Consider the BS staring you in the face -
IF 23% of Greek children are in poverty and fainting in school
and
IF 20.5% (notice broadly 1/5 in each case) of other European countries are in poverty
then
Where are the news reports of children fainting in eg Spain or Italy or Germany, ect or anywhere??? With them (other Europeans) being in the European average would you not have heard of multiple dire straits stories from these countries by now???

The fainting children was indeed a bullshit story initiated by leftist teachers and then embraced by the Greek and international media. The result was measures of free breakfast or lunch at many schools. There may be many problems in several families in Greece, but not a hunger epidemic.

On the one hand the article tries to garner sympathy for the Greek children by including a dramatic situation of fainting in class and poverty to 1/5 children yet blows their own point by saying the European average is also about 1/5

so
the Greeks are about on par with poverty in Europe after being taken down a few notches but are less resilient than other Europeans??? BS 1.
also
'poverty' by a lot of these 'studies' include you in if your parents didn't buy you an X-box or bicycle for Christmas and NOT the '1930's soup kitchen' most people imagine poverty to mean. BS 2.

Same goes with the poverty levels and the definition of poverty in rich and developed countries. Living standards in Greece haven’t severely dropped in the last 4 years (after the crisis started) and Greece basically remains in the same rank within European Union countries (12th). I believe Cyprus (which usually was slightly below Greece) has now surpassed us. Slovenia is the first former socialist country that has almost reached us and may probably surpass us in the near future.

and
by the way, where is the all mighty and super rich Greek church to step in, or does charity only work in other countries??? - do Greeks even know what a Salvation Army is let alone have one? I guess the high-life of the last 20 years never permitted them to create one and the endless flow of gravy for 20 years made them forget to 'save for a rainy day'? Trading in your Mercedes for an Opal or Skoda must really be hard, anyone want to rattle a few tins for them?

It’s mostly the Church and several organizations that help the poor people with soup kitchens and little money. My mother has been helping through the Church for more than 20 years. Church has quite many faithful people who are volunteers and do various things.

And some malaka shoots himself in the head in his 70's because he was worried about leaving his children in debt - WTF?-1, His children would be in their 30's or 40's if not older - are they also useless wankers? and WTF?-2, if you havent secured yourself a roof over your head, some decent cloths and a bit aside to at least pay basic bills and basic food WTF did you do for 70 years? - Ouzo, Zorba music and kicking-back?

The story of the old man has been scrutinised after his suicide. He didn’t have debts or serious economic problems. He killed himself as a political protest and had a note on him saying so. Since then, there has been at least one similar incident, a leftist (!) teacher who hung himself as an act of protest and disappointment in his village in Thrace.

[Brian]

http://www.time.com/time/world/artic...111212,00.html

The 77-year-old retired pharmacist drew a handgun and shot himself in the head near a subway exit on central Syntagma Square which was crowded with commuters, police said.

Oh wow! so now we know it's not 'some guy' but a retired pharmacist who couldn't live under the austerity measures. Get real, most pharmacists I know are very well-to-do or extremal well-to-do. If a pharmacist (doctor, lawyer, ect.) can't live well in his retirement because of the austerity measures then your average Greek must be in a mass starvation or mass suicide by now.

The only way this guy could be so broke and so in debt that he felt the only thing he could do was suicide is if he gambled everything away and went heavily into gambling debt that the mob were going to kill him and his family anyway and gave him the option of doing it in public to get sympathy for Greece so Western Sheeple will feel good about their government pumping their taxes into Greece and feel their next holiday must be in Greece to help the Greeks trade their way out in exchange for leaving his family to live. Haven't you seen the YouTube clips (even posted on MTO) where these 2 points are suggested ie we must save Greece to save the Euro and help the Greeks and yourself by holidaying in Greece. The Mob are a lower pawn of the elite and could have been told to use this guys death for a 'higher good' than just a quite mob hit on a 'debt guy'.

Tzameti Post1201
The story of the old man has been scrutinised after his suicide. He didn’t have debts or serious economic problems. He killed himself as a political protest and had a note on him saying so. Since then, there has been at least one similar incident, a leftist (!) teacher who hung himself as an act of protest and disappointment in his village in Thrace.

Hi Tzameti, exposing the BS and rational discourse is always welcome - the Truth is what we seek.

Initial reports on the suicide note said it was due to debts and this makes sense re see my reasons above.

A suicide as a political act (ie for a cause) is usually in the form of a suicide attack to kill a leader or system - history is filled with such examples.

To suicide just to technically make a point is insane because most times you achieve nothing. It is much less common, in fact rare.

This would be, say prisoners or others in an utter hopeless situation a feel no other means was available to them. Such 'political point' suicides fall into at least 1 of 3 scenarios or a combination of the 3 - either they are -
1. people of very low intelligence and very child like who are easily manipulate by others into the act
or
2. people doped up and under mind control
or
3. motivated by threat to either an excruciating death by mutilation or such a death to loved ones and such people appear irrational and and totally out of character.

There's more to this guys death then 'just a suicide'.

[lavce pelagonski]

So the pushkar council has returned this should be interesting.

[Soldier of Macedon]

Actually, he hasn't. Based on his previous behaviour and the fact that this idiot has been banned several times in the past, I have just banned him again. And if he tries to slither in again, he will be banned, again. Let's not forget what a racist dickhead this fool has been. In the past he has denied the Macedonian identity and the suffering our people underwent while being oppressed by his animal ancestors. There is no place for such filth here.

Good luck with your failed acting career you moron.

[Niko777]

Alexander the Great, Justinian, Hagia Sophia all part of Nea Demokratia's new election ad

Το δεκάλεπτο τηλεοπτικό μήνυμα της �Δ - YouTube

[SirGeorge8600]

Psssh screw his bullshit ad's, he's still not going to get elected.

[SirGeorge8600]

Take it from us Americans fellow Europeans, you can't succeed by putting debt on debt, that's only something we can do ;-)

[Soldier of Macedon]

What on earth has Justinian the Great, who was born in what is today the Macedonian village of Taor, got to do with this moron and his political party? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauresium

SirGeorge, welcome back, it's been a while. Who do you think will be elected? Voltron seems to have his heart set on those racists from the golden shower club.

[Voltron]

What on earth has Justinian the Great, who was born in what is today the Macedonian village of Taor, got to do with this moron and his political party? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauresium

You guys are reading too much into it. Probably just wanted to highlight Byzantine heritage.

SirGeorge, welcome back, it's been a while. Who do you think will be elected? Voltron seems to have his heart set on those racists from the golden shower club.

I highly doubt he has an idea of what is going on here and what the parties stand for. I live here and my reasoning behind what I said is pretty specific. In general im for all the far-right parties in Europe.
It is the only way to cross-check this political correctness that will destroy us from the inside. You seem like a real idealist SOM where everybody gets together and holds hands. It doesnt work here in the balkans, never did never will. Only under strong empires where your ass would get handed to you if you were out of line did it ever work. It doesnt work in Bosnia, It doesnt work in Kosovo and it wont work in Macedonia. You have to take a position and put some weight behind it. Even if it is a little harsh.

[Voltron]

S&P Raises Greece's Credit Rating

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304746604577380161935567938.html

LONDON—Standard & Poor's Corp. said Wednesday it raised Greece's credit rating to CCC from SD (selective default) after the country completed its distressed debt exchange.

The outlook on the country's long-term rating is stable, the rating firm said.

However, while Greece's sovereign debt exchange has alleviated near-term funding pressures, S&P said Greece's debt burden remains high.

The Greek government is committed to implementing a tough deficit-reduction program, largely based on tax increases, improved tax collection, state asset privatizations and cuts in government spending.

S&P said this program has implementation risks in light of the country's deep recession, which will result in persistent social pressures. Parliamentary elections May 6 are likely to render Greece's path to fiscal adjustment more uncertain, the rating firm also warned.

S&P said its assigned CCC rating reflects the reduction and the improved maturity of Greece's sovereign debt, brought about by the distressed debt exchange, while taking into account the significant stress Greece's economy faces.

The country has uncertain economic growth prospects, with its recession expected to continue in 2012, while political consensus for deficit-reduction measures is weakening. Also, Greece has a large external deficit, said the rating firm.

In February this year, private holders of Greek government debt accepted a restructuring involving the write-down of 53.5% of their investment, alongside a €130 billion ($171 billion) bailout agreement between the Greek government and its official lenders, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Some 96.9% of the €205.5 billion worth of government debt held by private-sector creditors was exchanged for new bonds at less than half the value of the original ones.

S&P had lowered Greece's rating to SD as a consequence of the country's debt restructuring, with a view of assigning a definitive rating after the restructuring was completed.

[SirGeorge8600]

Hi there guys, thanks for the welcome back! lol I am on and off since I am very busy with things. But thanks nonetheless.

I think a liberal will get elected since that's what most Greeks seem to want, less austerity more benefits. I and Voltron are Americans so we don't know that much about politics in Greece (and I say this Voltron since you support the Golden Down...you obviously don't know anything about their evils).

As for America I might end up voting for Obama again, I wanted Newt Gingrich but he dropped out as a conservative nominee.

I think the newly elected Greek party needs to do the following though:

1. Allow German economists and regulators from the German government to control all the money that is loaned out to Greece and not the Greek government. This was suggested a while back but Papandreou got angry at the idea. It wouldn't hurt Italy to consider this too.

2. Re-visit the Macedonian issue. Recognize the minorities and cease the name dispute at once...it had gotten to the point where it is childish.

3. Force...and I repeat FORCE the state-wide collection of taxes, or cease government benefits if they refuse to pay. This might be a world-renown difficulty, but also tax the rich. Greece's billionaires (we have more billionaires that Italy) are known for their economic deviance. They have only gotten richer from this crisis and they need to be taxed... a lot.

4. The upper class/elite need to show how much they make, (especially for #3 to work), sure the politicians will run off to Swiss banks to hide their money, but the upper class cannot avoid this. There's doctors who collect state benefits and make a quarter of a million for crying out-loud.

5. Protestors need to stop, nothing is being accomplished from it. Throw more tear gas, release hound dogs, use pepper spray. The police are a bunch of fat idiots that just stand there and get paint with yoghurt thrown on them....wtf?

[Phoenix]

:
2. Re-visit the Macedonian issue. Recognize the minorities and cease the name dispute at once...it had gotten to the point where it is childish.

Really?

What's the timeline on this event, when did it actually become "childish" in your opinion...so at some point in the last 2 decades (in regards to the name) and at some point in the last century (in regards to the minority) you think that greece had a 'point'...get real champ.

[Soldier of Macedon]

You seem like a real idealist SOM where everybody gets together and holds hands. It doesnt work here in the balkans, never did never will.

I don't expect all Balkan peoples to be friends, I just don't see the need for nationalism to equate to racism. You do.

You have to take a position and put some weight behind it. Even if it is a little harsh.

Macedonia does need to take a firmer position, but not in the way that you would have it in Greece.

Voltron since you support the Golden Down...you obviously don't know anything about their evils

He knows exactly what they stand for and what they've done in the past. To him, racist morons intimidating other people is acceptable so long they're 'proud' Greeks.

Re-visit the Macedonian issue. Recognize the minorities and cease the name dispute at once...it had gotten to the point where it is childish.

We will never agree on all historical matters. Greece needs to grow up and move on by recognising its Macedonian minority and the neighbouring Macedonian state. 20 years have been wasted for nothing. After all of the money and time that Greece has spent, the Macedonian identity is and will still be alive.