© Milos Bicanski/Getty ImagesGreek Crisis: Protesters outside parliament on May 5 in Athens, Greece.
Historically, Greeks are very good at constructing myths. The rest of the world? Not so much. Reading the press, one gets the impression of a bunch of lazy Mediterranean scroungers, enjoying one of the highest standards of living in Europe while making the frugal Germans pick up the tab. This is nonsensical propaganda, designing to justify the continued collective execution being inflicted on Athens for the sins of its fathers and grandfathers. As if Greece is the only country ever to cook its books in the European Union! The heart of the problem is in the antiquated revenue system that supports that state, which results in a budget shortfall consistently about 10 per cent of GDP. The top 20 per cent of the income distribution in Greece pay virtually no taxes at all, the product of a corrupt bargain reached during the days of the junta between the military and Greece's wealthiest plutocrats. No wonder there is a fiscal crisis.
So it's not a problem of Greek profligates, or an overly generous welfare state, both of which suggest that the standard IMF style remedies being proposed here are bound to fail, as they are doing right now. In fact, given the non-stop austerity being imposed on Athens (which simply has the effect of deflating the economy further and thereby exacerbating the very problem the Greeks are trying to eliminate), the Greeks really are getting close to the point where they should just default and shift the problem back to those imposing the austerity. It can't be worse than the slow execution they are facing today.
In reality, the Greeks have one of the lowest per capita incomes in Europe (โฌ21,100), much lower than the Eurozone 12 (โฌ27,600) or the German level (โฌ29,400). Further, the Greek social safety nets might seem very generous by US standards but are truly modest compared to the rest of the Europe. On average, for 1998-2007 Greece spent only โฌ3530.47 per capita on social protection benefits - slightly less than Spain's spending and about โฌ700 more than Portugal's, which has one of the lowest levels in all of the Eurozone. By contrast, Germany and France spent more than double the Greek level, while the original Eurozone 12 level averaged โฌ6251.78. Even Ireland, which has one of the most neoliberal economies in the euro area, spent more on social protection than the supposedly profligate Greeks.
Comment: The next item up for bid in the US empire's planetary restructuring scheme: Syria?
Syria doesn't have a Syrian Government, it only has a regime? Note how 'regime' was repeated like a mantra because the Western governments and their puppet media understand the word 'regime' to mean 'less than government'. Regime or constitutional government? Who's oppressing whom? In Western culture it's hard to say, especially when we are only given one side of the story. For all we know, the protestors who are being shot are being sent into Syria to cause havoc and make the Syrian 'regime' look evil, corrupt and heartless, so it can be reported in articles such as the above.