Gotta feel for the Greek people

[SMOKEU]

I walked up to my bike yesterday after finishing work and as I reached in to my pocket to get my key out I saw it sitting there in the ignition. I laughed, it had been there all day and nobody took it for a joy ride. Wouldn't happen in Greece, or Chch by the sound of it.

With all the "bike stolen" threads on KB I wouldn't risk it ay.

[mashman]

I walked up to my bike yesterday after finishing work and as I reached in to my pocket to get my key out I saw it sitting there in the ignition. I laughed, it had been there all day and nobody took it for a joy ride. Wouldn't happen in Greece, or Chch by the sound of it.

Yup, done the same in Wellie too.

[Brett]

I'm not a fan of Labour (I've never voted for them, and don't think I ever will), but I'm sick of National supporters blaming Labour for all the problems this country has. If National is so good, why has fuck all changed since National came to power? JK and his fellow clowns are almost as far left as they come. The country is in huge debt, violent crime is increasing, I can't even leave my bike parked on the street safely, whores are breeding like rabbits and milking the benefits for as much money as they can, and the NZ government has bent over and taken it up the ass by the US government in the Kim Dotcom drama. National have done nothing but screw over the citizens of this country as much as they can. I could wank on and on about stupid National policies but I can't be fucked doing that because it will fall on deaf ears.

I don't agree with everything national does or all of their policies, however I feel that they are the best option at the moment. Why are things slow to turn around at the moment? Partly because the govt is acting slowly to turn around some of the key issues such as the benefit payment (others they have acted on amazingly quickly) but also worth remembering is that the global economic climate right now is pretty dire. Not too many places where things are punting along swimmingly. Overall i think that National have done an ok/good job so far.

[Brian d marge]

I'm not a fan of Labour (I've never voted for them, and don't think I ever will), but I'm sick of National supporters blaming Labour for all the problems this country has. If National is so good, why has fuck all changed since National came to power? JK and his fellow clowns are almost as far left as they come. The country is in huge debt, violent crime is increasing, I can't even leave my bike parked on the street safely, whores are breeding like rabbits and milking the benefits for as much money as they can, and the NZ government has bent over and taken it up the ass by the US government in the Kim Dotcom drama. National have done nothing but screw over the citizens of this country as much as they can. I could wank on and on about stupid National policies but I can't be fucked doing that because it will fall on deaf ears.

because maybe it isn't national or Labour but the market ie follow the money
New Zealand is actually a fiscally responsible country
look at the bond rate its not bad when compared to say Greece
the problems you get in any society are a direct result of wall street ( for want of a better name) economics
cant think of one country that doesn't have the same problems all because of inequities in the society caused by free markets or unregulated greed

stephen

[Coldrider]

I've been OE for while and when I came back to NZ I practically kissed the tarmac, we are living a bit out of our means but some countries are in serious trouble (and are unwilling to accept it) and we are in paradise.

[RDJ]

Very true. There is a neverending supply of people willing to spend others' money - they are always numerically superior to the ones paying taxes.

We have no shortage of those OPM spenders in any of the main political parties... but National, at the time of writing, have slightly fewer than the others.

We can be where Greece is too - we'd just have to let Sue Bradford and Tariana Turia get their way with the fisc.

[Berries]

We can be where Greece is too - we'd just have to let Sue Bradford and Tariana Turia get their way with the fisc.

Good weather and good food? Let them at it.

[mashman]

I don't know why they're rioting WTF do they have to be upset about... they should just get the fuck over it and stop crying like spoiled children.

[Indiana_Jones]

Yep burning some poor cunts business down is gonna help the economy....

-Indy

[mashman]

Yep burning some poor cunts business doen is gonna help the economy....

-Indy

True, those businesses could keep the country afloat for years

[SPman]

They should start burning a few politicians and bankers down - that'd be more to the point!

[blue rider]

good read on greece
http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2012/2/12/8913/17655

Greece must re-establish the Drachme at a realistic value, and basically tell the EU and the private Bankers to go get fucked somewhere eles. The EU and the European Central Bank might not be happy about it, but frankly certain countries in the Monetary Union should have never joined to begin with, in fact a lot of the smaller countries were more or less bullied into joining or else loose access to vital market.
The free for all auction of Greece to some rich investors is undermining the Sovereignty of Greece, and will not go done without some ruckus. so yes Athens will burn....



Profits=capitalism
losses=socialism

the banker and investor class like to swing both ways.

[mashman]

"Born in Athens to a Greek mother and English father, PAUL KIDNER returned to the Greek capital four years ago after 14 years working in various countries around the world. He recently started up a business and here he gives Yahoo! News a personal insight into the crisis gripping his country"

"To give an indication of how it affects our daily lives, to keep bills down people have taken to switching off their central heating. One friend told me her family even uses a quick blast of a hair-dryer to keep warm. "

"And it adds to a sense of unfairness that I have to pay an additional, brand-new tax on top of other property taxes I’ve already paid. The way it was implemented shows the government knew how unpopular it would be. So the property tax was taken through your electricity bill.

Anyone who didn’t pay would have their electricity cut off. What one side of the fence calls austerity, another calls extortion.".

[jonbuoy]

Its a bit like taking on a 110% mortgage on a property you can´t really afford, finance on that new sofa, TV, car because you want it right now and can´t wait or be bothered to save up for it, maxing out your credit card on eating out and drinks - then finding out that you cant actually pay back the money people loaned you, so the bank gives you a bigger (consolidation) loan to pay back the money you shouldn´t have borrowed in the first place over a longer period. Sounds a lot like many peoples personal financial situations, they need to take a share of the blame as well. Anyone thats taken out loans they couldn´t afford are just as guilty as the banks that lent it to them, the banks should never have agreed to lend it to them in the first place. Just as Greece should never have been loaned the money in the first place, who do you blame - the people that took out the loans without working out how they were going to pay it back or the people that lent the money you asked for? Nobody forced Greece to borrow huge amounts of money, its sad that joe public is taking the majority of the hardship but a large percentage of joe public isn´t guilt free in this.

[blue rider]

Its a bit like taking on a 110% mortgage on a property you can´t really afford, finance on that new sofa, TV, car because you want it right now and can´t wait or be bothered to save up for it, maxing out your credit card on eating out and drinks - then finding out that you cant actually pay back the money people loaned you, so the bank gives you a bigger (consolidation) loan to pay back the money you shouldn´t have borrowed in the first place over a longer period. Sounds a lot like many peoples personal financial situations, they need to take a share of the blame as well. Anyone thats taken out loans they couldn´t afford are just as guilty as the banks that lent it to them, the banks should never have agreed to lend it to them in the first place. Just as Greece should never have been loaned the money in the first place, who do you blame - the people that took out the loans without working out how they were going to pay it back or the people that lent the money you asked for?

Anyone can go in a bank and ask for a loan.....should the banks provide the loans? Who do you blame? The one who asks, or the one who looks up and says , sucker if ya can't pay back i repossess the house, the sofa the tv and the car, sell it off cheaply and wait for the rest to be paid of with hey lets say high usurious interest rates?
A lot of people got themselves suckered in to keep up with the Joneses or because it is the only way to ever get a house. Throw in loss of job and income and they are buggered.

However the bank, in the business of dealing with money, run by peoples with big degrees in money lending, should have evaluated the risk and said sorry mate no can do?

Loan sharks this is how they behaved.

I am getting a bit tired of this austerity bull shit. it is punishing those that have not gambled more than those that have. How many times will the citizenry to be called upon to bail out international Money Lender?

Greece should tell the European Union as in Germany/France to get lost - btw. has anyone asked the populace of Germany/France if they would like to bail out Greece? Frankly I doubt.
Bring back the Drachme, make their own products again attractive and start providing for their own people first, and then the rest.