http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57376130/riots-spread-across-athens-buildings-in-flames/

Some unhappy Greeks are burning shit down.

They have every reason to be unhappy. Their government was working with the bankers, in secret, and lied to the People. Such bullshit.

More ruins to visit I suppose.

To what end though? I mean, they're busted. Tapped out. Skint. Begging for cash.

I mean, apathy has a price and it's a little late now.

Defaulting will result in big cuts too. Nowhere to run at this point.

Wrecking the place isn't going to change anything.

The government may have been lying, but it was a lie that Greeks wanted to hear. Greeks will tell you that it's no secret that Greece was "robbing Peter to pay Paul" and half the country wasn't paying their taxes.

I am not surprised and I could see the current government stepping down or Germany intervening some time soon. Personally, I can see Greece leaving the Euro because of this (although, Greece will most likely be forced out) and the Euro coming out weaker than it is today.

Just waiting for the spark to ignite the economic meltdown in Europe.

Greeks work more hours every year than most Europeans, and don't get as much in return, yet they get blamed for being the irrational "nanny state." It makes no sense.

Look at the ridiculous military spending that was going on in Greece for years. And for what? To defend against NATO ally Turkey?

They have been buying all sorts of expensive stuff like Apache attack helicopters, Leopard tanks, U-214 submarines. F-16's etc, etc and maintaining a bloated military.

It wasn't being bought in secret, it wasn't a secret that it was all uber-expensive platinum plated stuff.

All of a sudden they wake up and say "hey, what about our public services?!!".

Well sorry, but Canada can't afford Apache helicopters and our economy dwarfs yours, so what's up with that?

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-a ... al-breakup

TAL does a great explanation of the euro situation. Shows how regular Greeks didnt understand what was happening. Give a group of people who had never had credit, massive amounts of credit, and dont be surprised it all goes to hell.

It's a pretty well kept secret that there wasn't a whole lot to see in pre-riot Greece. I know several friends who visited all the usual spots in Greece like Athens and Sparta and were thoroughly unimpressed. I haven't been to Greece but I have been to Munich and London to see a great deal of the Parthenon frieze and sculpture collection (I recommend it).



True story. The Greeks I sailed with were damn happy to have a well paying private sector job instead of a well paying gov't job because they knew that shipping natural gas for a global energy conglomerate was far more secure in the long run.

Is it any wonder Athens burns? Democracy dies in its birthplace.

Democracy doesn't prevent you from defaulting on your debts. A country can vote itself into the poor house, which is what they did.

Democracy ain't no Panacea, even if she was Greek.

Their government, and their banks, didn't inform the public about what was really going on. It was a fantastic spectacle, a monetary mirage, and the Greek People couldn't have possibly seen it coming. They work more than most Europeans, and get relatively little in return. The Greeks thought they were the secure ones in Europe. And they should've been.

But now, Germany dictates Greek policy.

Bull..fucking...shit. They could see this coming from miles away. The economy was a shell game and they knew it. Democracy means paying your goddamn taxes. Don't want to pay taxes? No soup for you.



They should, the Greeks need supervision. That is just manifest.

Democracy...I suspect that's what these Greek protests are all about. It seems that the Greek People feel that they weren't represented in government. Which really shouldn't surprise anyone. The only Western nations with authentic Democratic control are the Nordic countries.

Most Western countries don the regalia of Democracy: elections, political campaigns, representatives etc. But the whole purpose is population management. Not in a conspiratorial way, it's a de facto system. The only voices are wealthy. All other voices are fundamentally inconsequential. The Greek upper class is doing just fine.