do you have sympathy for Greek protestors ?

[Edward Twinkletoes]

Do I have sympathy for them?

Of course. Nobody who's alive in this world asked to be here. We were all born with the full encouragement of the establishments in every town, city and country on earth and people are expected to blame themselves merely for behaving as humans do?

All I blame them for is reproducing if they do. That's the only real crime any human commits these days.

 

[bankside]

I think they are protesting the wrong things.. They should be demanding to be taxed more and have government hold the line on spending, and clamp down on tax evasion and corruption.

THAT's what they should be demanding of their government.

It is sad when German taxpayers have to lead the protest for sensible government in Greece.

 

[Purplebic]

You know its not like Argentina ceased to exist when it defaulted on it's debt.

 

[lambdaboy]

I do not and in case your wondering I am a screaming liberal.

Among other perks the Govt has given them;


* If they show up for work on time they are paid by the Govt.

* If they dress correctly for work they get rewarded.

* They can bribe there way to anyrthing they need drivers license etc.

Now it is time for them to pay it back. How do they do it they set fire to a bank and kill three incocent people.

I have travelled all over the world and wanted so much to see Greece. Now I will pait until the sell of there antiqities and wait till they are at some museum. The majority of them should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[axioma16]

I think that the potential financial collapse of Greece is being unfairly treated as a case of "irresponsible generalized behaviour", that has been magnified by the way in which the government has allegedly overspent in social programmes aimed at taming the laziness and incompetence of its population. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Greece has only limited itself to follow the same parameters dictated by neoliberal economics, which have also been implemented by every other Western nation: cancellation of regulatory policies that could define acceptable trading measures, a shift in the nature of liquidity from tangible assets into intangible ones, which also affects the nature and value of currency, lax taxing for large capitals and a notion of unrestricted growth based on systematic consumption. Their problems stem from the fact that, as it happens to Spain, Ireland and Portugal in particular, they don't have a strong enough national industry to help to balance their dependency on the injection of foreign capitals (often, in the form of loans), in order to guarantee the running of their economy. They are paying the consequences of their inability to find ways to accumulate enough resources to offset the debt they have incurred on.

We should be worried, because they are only a very small fish, and their problems are not the worst. I can only imagine what will happen when larger economies, such as the US, spectacularly collapse under the weight of their insurmountable debt.

 

[Dobson73]

.....working Greeks

Isn't that an oxymoron?

From what I am told the civil servants can retire at some extraordinarily early age, like 55? Pensions are huge and even when working, the hours are short?

I wonder how many employees there are in Government per head of population compared to say Germany or Sweden?

I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy even though there is word of corruption higher up. We get the Governments we deserve.

Get back to work and get your country out of the mess that it seems every person who has failed to work a 38hr week has helped create.

 

[kallipolis]

Isn't that an oxymoron?

From what I am told the civil servants can retire at some extraordinarily early age, like 55? Pensions are huge and even when working, the hours are short?

I wonder how many employees there are in Government per head of population compared to say Germany or Sweden?

I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy even though there is word of corruption higher up. We get the Governments we deserve.

Get back to work and get your country out of the mess that it seems every person who has failed to work a 38hr week has helped create.

Stereotyping would encourage us to believe that all gay men are neurotic, sex crazed, and highly addicted to Valium, Madonna, and Lady Gaga.

Public servants can retire at 60 years. Private sector employees at 65 years.

Under new legislation the retirement age for public service employees has been raised to 63 years. There are plans to increase the retirement age for public service employees to 65 years in the next round of reforms. There are exceptions for the police, armed forces, and persons working in dangerous industries such as mining, tanning, sea men who can retire in their fifties.

Corruption is not monopolised by the Greeks. The Australian Wheat Board scandal does indicate that your country also has its own share of corruption to handle. Even the puritanical Germans have recently suffered their own very recent corruption scandals with such well known companies as Siemens, Daimler Benz, and Man.

Shops in Greece open at 0900 hours and close 2100 hours, with a break of three hours for lunch/siesta. The basic salary levels for most retail trade workers is Euro 700/900 per month.

I could go on, but I am not an apologist, merely reminding you not to believe everything that you read in a newspaper, or hear over the air waves.

 

[Dobson73]

Stereotyping would encourage us to believe that all gay men are neurotic, sex crazed, and highly addicted to Valium, Madonna, and Lady Gaga.

Public servants can retire at 60 years. Private sector employees at 65 years.

Under new legislation the retirement age for public service employees has been raised to 63 years. There are plans to increase the retirement age for public service employees to 65 years in the next round of reforms. There are exceptions for the police, armed forces, and persons working in dangerous industries such as mining, tanning, sea men who can retire in their fifties.

Corruption is not monopolised by the Greeks. The Australian Wheat Board scandal does indicate that your country also has its own share of corruption to handle. Even the puritanical Germans have recently suffered their own very recent corruption scandals with such well known companies as Siemens, Daimler Benz, and Man.

Shops in Greece open at 0900 hours and close 2100 hours, with a break of three hours for lunch/siesta. The basic salary levels for most retail trade workers is Euro 700/900 per month.

I could go on, but I am not an apologist, merely reminding you not to believe everything that you read in a newspaper, or hear over the air waves.

Thanks for clarifying kaliopolis. Retirement at 63? We wish. And you say recent policy has just raised it to 63? So it was way lower than that before the recent change in law? It's now 67 in Australia for those of us born before 1962. It was passed last year and we shrugged our shoulders and accepted it. C'est la vie in a democracy.

The AWB is a private company listed on the stock market, it's not a Government department. Nothing to do with our Governments policies. And I don't believe I'd said corruption was monopolised by the Greeks? I think I mentioned there was "word of corruption"? Me think he doth protestith too much.

I'm not believing everything I've heard in the news; I'm listening to Greek friends and seeking information across the web. And when Greek friends are shaking their heads in sadness....well, what am I to believe?

Shoulders to the wheel, backs to the grindstone. Think of your country boys, not of yourselves.

 

[Jack Springer]

Your information is incorrect.

Most working Greeks pay their taxes at salary source. In other words pay as you earn.

Professionals such as lawyers, doctors, dentists etc. have a well established reputation for paying far too little tax.

Value added tax is added to all sales transactions. This cannot be avoided if you purchasing goods, or paying for a service, say in a restaurant.

Most of our fiscal problems are due to poor government management of our economy.

There is much more, but I am sure that the media will continue to supply us with information.

Isn't a large portion of the problem early retirement and the taxpayers having to pay money stipends to the retirees? I also hear that many retire at 51 years old.

 

[kallipolis]

Isn't a large portion of the problem early retirement and the taxpayers having to pay money stipends to the retirees? I also hear that many retire at 51 years old.

I recommend that you read a few of the posts on this thread. There lies the answer to your query.

 

[Telstra]

greek riot, the crowd is at fault, you can see clearly they spit at the police and provoking them.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/05/07/2893424.htm

 

[kallipolis]

greek riot, the crowd is at fault, you can see clearly they spit at the police and provoking them.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/05/07/2893424.htm

The Greek police riot force is happy. There's plenty of work for them. They won't be joining the ranks of the unemployed.

 

[JB3]

The Greek police riot force is happy. There's plenty of work for them. They won't be joining the ranks of the unemployed.

What does that have to do with what he posted?

 

[irydion]

I have little sympathy for the protesters, although I understand them. Their country was much too generous, and they were living above their limits until now, and they'll have to accept it. By protesting, they're only harming their economy, making it even worse.

 

[Zeno Lorea]

I have no sympathy for those rioters whatsoever. Who created the problems in Greece? The politicians who have been in office over the past two decades. And who elected those idiots? Right.

 

[Dobson73]

I have little sympathy for the protesters, although I understand them. Their country was much too generous, and they were living above their limits until now, and they'll have to accept it. By protesting, they're only harming their economy, making it even worse.

Too true, irydion. They bring themselves down with every stone they throw.

Perhaps our Greek friends could start declaring taxes, stop taking second jobs, stop trading on the black market and generally behaving like first world residents.

Get back to work. Every strike destroys yet another piece of support that they may have received from us.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

when they want more money which the country don't have?
What can they gain from protesting ? Zero !!!

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/7181441/deadly-fire-bomb-hits-bank-during-greek-riots/

who want more money? Protesters or people sit ins chairs with fancy titles?

what people ( gain ) from protestin? Nothin! but they can let system hear There people in da country not marks on paper what stuff in fancy draws

Greece same problem like many countrys what all do same ans interconnected ans more people in countrys thens 300 years ago

solution simple ans no just for Greece

but every country keep show same shoes from most profession spin da wheel ans Pose ans so on

public<people ask same obvious questions ans same replys they give eachs a other

too many wanna be clever with questions pose and clever replys what do nothin but make um think they won prize

solution simple but all got be in ons da game ans let go of da past

go polish ma teeth ans wax ma lips ans tread ma tongue in case pair shoes needs a cleanin

 

[kallipolis]

Public protest is a vital tool in a democratic state, that enables the frustrated, and abused citizen to remind the governing, political elite that the burden of reform must be shared amongst the entire population. And not just for the salaried employee.

It is no secret that most of the tax evasion, and tax avoidance in Greece is the result of the professional, and business classes flouting taxation laws.

Indebtedness is not just a Greek problem. Debt problems in Italy, Portugal and Spain remind us that street demonstrations in Athens may well inspire other nations to be fair, and just when evaluating their options to address their excessive debt levels.

 

[kallipolis]

What does that have to do with what he posted?

The more the protester taunts the riot police, the more certain is the security of employment tenure of the police officer.

The riot police are not complaining that they have more work.

 

[SLOPPYSECONDS]

The more the protester taunts the riot police, the more certain is the security of employment tenure of the police officer.

The riot police are not complaining that they have more work.

Police want say enuff ans protest with public ans get these People ofs Institutions go out on street sit down ans explain how they balls it up ans not froms tv screens

havin Police FORCES in democratic countrys is da joke of invention word democratic what mean nothin but sound good while ( Them go check their stock )

Police got everythin do it cause they poeple livin next door they might got whack ova head cause da system employ um neva neva do anythin but employ more inta da system gigantic boys club fa useless individuals ans list of professions ans insititutions what do nothin but spend money keep useless no productive boys a mask of - got useless job what pay lots

ans so on

dat ma empty space fill up with same same OY GREECE hope ya sort it out ans after with rest worlds useless systems GROW UP