Saturday, October 22, 2011

Can Greece Be Saved?

The National Post is featuring TVO's ‘The Greek Collapse’, calling it "a must-see special". The show is hosted by the incomparable Steve Paikin. Experts bat around what to do about insolvent Greece.

The elephant in the room is corruption. The Greeks are dishonest. Tax evasion and bribery are the rule rather than the exception. Steve Paikin raises the issue at about the 29 minute mark and it is discussed for all of about 90 seconds. The guy's answer is incomprehensible.

There's a lot of discussion in the show about the rich EU countries stepping up to the plate and supporting the poor. Here's my question to the participants: Why would successful taxpaying societies spend their tax dollars propping up a dishonest, tax-evading one? 

What is needed in Greece is a deep-rooted cultural repentance -- the kind of fundamental reordering of society that in the past has been associated with the leavening effects of evangelical Christianity. The kind of self-regulating reordering that characterized Great Britain, spread to North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond, and unleashed the greatest prosperity the world has ever seen.

And that's the way the Ball bounces.
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Can greece be saved" Why bother, I think it would be like putting a band-aid on a sucking chest wound.If they get bailed out they will go back into a false sense of security (early retirement,unemployment,big pensions,tax evasion etc)
They can take the medicine now or in a year or so. The band-aid scenario will a bunch of money up in smoke.

Rob C

Jen said...

Rob C. '(early retirement,unemployment,big pensions,tax evasion etc)'


Sounds familiar? the 99% are protesting for more or less the same thing with the unions backing them. which some of protesters have no idea that the unions are using them.
Odd isn't it that unions take their(protesters) unions dues and still they go after big cooperations which ones: the unionized ones or the non-unionzed.
Funny non of them have protested in front or in CBC.

First to the 99% -go and live in Greece but do not take our canada down that road.

Jen said...

Can Greece be Saved?

She can that is if there is any pride left in that country to ome down to reality to make huge sacrifice rebuilding their country but has to be done without the unions interference. And to accept the fact that nothing nothing is free and that paying for oneself's need is more gratifying than having other nations' own citizen pay out of their paycheck pay/bail out the Greeks out of their greed. Nothing to be proud here that's for sure it is embarassing for Greece.

Anonymous said...

Just my opinion: It's not about Greece anymore. Greece is bankrupt. It's about the banks, mostly French, holding the worthless Greek government bonds. Would they survive Greek default?

I think the political and financial elites are trying to find a way to load this onto the honest burghers of Mittel-Europa. And even they have had enough.

...JohnnyD

Winter Zahn said...

An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. I think that you should publish more on this subject, it might not be a taboo matter but usually folks don't talk about these issues. To the next. Many thanks..

"... nothing intellectually compelling or challenging.. bald assertions coupled to superstition... woefully pathetic"