The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: SSG Snuggle Bunny on October 13, 2010, 07:17:18 PM
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TBF (1000+ posts) Wed Oct-13-10 11:55 PM
Original message
We Are All Greeks
PROLOGUE: We are all Greeks!
Translated Wednesday 28 April 2010, by Kristina Wischenkamper and reviewed by Henry Crapo
To all the people in all the European countries, it’s time to unite.
Every tragedy has its Prologue. There is a fear that the very grave situation facing Greece at the moment is but a worrying prologue to a far greater tragedy for all of the European Union. One that’s been in rehearsal since the day the self-proclaimed lone guardians of the European Ideal forced Greece to adopt the Euro whilst allowing the country to conceal the true extent of its public debt. And today the private ratings agencies, friends of the financial sharks, are issuing junk bonds pushing the interest rates ever higher on the loan that the country is now forced to take out. The yield on the bonds has soared well above 8%; Germany has them at 2.3%. So who exactly benefits from this alarmist situation? The banks and the private insurance companies of course. Every day they rake in colossal profits that they then make the Greek people pay for by lowering salaries, reducing useful public spending, raising various taxes, extending retirement age, privatizations. But not a mention of putting an end to the tax breaks and sweeteners handed out to big business and the richest classes; or taxing capital revenues or private pensions or even reducing arms expenditure...
(more: http://www.humaniteinenglish.com/spip.php?article1514 )
OCTOBER 2010: French workers demonstrate on October 12, 2010 in Toulouse southern France to protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to up the retirement age to 62. In the fourth major action against the government reforms in just over a month, transport workers, teachers and civil servants stopped work in a bid to halt the reforms, a cornerstone of Sarkozy's program:
The protests, which began last month, are largely over Mr. Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age. But the French left is hoping to use the protests as a launching pad for rolling back much of the increasingly unpopular president's agenda.
Rallies of nearly 2 million French and crippling walkouts yesterday by energy and transport workers amplified opposition sentiment in France – even as Prime Minister Francois Fillon vowed to move ahead with reforms that would raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 in order to combat budget deficits.
Sarkozy, in a cabinet meeting this morning, said: "It is our duty to carry out this reform and so we will achieve it completely.â€
Socialist Party leader Martine Aubry meanwhile warned: “The confrontation between the country and the government could get worse.â€...
(more: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/1013/As-Fren... )
US PROTESTS IN RESPONSE TO GLOBAL FINANCIAL ISSUES: TBD ...
Mindless prattling about wanting to take more taxpayer money at gun point and give it to people in government aside...
...WTF IS WITH CO-OPTING THE PHRASE BORN FROM 9/11!!!
Do these ****ing retards really belive telling a bunch of whiny Greek bureaucrats to live within the means of the people they're golden fleecing (that's a Greek mythology pun, get it?) really morally equate to a massive terrorist attack?
****ing assholes.
daylan b (318 posts) Thu Oct-14-10 12:04 AM
Response to Original message
4. What is your solution?
Edited on Thu Oct-14-10 12:07 AM by daylan b
I mean other than holding up a sign.
France already has some of the highest personal (top 3) and corporate (top 6 or so) income tax rates in the world.
While they have one of the highest fertility rates in all of Europe, they aren't expanding at a rate that would bring about a ratio of workers to retirees that is sustainable.
You ain't long for DU.
TBF (1000+ posts) Thu Oct-14-10 12:10 AM
Response to Reply #4
6. Define "sustainable". nt
Like, maybe, "sustainable resources"
Hannah Bell (1000+ posts) Thu Oct-14-10 12:10 AM
Response to Reply #4
7. workers to retirees ratio = bullshit.
Spoken like a true...you.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9311655
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WOW! You mean they have to work 2 whole extra years to 62 years of age?! The horror! ::) The outrage! ::)
Meanwhile, everyone in the private sector has pay cuts, a cut in hours and even worse, getting laid off. :censored:
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Hooo boy. Daylan and Hannah Bell get into it over there, with a conversation that will make your head swim, if you go, with little gems like this:
Hannah Bell (1000+ posts) Wed Oct-13-10 08:16 PM
Response to Reply #11
15. increased productivity per worker "pays for the benefits".
It ended thusly:
daylan b (344 posts) Wed Oct-13-10 10:24 PM
Response to Reply #63
69. Look, we're never going to agree, you know that I knew that as soon as I saw Marx.
I hate the commie Hannah Bell. She wants the "means of production" signed over to her, personally. I wish they'd give her some so that she could fall into some vicious industrial equipment, like a pulper.
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More cradle to grave from the DUmp! They think the gubmint just has to print money to sustain the ever increasing retirees on the dole!
They never pay in, they just put their hand out and can't understand why Greece is broke! Just print more money and get yourself outa debt! Easy as 1, 2, 3......
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If it's free, it's for the DUmmie! :censored:
These people have no financial sense or common sense for that matter. :mental: :thatsright:
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TBF (1000+ posts) Wed Oct-13-10 11:55 PM
Original message
We Are All Greeks
PROLOGUE: We are all Greeks!
Guess they'd better all watch their backs, then.
And the use of that phrase goes waaaaaay back before 9/11.
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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!
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From each according to his ability, to those who guarantee your re-election according to their sense of entitlement!
Edited for accuracy.
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From each according to his responsibility, to each according to his irresponsibility!
The 21st century version.
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Guess they'd better all watch their backs, then.
And the use of that phrase goes waaaaaay back before 9/11.
I'm not real sure how far it goes, but I do remember, "Ich ben ein Berliner!"
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I think there's a Churchill or Roosevelt quote from WWII in the same vein, but there are probably similar comments recorded at least as far back as the Enlightenment philosophers.