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1. The welfare system is unsustainable, given European demographics and economic situation. So, adjustment is necessary. Having a balanced social system in line

by npalli 11y ago

1. The welfare system is unsustainable, given European demographics and economic situation. So, adjustment is necessary. Having a balanced social system in line with what your economic situation is doesn't mean dismantling everything. 2. Somehow people think Banks are this magical entity that creates money out of nowhere. Or that some hedge fund money is in the bank. The money that Banks have are deposits of other common people!. So if you don't pay the banks then some common person on the other side loses money. Yes, money that could have been used for schools, hospitals etc. So when Greek people borrowed money, spent it all and now don't want to pay it we are supposed to feel sorry for them. But, the German/French pensioner who has already lost money during prior debt relief in 2010 and 2012, we shouldn't feel sorry for them. Something about Nazis and WWII etc. etc. Strange ideas.

gizmo 11y ago
1. The welfare system in Europe is entirely sustainable in the long term. It's just a matter of national priorities. Conservatives consistently attack the social safety net: in their view the government is always "too big", taxes "too high", and the welfare system "too expensive". A welfare system can also be large and balanced. Just raise the taxes necessary to pay for it. 2. Greece CANNOT pay the money back, because they don't have it. The question that remains is whether we punish the Greek people for something they had no say in and did not benefit from. I say punishment here is counterproductive and immoral. When banks or institutional investors make dumb investments they have to lose their money. The responsibility for due diligence lies primarily with the lender. The amount of interest they charge is compensation for the riskiness of the loan. The banks decided to lend money to Greece and Germany at the same interest rate. That's plain insanity. You can't expect financial mastery from regular people, but you can --and should-- demand it from billion dollar pension funds.

by npalli 11y ago

gizmo 11y ago

1. The welfare system in Europe is entirely sustainable in the long term. It's just a matter of national priorities. Conservatives consistently attack the social safety net: in their view the government is always "too big", taxes "too high", and the welfare system "too expensive". A welfare system can also be large and balanced. Just raise the taxes necessary to pay for it. 2. Greece CANNOT pay the money back, because they don't have it. The question that remains is whether we punish the Greek people for something they had no say in and did not benefit from. I say punishment here is counterproductive and immoral. When banks or institutional investors make dumb investments they have to lose their money. The responsibility for due diligence lies primarily with the lender. The amount of interest they charge is compensation for the riskiness of the loan. The banks decided to lend money to Greece and Germany at the same interest rate. That's plain insanity. You can't expect financial mastery from regular people, but you can --and should-- demand it from billion dollar pension funds.