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Strike by Greek civil servants shuts down govt
Yahoo Finance/AP ^ | October 5, 2011, 7:31 am EDT | Elena Becatoros and Menelaos Hadjicostis

Posted on 10/05/2011 6:36:17 AM PDT by facedown

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Angry and frustrated, Greek civil servants walked off the job Wednesday, paralyzing the government and public transport to protest ever-deeper austerity measures and seemingly ineffectual financial policies.

As Greece struggles to avoid a catastrophic default, demonstrators in Athens expressed outrage over their misfortune and bewilderment at a crisis that shows no signs of easing.

"Nobody knows what's going on. Every day they say something different. It's all so unclear," said Irini Sypsomou-Arapogianni, a 57-year-old Finance Ministry employee. "I don't know where all this will lead."

(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bailouts; greece; worldeconomy
Interesting quote:

"Even members of the Socialist government have voiced concerns, saying Greeks cannot stand any more taxes."

1 posted on 10/05/2011 6:36:21 AM PDT by facedown
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To: facedown

How can we get them to shut down our government over here?


2 posted on 10/05/2011 6:37:39 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: facedown

“Greek civil servants walked off the job”

When bureaucrats stop working, government stops working.

Inability to issue paychecks, thus ending the incentive for bureaucrats to work, was the final straw for the Soviet Union.

How many times does a Phoenix rise from its own ashes?


3 posted on 10/05/2011 6:39:35 AM PDT by ctdonath2 ($1 meals: http://abuckaplate.blogspot.com/)
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To: dfwgator
Here's the problem ~ Greece ran out of money. They spent it on early early-retirement and hairdressers.

At the same time Greeks should have been moving around Europe taking regular employment in other countries.

That wasn't as easy as imagined ~ notice the large number of Guest Workers from Turkey working in Germany ~ those jobs should have gone to Greeks and Sicilians but the Germans prefer the lower priced brand that keeps to itself and carries with it no threat of upsetting the delicate "Used to Be Catholic" and "Fallen Away Lutheran" balance in Germany!

4 posted on 10/05/2011 6:42:12 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: dfwgator

Our economy operates on the continuous issuance of debt. When people stop buying it, funding stops - and spending stops.


5 posted on 10/05/2011 6:43:19 AM PDT by ctdonath2 ($1 meals: http://abuckaplate.blogspot.com/)
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To: facedown

>> demonstrators in Athens expressed outrage over their misfortune and bewilderment at a crisis that shows no signs of easing.

Of course, their own lazy greed has NOTHING to do with their problems. They’re VICTIMS!

>> “Nobody knows what’s going on... “I don’t know where all this will lead.”

Well, Mr. Sypsomou Hyphen Arapogianni, I reckon you and your countrymen better get off your fat greek civil servant butts and pick up your shovels and get to *real* work! You can build highway underpasses — to live underneath. ‘Cause that’s where it’s leading, dumbo.


6 posted on 10/05/2011 6:48:12 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)
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To: facedown

Fine. Fire their Socialist a$$es. Problem solved.


7 posted on 10/05/2011 6:48:52 AM PDT by rbg81
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To: rbg81

Not a single government employee has been laid off since this “crisis” began.


8 posted on 10/05/2011 6:52:17 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: facedown

You’ve no idea what’s going on? Really?

The Free Fairy Skittle angel died and crashed to earth, genius. That’s what’s going on.

Margaret Thatcher’s law of socialism.


9 posted on 10/05/2011 6:54:57 AM PDT by lurk
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To: facedown

Government in Greece is shut down?

How can they tell?


10 posted on 10/05/2011 6:55:22 AM PDT by exit82 (Democrats are the enemy of freedom. Sarah Palin is our Esther.)
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To: facedown

austerity measures?

I hear they haven’t laid off any government employees, what austerity?


11 posted on 10/05/2011 6:55:34 AM PDT by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Happiness)
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To: rbg81
Fine. Fire their Socialist a$$es. Problem solved.

Problem solved only if they can find Capitalist replacements.

12 posted on 10/05/2011 6:56:50 AM PDT by immadashell
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To: facedown

Nobody showed up to put in their usual three hours of hard work?


13 posted on 10/05/2011 6:58:50 AM PDT by Jack of all Trades (Hold your face to the light, even though for the moment you do not see.)
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To: facedown

“Every day they say something different. It’s all so unclear.” — Let me clear it uup for you, Irini. You are BROKE. Flat busted broke. Socialism ruined you.

“I don’t know where all this will lead.” — Let me answer that for you, Irini. Unless you quickly change your slothful expectations of a life of leisure for no work, you will suffer total societal collapse.


14 posted on 10/05/2011 7:03:32 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: dfwgator
How can we get them to shut down our government over here?

The "civil servants" are so well-compensated here there's no incentive to strike and shut down their own gravy train.

15 posted on 10/05/2011 7:04:34 AM PDT by DTogo (High time to bring back the Sons of Liberty !!)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks
The same government and top official that caused this mess are now the ones attempting to "solve" the problem. That's akin to an army that has just suffered a major defeat PROMOTING its top generals.

Greece is gone...someone just has to be the first to say it...aloud..

16 posted on 10/05/2011 7:07:20 AM PDT by ken5050 (Save the EARTH...it's the ONLY planet with CHOCOLATE!!!)
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To: immadashell

Methinks you could probably lose the vast majority of the fired ones. The ones that stay on the job are the keepers (and probably more of them than you think).


17 posted on 10/05/2011 7:30:35 AM PDT by rbg81
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To: facedown

“government should have acted more boldly to stem the country’s chronic tax evasion”

and

“while lawyers, teachers and tax officers also didn’t work’

Taxes so high that people evade them regularly and the tax collectors on strike. Popcorn time.


18 posted on 10/05/2011 7:59:55 AM PDT by dynachrome ("Our forefathers didn't bury their guns. They buried those that tried to take them.")
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To: facedown
another interesting quote:
The New York Times reports that the country's two main unions and the Communist Party held separate rallies in Athens. ~~ USA Today


19 posted on 10/05/2011 8:10:31 AM PDT by the invisib1e hand (...then they came for the guitars, and we kicked their sorry faggot asses into the dust)
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To: facedown

fire them.

hire new, toilet-trained employees.


20 posted on 10/05/2011 10:05:55 AM PDT by ken21 (ruling class dem + rino progressives -- destroying america for 150 years.)
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