RE: Greek economy

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RE: Greek economy

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edguerin

Posts: 1589
Joined: Dec. 24 2007
From: Siegburg, Alemania

RE: Greek economy (in reply to stratos13)

@kovachian
you're in the États-Unis not GB.

I was there in the 70s, on a clerkship in hospital, and all the ambulance-drivers went on strike because a nurse helped to push a stretcher in an emergency...

I also attended an operation where the assisting nurse put down the instruments in the middle of the procedure, stating "Gentlemen, it's four o'clock...", and walked out.

Which leads me to an old joke about the difference between Americans and Englishmen:
A worker sees the company-director drive past in a Rolls-Royce.
The Brit raises his fist and shouts: "Just you wait! You won't be riding around in a f*** Rolls much longer"
The American thinks:"Just you wait! I'll be riding around in an even bigger car soon..."

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Ed

El aficionado solitario
Alemania

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 5 2010 17:14:48

kovachian

Posts: 506
Joined: Jan. 30 2008
From: Americanistan

RE: Greek economy (in reply to edguerin)

quote:

I was there in the 70s, on a clerkship in hospital, and all the ambulance-drivers went on strike because a nurse helped to push a stretcher in an emergency...

I also attended an operation where the assisting nurse put down the instruments in the middle of the procedure, stating "Gentlemen, it's four o'clock...", and walked out.

Wow, and yet some people wonder why most Americans have nothing but disdain for unions. Not that I hate them personally, I don't. Still, I wonder how their principles would hold up if the ambulance driver's mom was having a heart attack of if the nurse's son was undergoing a liver transplant; would their strikes still take precedence over humanity and compassion?

"Sorry mom, I know you're on the brink of death and all but I saw a nurse with the audacity to push a stretcher once, right before she walked out on a surgery. Because of this I ain't taking you to the hospital nor will any of my buddies, sooo you're just going to have to die. I still love you, though. Bye..."

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 5 2010 18:20:18

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Greek economy (in reply to kovachian)

quote:

"Sorry mom, I know you're on the brink of death and all but I saw a nurse with the audacity to push a stretcher once, right before she walked out on a surgery. Because of this I ain't taking you to the hospital nor will any of my buddies, sooo you're just going to have to die. I still love you, though. Bye..."

kov,

Industry and Government bosses have relied upon that very sentiment to slowly increase their own salaries to astronomical levels ($1,000,000+) a year, whilst expecting staff to do shift work on often less than $20,000.

It's the same old argument.

Employers want to pay the absolute minimum to employees whilst making maximum profits themselves.

Not exactly evil behaviour, but needs some kind of balancing force for a just society.

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 5 2010 19:33:47

kovachian

Posts: 506
Joined: Jan. 30 2008
From: Americanistan

RE: Greek economy (in reply to edguerin)

So holding urgently-needed public services hostage and letting people die if that's what it comes to, is the 'balancing force' to high salaries and profits?! Whether that qualifies as a truly balancing force is up for anyone's interpretation but that's nowhere even remotely close to a just society in my eyes.

Selfishness in the form of greed is bad enough but selfishness in the form of apathy towards lives in danger, will never right that wrong.

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Don't look at me in that tone of voice.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 5 2010 19:50:24

stratos13

Posts: 222
Joined: Apr. 11 2005
From: Αθήνα

RE: Greek economy (in reply to Ron.M)

The problem in Greece is far bigger than it seems.
The whole system is so corrupted, that I hear people say openly that they only care about themselves and not about the future of the country. It is quite normal to get where we are now if you are thinking like this.

There is a video of the current prime minister talking about the IMF - BEFORE he became prime minister (june of 2009) - and he says that the IMF just takes money out of the weak of a country, but the bankrupty os certain if you go with the IMF.

Then he becomes prime minister and what did he do? IMF

Now it is certain that we will go bankrupt over the next two weeks.
The spread is now at 900 => definately bankrupt country.
For those who know a little about greek politics, we are very close to a war.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 5 2010 20:15:08

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Greek economy (in reply to kovachian)

quote:

So holding urgently-needed public services hostage and letting people die if that's what it comes to, is the 'balancing force' to high salaries and profits?! Whether that qualifies as a truly balancing force is up for anyone's interpretation but that's nowhere even remotely close to a just society in my eyes.

Agreed kov,

So is the blame with the Employers or Employees?

Are the Employers to blame for allowing such a situation to arise though their greed?
Or is it the Employees fault to withdraw their services and choose not to be paid?

The Slave Trade in the Americas solved this problem 300 years ago.

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 5 2010 21:02:51

Ailsa

Posts: 2277
Joined: Apr. 17 2007
From: South East England

RE: Greek economy (in reply to stratos13)

Wow Stratos, that sounds gloomy. I'm afraid the Greek economy has gone way down the list of of news items here, so I was sort of under the impression that the loans from the EU countries and the cuts in salaries for everyone were sorting things out.

What will it really mean if the country is bankrupt?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 6 2010 7:04:56

Doitsujin

Posts: 5078
Joined: Apr. 10 2005

RE: Greek economy (in reply to edguerin)

quote:

What will it really mean if the country is bankrupt?

They are lucky coz they are in the EU. So the other members will help to keep the euro up. Greek is poor anyway. Well,.. Abu Dabi isnt so far from greek...maybe they could help greek, too?

Werent Spain and Portugal the next candidates with the same problem?

quote:

The Slave Trade in the Americas solved this problem 300 years ago.

Germany established a similar system lately that is called the "1Euro/h Jobber". Its basically like Slave Trade...We can send some to greek.. sure...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 6 2010 8:34:21

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Greek economy (in reply to Doitsujin)

quote:

They are lucky coz they are in the EU. So the other members will help to keep the euro up. Greek is poor anyway. Well,.. Abu Dabi isnt so far from greek...maybe they could help greek, too?

Trouble was IMO, that the Greeks were living beyond what they could sustain.

Actually MOST of us were, what...with blank cheques and offers for loans being enclosed inside every bank statement etc.

You could hardly go to the Bank to do any transaction without the cashier asking if you would like a loan for a new car, or a holiday, or a home extension, all at very low interest rates....in fact some were offering free (0%) interest for the first year.
Or Credit Card companies extending your credit balance to 20 times what you'd ever expect ever to spend in a month.

Or American credit agencies going round the unemployed areas of the deep South and offering guys in string vests sitting on their front porches (during the weekday) a chance to own their own home.

"Just sign here and we'll take care of the rest....nothing to pay for the first 3 months.."

I noticed that the indigenous Aberdonians here didn't fall for it though....they're much too "canny" for that.

(Some of the local culture must have rubbed off, 'cos I didn't either.)

Aberdonian Joke....

Three brothers are sitting around the fire in a farmhouse in Aberdeenshire.

One of them says.."Ach...I'm sick of this....I'm awa oot..."

So he makes his way to Glasgow and there he boards a boat to Canada.

After spending 15 years in Canada, he comes back for a visit and walks into the kitchen, where his two brothers are sitting round the fire, with long beards down to their feet.

"Hello brothers, good tae see ye...How's things...Whit's this thing wi' the long beards?"

One of them looks up and says..

"Well, when you went awa', ye took the bloody razor wi' ye..!!"