Greek Editor Is Arrested After Publishing a List of Swiss Bank Accounts

I hope he has some kind of protection available to him.

this is the future of Romney's America.

Ironic that the rightwing here has used the situation in Greece to scare people to vote against Obama, when they are the ones that want to create it here. And they are damn close to getting it all the way with Romney and Ryan and Grover Nordquist handing his legislation to the man they intend to be Robosigner-in-Chief.

When taken into account that this is political matter within Greece, that the people have been unable, even with their parlimentary system to tax these guys, the quote in the OP doesn't make the Germans, etc. sound so unreasonable:

Greece’s lenders have long said that the government must crack down on tax evasion to be eligible for more aid.

The Germans and other EU countries tax the pajeezus out of the very wealthy, are unionized, well insured, and don't allow, AFAIK from what they tell me, a black market economy. It seems like Greece, for whatever reason, has let the super rich get away with this. If we let the same greedy plutocrats get away with it, this could be our future.

Our current deficit has nothing to do with Obama and Social Security. This must be countered with political will, people ready to say NO to these guys, and not be brainwashed.

I wonder what tactic was used in the past to persuade the Greek people to let them get away with it. Perhaps their rich were more generous in the past, or the economy better. I think they have also been suffering from climate change as much of the EU has experienced.

The political will issues is not just in Greece, because I'm not disrespecting the people there, but worldwide. I suspect the means of getting people to vote against their own interests there somehow mirror ours here. Could be shades of racism, religion, xenophobia, etc.

I think the journalist made a mistake listing the account numbers, which is illegal under privacy agreements. He had a right to reveal who is cheating the Greek people, especially those names. They appear to be going after him as a technicality. As here, the culprits are closer to home than one might think.

The people should not give up, this is the beginning of what they need to bring this back the way it should be. I don't think all of these tax cheaters can escape the law. But if Romney gets in, all bets are off. Like or not, we are an example.

to equalize the tax laws.

I see nothing that the rich do to justify the earnings percentage,

Say you want a revolution...........?

Edit: nothing personal, but you cannot suggest violence.

Then be revolution. Be the change you want. Holding gun to someones head to force change don't sound like the revolution I wish, more like just a regime change of same shit with different boss.

Stop being our own worst enemy!

The Rethugs don't givashit!

But instead of trusting any metaphoric or symbolic gun on anyone's head, I've learned some gardening skills and don't demand or expect anyone to feed me. I been on personal strike practically most of my life, refusing to work for the system as a wage-slave of the system. They make the money and own all of it, I don't work for money.

The capitalist parasite classes depends from productive class, not vice versa. Fuck them, just refuse to work for them.

I salute you!

why yes they do and they hide it in swiss bank accounts and offshore illegal tax havens. Thankfully the Greek people will do a bit more than sit on their ass and watch the latest episode of Honey Boo Boo like we do in the US. They will actually take action and shut down the country once it becomes apparent that Merkel wants the Greeks to become economic slaves of austerity

unfortunately has few consequences, considering the lack of laws and law enforcement in this area.

Evading taxes by having such an account may not be technically illegal, but its certainly a poor excuse and a cowards way out of contributing to the Greek economy.

The people wont stand for it, unlike in the U.S. regardless

The "elite" parasite class of rich fucks systemically evade taxes by tax havens etc etc as they do everywhere, both illegally and through legal loopholes that they legislate.

There are also lots of small family businesses in Greece (tavern owners, kiosk keepers, etc. etc.) that work very hard and by national custom many do some of their business without receipt.

Public sector is largely nepotistic with lots of gift "jobs" for loyal party members, friends and relatives of people in position of power, etc. It is also very corrupt, on top of taxes people need to give extra "gifts" to get what they need from Bysant style bureaucratic public sector.

Ordinary wage-slaves have basic income tax extracted from their wages before they get payed. As consequence of this crisis, there is now huge "We won't pay" movement of ordinary people that started from refusal to pay road tolls, then metro and bus fees, culminating in mass refusal of paying the extra property tax for the Troika and banksters that state tried to extract via electric bill (threating to cut electricity if people don't pay). Half the people in Athens refused to pay, and neighborhood committees of working people returned the electricity immediately if some boss tried to cut it.

There is not much point in paying taxes in Greece by the working class, as long as the money goes to servicing interest on interest of the ever growing load of odious debt and all people get is more and more "austerity" cuts in public services and social security, as long as the money goes to army and police and the elite parasite class of rich fucks.

Repatriate the wealth stolen from the Greek people from the Greek 1%.
Institute a progressive tax structure
Ban the IMF from ever doing any type of business, just like iceland


also the public sector in Greece is a fraction of tax cheats. A tiny fraction compared to the 1% who hide money and try to legislate according to their wishes

I agree with much of your post BTW except the public sector part. Its not factual

It's not the whole public sector, but large sectors of it.

I know Greece and its politics very very well and to say the public sector is any fraction of the tax cheats is not only incorrect but without factual basis. its not even large sectors of it

Its the 1% Greeks who hide money and have ripped off the citizens and government of Greece.

Sorry but thats just not going to to work with me, nor will it fool anybody else

I said there is lot of nepotism and corruption in some sectors. And the ruling political parties are the most corrupt sector.

There was just an article posted on DU about cancer patient living in America returning to Icaria to die cheap instead dying very expensively in US. He still lives and when he visited America after many many years to tell his doctors that the cancer went away, he found that all the doctors had died.

that "there is a lot of nepotism and corruption in some sectors"?

Just curious.

And the ruling political parties, just until recently have fully supported the 1% Greeks, so I find no surprise that there is corruption there

thanks!

And lo and behold, there's a wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fakelaki

But fakelakia are small potatoes compared to the how much of EU subsidies goes to pockets of high government officials and their business palls. Not just in Greece, mind you, but in many if not most EU countries.

unfortunately is not a reliable source because anybody can edit it.

also I thought you said you have lived in Greece for years?

Can you provide something other than wiki off the internet for your claims?

Thanks!

googled for you a bit, not playing any more, google more yourself if you are genuinely interested.

to back up the claims you were making? Sorry if asking for that information is not available. Its not my fault

that everybody who has lived long enough in Greece knows, without searching for "specific information" from Internet. You don't have to take my word for it, but if you really want to know more, do your own search. instead of playing silly games.

Actually, it seems to be the motto of governments everywhere.

We are supposed to go without so they can stack more trillions into their Swiss accounts.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2012/07/23/super-rich-hide-21-trillion-offshore-study-says/

This sh*t is real.

Gotta work till yer 67 cuz there isn't enough money in SS.
Gotta lay off teachers cuz thre isn't enough money to pay 'em.
No alcohol treatment or mental treatment, no money.
The list goes on and on and on. America has been pillaged.

Whatever you do, don't call for violence now. It isn't allowed.

Bullsn*t.

Violence is pulling rotten food from a dumpster to feed your kids.
Violence is choosing between food or medication or utilities when you only have money for one after working your fingers to the bone your whole life.

I am calling for violence. Lots of violence. Us have nots got nothing to lose.

They got to be billionaires by not paying their fair share every step of the way in a corrupt plutocracy.

It's not violent. What I consider violent crime is 1) throwing perfectly good food in dumpster and 2) putting a lock on that dumpster.

I hope he lives a long life without incident.

it's due to too many people not paying their taxes. Exactly the opposite of what Mitt Romney's line is all about.

they expanded their public sector beyond all normal proportion to the size of their population thereby creating a wholly unsustainable situation. This was compounded by the issues there of public pensions being passed on as an inheritance to a single daughter and an automatic salary increase of 10% to those males who married.

(Reuters) - A major Greek newspaper reprinted the names of more than 2,000 wealthy Greeks with Swiss bank accounts on Monday and the editor who first published the list was to go on trial for violating data privacy laws.

Ta Nea devoted 10 pages to the list of accounts said to hold some 2 billion euros until 2007, a sum that riveted austerity-hit Greeks, angry at the privileges of politicians and an elite seen as having enriched themselves at the country's expense.

The list, given to Greece by French authorities in 2010, contains the names of 2,059 Greek account holders at HSBC in Switzerland to be probed for possible tax evasion.

It has been dubbed the "Lagarde List" after Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund who was the French finance minister when the list was handed over.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/29/uk-greece-corruption-list-idUKBRE89S0EB20121029