Greece

Might this be the reason they have financial problems ?
Some Interesting Greek Facts?

Whilst going through the Greek books before the bailouts, European
monitors discovered the following amazing facts...

*Greece has the highest proportion of people retiring in their 50s in
the Eurozone.. This includes 600 hazardous workers including
Hairdressers (Peroxide touchers), Musicians (Horn or Trumpet players!),
Train Drivers and TV Presenters !

*Usual Greek pensions are 96% of their last salary... Germans receive
just 40%

*Greece has the highest numbers of people in the world with an
age of 110 or older! Deaths go undeclared so pensions are still being
paid to people who died over 60 years ago. Some families are drawing 4 or
5 pensions!

*Greek public employment is huge. It is not unusual to find 45 gardeners
for small state gardens and chauffeurs average around 50 per official
vehicle

*25% of Greeks do not pay any taxes on Private income

*Over 25% of employed Greeks are government employees

*Greece has four times the numbers of teachers than Finland with
Finland top of the education tables and Greek at the bottom.
Pensions: Greek ex teachers are also the best paid of the two

*Average wage for train workers is €66k and this includes cleaners.
Greek railways cost half a billion Euros to run per year.. Taxis per
person would be cheaper!

*Fictitious jobs with no purpose.. Example. They have an Institute for the conservation of the Kopias Lake which employs 1763 people. That is the same lake that was drained in 1930...

Over 300 of these public institutions have been created over the past
decade.
 

Pete McCluskey.

Lifetime Supporter
As I said unbelievable but apparently true, corruption at the highest level and a general feeling that tax is something to be paid by someone else.
Actually that sounds familiar.
 
Corruption in Greece is so rampant and has been honed to a fine art. They have been milking the Euro zone ever since they were invited into the club. I saw with my own eyes products that were unfit for processing trucked across the border from Bulgaria, then weighed as received merchandise across Greek scales then returned to Bulgaria. These weights were submitted to the EU for subsidy payments and eventually shown as spoilage from the processing operation. Gee I wonder way they are in financial trouble?
 

Steve

Supporter
Ohhhh, don't get me started.... Half my family is Greek, and they're mostly shaking their heads. While Greece is a great example of corruption, the failure of socialism etc., the rest of the EU seems to not want to own this f$#% up. The EU lent them the money.....and should have known better.

Greece would be better off getting out of the EU, devaluing their currency, and growing their economy because they're cheap. As it is, staying in the EU will result in a very long painful path back to solvency that will have quite a body count. The EU, for their part, don't want to take any responsibility for making poorly advised loans. It is probably in their best interests to offer some loan forgiveness if Greece demonstrates the proper reforms.
 

Larry L.

Lifetime Supporter
As I said unbelievable but apparently true, corruption at the highest level and a general feeling that tax is something to be paid by someone else.
Actually that sounds familiar.

Noooooo! Really? How so??? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
Ohhhh, don't get me started.... Half my family is Greek, and they're mostly shaking their heads. While Greece is a great example of corruption, the failure of socialism etc., the rest of the EU seems to not want to own this f$#% up. The EU lent them the money.....and should have known better.

Greece would be better off getting out of the EU, devaluing their currency, and growing their economy because they're cheap. As it is, staying in the EU will result in a very long painful path back to solvency that will have quite a body count. The EU, for their part, don't want to take any responsibility for making poorly advised loans. It is probably in their best interests to offer some loan forgiveness if Greece demonstrates the proper reforms.

I'd say you're 100% correct.
The EU ( specifically the Eurozone members ) are just as responsible as the ridiculous actions of those responsible for running their economy.
They thought they were getting onto a gravy train & the EU were stupid enough to invite them into the Eurozone !
The EU / Euro currency is a vanity project & those concerned will never admit they were, and are wrong.
Now Greece are spending more money on another election as the PM has stepped down....
 
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Keith

Moderator
Corruption in Greece is so rampant and has been honed to a fine art. They have been milking the Euro zone ever since they were invited into the club. I saw with my own eyes products that were unfit for processing trucked across the border from Bulgaria, then weighed as received merchandise across Greek scales then returned to Bulgaria. These weights were submitted to the EU for subsidy payments and eventually shown as spoilage from the processing operation. Gee I wonder way they are in financial trouble?


And guess who pioneered that little scam?

ROI were doing that for years. In the 1950's & '60's long before the EEC someone in the Min of Ag & Fish said "How come Ireland exports 5 times more lettuce than it grows?" The answer was stupidly simple: export through a manned border checkpoint into Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) and claim any export tariffs, then whiz it back across an unmanned crossing to be re-exported until the load wilted....

The Celtic Tiger was also quite adept at getting EEC grants for "developing countries" 30 years back, and everywhere you drove in ROI you would be faced with advertising hoardings proclaiming another major building project funded by the EU. Only they never got built and the money was trousered.

Greece is not alone in this scale of corruption. Take a look at the disgraceful theft of money destined for earthquake relief and rebuilding by the Italian Mafia. Spain too has it's dark side. It seems the further north you go, the more honest it becomes but that doesn't explain Ireland!

Well, once a horse trader, always a horde trader. Donning a suit & carrying a briefcase makes no difference to the outcome... :)
 

Jim Rosenthal

Supporter
Just recall the immortal words of the Godfather, Don Vito Corleone:

"Remember, one man with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns"...

So true..
 
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