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Ken Burch

(50,254 posts)
74. Here's one measure, from the FAIR website:
Mon May 7, 2012, 03:47 AM
May 2012
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 [that’s] 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".

She will respond however Obama wants her to respond Autumn May 2012 #1
You're sure about that? Ken Burch May 2012 #3
yes maddezmom May 2012 #6
no rouge? HiPointDem May 2012 #52
yes maddezmom May 2012 #62
dunno, looks like she's wearing some in this snap: HiPointDem May 2012 #66
Of course I'm sure of it. Autumn May 2012 #14
Oh, you know. The all-powerful Hillary DevonRex May 2012 #16
Look at how Honduras and Haiti played out. Ken Burch May 2012 #19
I doubt President Obama is so weak-willed he allowed Clinton to lead him around obamanut2012 May 2012 #46
You have that right Autumn May 2012 #20
It makes me blush. Or is that marybourg May 2012 #65
i'm waiting for Bea to come in guns blazing on this one.... dionysus May 2012 #108
So am I. And I'd back her up 100% too. DevonRex May 2012 #109
Of course, Hillary Clinton is a loyalist to Obama obamanut2012 May 2012 #44
You left out the murder of Vince Foster... cthulu2016 May 2012 #2
I never thought she did that and I hate all the rw anti-HRC stuff. Ken Burch May 2012 #4
LOL DURHAM D May 2012 #10
You're laughing at the truth. Ken Burch May 2012 #18
Double LOL FSogol May 2012 #121
This message was self-deleted by its author sharp_stick May 2012 #5
What bullshit? Ken Burch May 2012 #9
I think our neoliberals will just ignore any European backlash against austerity. girl gone mad May 2012 #7
This is the right answer, imo. nt EFerrari May 2012 #51
Is this a joke that I'm not getting? DevonRex May 2012 #8
just your daily anti-dem campaigning, is all.... dionysus May 2012 #107
I swear I feel like I'm back in 2008 suddenly. DevonRex May 2012 #110
Does this comic book of yours come with drawings? jberryhill May 2012 #11
You'd have said the same thing in a discussion about Dean Rusk and LBJ in '67. Ken Burch May 2012 #24
LOL. This is absolutely absurd fantasy RZM May 2012 #12
You're assuming she won't shape that line. Ken Burch May 2012 #21
Holy Shit! cynatnite May 2012 #13
No, that's the implant Hillary put there back during the last DevonRex May 2012 #15
Holy shit dude. Starry Messenger May 2012 #17
Remember Haiti and Honduras Ken Burch May 2012 #26
I'm not excusing anything, but those countries are in our hemisphere. Starry Messenger May 2012 #28
These are *not* natural questions on a day such as this. Ikonoklast May 2012 #22
Remember Haiti and Honduras Ken Burch May 2012 #23
Yes, it would have obamanut2012 May 2012 #49
My point was the values WalMart represents, I wasn't saying it controls foreign policy Ken Burch May 2012 #56
Perhaps you need to read about her tenure on the Board obamanut2012 May 2012 #61
Oh, you thought so, too? aquart May 2012 #81
Better question would be how will the Obama administration react? maddezmom May 2012 #25
On foreign policy, to a large degree, yes. Ken Burch May 2012 #27
so you are calling Obama a puppet maddezmom May 2012 #29
This is some DevonRex May 2012 #30
It's just that I think I understand how power works. Ken Burch May 2012 #36
If Obama isn't free to "call the tune" on foreign policy, then who does? obamanut2012 May 2012 #53
None of the above. bvar22 May 2012 #115
What forces, Ken? Starry Messenger May 2012 #54
The Pentagon, big finance, corporate power Ken Burch May 2012 #57
That was during the Cold War. Starry Messenger May 2012 #60
Mayhaps the shadowy and elusive Hilderberg Group?! obamanut2012 May 2012 #58
OMG. Starry Messenger May 2012 #59
Pffft. Everyone knows it is the Hilluminati that hold the *real* power. Ikonoklast May 2012 #92
I think you are getting the Hilluminati confused with the Hassan Hil Sabbah Starry Messenger May 2012 #95
As if you've ever been invited to one of their gatherings. Ikonoklast May 2012 #97
Dark Forces jberryhill May 2012 #64
And a woman is the "larger force"? A WOMAN? IN AMERICA? aquart May 2012 #83
This has NOTHING to do with gender. HRC's gender is totally irrelevant to me and you know it. Ken Burch May 2012 #85
Hillary didn't leave the primary early tammywammy May 2012 #31
I amended it to "the race", not the primaries. My apologies on that point. Ken Burch May 2012 #33
You are right on, Ken. Webster Green May 2012 #35
I expected the response Ken Burch May 2012 #40
and sometimes a banana is just a.... banana cali May 2012 #93
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
have they really defied the oligarchs and germany, though? BOG PERSON May 2012 #32
SYRIZA is staunchly anti-austerity. Ken Burch May 2012 #34
i know they're anti-austerity BOG PERSON May 2012 #98
Just a small correction nadinbrzezinski May 2012 #37
That, too. Ken Burch May 2012 #41
Nothing. She knows the election changes nothing. hack89 May 2012 #38
Actually, it opens many possibilities for change. Ken Burch May 2012 #42
Those new and creative alternatives had better fit within the global economy and financial markets hack89 May 2012 #47
A pro-austerity party can do neither Ken Burch May 2012 #48
Not sure what you think money is. girl gone mad May 2012 #79
I know that spending more money than you have is a bad thing. hack89 May 2012 #94
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
But if government tax receipts do not increase to cover those loan payments hack89 May 2012 #112
"LESS Regulation".... bvar22 May 2012 #116
Ok - do you at least accept the need for less corruption and tax reform? nt hack89 May 2012 #117
Are you missing a marble? Ruby the Liberal May 2012 #39
I was just getting out my DevonRex May 2012 #43
Okay - I'll hang onto it for now. Ruby the Liberal May 2012 #50
CALL CONGRESS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!! Lil Missy May 2012 #45
And alert Hugh Series while you're at it!!!1! Chorophyll May 2012 #124
She will go to her Fortress of Solitude jberryhill May 2012 #63
Bwa-ha-ha. Nominating for a DUZY - n/t coalition_unwilling May 2012 #73
And do you think the US should directly grant funds for Greek benefits? dkf May 2012 #67
I think the U.S. should make sure that U.S.-owned companies doing business in Greece Ken Burch May 2012 #68
But GREECE is the FLEA!! Who cares if someone looks delusional to them! Zalatix May 2012 #71
One of the most frugal benefit systems in the EU? Can you back that up? dkf May 2012 #72
Here's one measure, from the FAIR website: Ken Burch May 2012 #74
The Greek social safety net is very modest by European standards. girl gone mad May 2012 #80
Greece's generous pensions What makes Germans so very cross about Greece? dkf May 2012 #84
On a progressive website, you cite "The Economist"? Ken Burch May 2012 #87
This is what came up when I googled for Greek vs German pensions. dkf May 2012 #89
All that tells us is that Greece pays somewhat more for pensions than Germany Ken Burch May 2012 #127
Even from a neoliberal magazine.. girl gone mad May 2012 #91
I wish I could do a 'DUrec' for this comment! I'm 100% on board! LongTomH May 2012 #118
I think that Hillary and Bill will call their broker and pronto! JDPriestly May 2012 #69
That, too. Of course. Ken Burch May 2012 #70
Christ, she's still trying to wash the blood off her hands from 1,000,000+ coalition_unwilling May 2012 #75
Assuming she's the monster you think she is kenny blankenship May 2012 #76
Seriously this is a pancake on rabbit type of question RFKHumphreyObama May 2012 #77
What the hell is a "pancake on rabbit type of question"? Ken Burch May 2012 #78
See: muriel_volestrangler May 2012 #88
Be careful DonCoquixote May 2012 #82
That has become pretty obvious in this thread by now. Ken Burch May 2012 #86
if Hillary says/does that then it will probably be because it's Obama's policy CreekDog May 2012 #102
She will unleash the Kraken NoPasaran May 2012 #90
Quickly now - get an email off to President Obama. DURHAM D May 2012 #96
You left out Colombia Oilwellian May 2012 #99
... progressoid May 2012 #100
Maybe re-invade Grenada. Mc Mike May 2012 #101
Care to explain Chicago "boy" shock doctrine? nt DevonRex May 2012 #104
Naomi Klein's '07 book. P. 61 on Milton Friedman. Mc Mike May 2012 #114
Ken: you may be right, you may not be. But I'm not ridiculing you. DisgustipatedinCA May 2012 #105
Thanks for the thoughtful post. Ken Burch May 2012 #126
I was hoping this would be a Text From Hillary Capt. Obvious May 2012 #113
Me too. I love those badass sunglasses. nt Chorophyll May 2012 #123
Hillary WILL support the interests of the IMF and the Global Banks. bvar22 May 2012 #119
What ever it turns out to be juice feast May 2012 #120
She'll carry out the orders given to her by her boss, the President of the United States. Arkana May 2012 #122
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