Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: How do YOU think Hillary will react to the Greek election results? [View all]Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)74. Here's one measure, from the FAIR website:
Greece spends a greater percent of its GDP than any other EU country on the military, while it ranks second to last in teacher salaries(Dollars and Sense, 4/14/10). USA Today (5/10/10) put a rare human face on austerity proposals with a profile of a Greek schoolteacher, accurately summing up her situation as a hard life [thats] about to get harder.
Greece also has
a particularly under staffed and poorly organized tax authority
(according to "The Citizens" a conservative website I just checked)
which is clearly far more important to the crisis than any amount of pensions spending.
And here's the thing about pensions...if the Greeks keep cutting them, they'll force older people to keep working, which sounds like the sort ot "rugged individualism" you cheerlead for, but it would also mean that, because those people were taking up the jobs, YOUTH unemployment would massively increase, which would mean that, with the cuts in unemployment coverage that are also happening in Greece, those young people would have no choice to leave, depriving Greece of a population base and thus reducing tax revenues. How, exactly, would THAT make anything better?
The notion of Greece as a victim of big social spending is a right-wing myth. If you call yourself a progressive, you have an obligation to always be against demands for punitive austerity.
The "crisis" was caused by the previous right-wing government and the rich tax evaders. And only THEY should have to sacrifice to solve this "crisis".
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
127 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
I doubt President Obama is so weak-willed he allowed Clinton to lead him around
obamanut2012
May 2012
#46
I think our neoliberals will just ignore any European backlash against austerity.
girl gone mad
May 2012
#7
You'd have said the same thing in a discussion about Dean Rusk and LBJ in '67.
Ken Burch
May 2012
#24
My point was the values WalMart represents, I wasn't saying it controls foreign policy
Ken Burch
May 2012
#56
I think you are getting the Hilluminati confused with the Hassan Hil Sabbah
Starry Messenger
May 2012
#95
This has NOTHING to do with gender. HRC's gender is totally irrelevant to me and you know it.
Ken Burch
May 2012
#85
Then she has been failing miserably at 'maintaining the status quo, forever', then.
Ikonoklast
May 2012
#55
Wow. Hillary dropped out of the 2008 primary in exchange for total control of US foreign policy?...
SidDithers
May 2012
#125
Those new and creative alternatives had better fit within the global economy and financial markets
hack89
May 2012
#47
spending more money than you have is the main way individuals expand their assets.
HiPointDem
May 2012
#103
But when your bills get so large that they consume a large and growing portion of your income
hack89
May 2012
#106
spending on social benefits has a direct impact on the economy. so not sure what you're
HiPointDem
May 2012
#111
I think the U.S. should make sure that U.S.-owned companies doing business in Greece
Ken Burch
May 2012
#68
All that tells us is that Greece pays somewhat more for pensions than Germany
Ken Burch
May 2012
#127
Christ, she's still trying to wash the blood off her hands from 1,000,000+
coalition_unwilling
May 2012
#75
if Hillary says/does that then it will probably be because it's Obama's policy
CreekDog
May 2012
#102