Those Hardworking Greeks!

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
46,009
8,639
136
Lol! <------ My commentary.

eu0038.png


Link.
 

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
4
0
LOL. You got to love Greece's response. I guess they believe they are the most hardworking at corruption. Idiots.
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,816
83
91
Looks like Germany should just take over Greece.
they're already doing it.

I have to commend the current German government for finally figuring out how to control all of Europe after the previous attempts ended in disaster.
 

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,647
5,220
136
they're already doing it.

I have to commend the current German government for finally figuring out how to control all of Europe after the previous attempts ended in disaster.

This one's going to end in disaster too.

Many Greeks already believe this is the Fourth Reich.
 

yllus

Elite Member & Lifer
Aug 20, 2000
20,577
432
126
That "Most Hardworking" column with the one outlier actually made me laugh out loud. I have no idea what the truth of it is, but it's funny to see everyone else agree on a choice except for the one likely very deluded nation. :D
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,443
2,083
126
bullshit.

just because the germans are all hard faced and can't smile for the life of them doesn't mean they work harder; swiss folks are all about work, that's why they have a 35h working week; your average italian works 55h/w, like greeks, and who even knows how hard those miserable bastards the rumenians work.

polls are not fact.
 
Feb 6, 2007
16,432
1
81
At least everyone can agree that Germany is the least corrupt. That seems even more significant than the delusions of the Greek work ethic.
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
0
Greeks are living a fantasy and the goose is nearly cooked. Once they leave the Euro many economics are predicting about a 50% reduction in the purchasing power of their new currency, which will have a crushing effect on their quality of life, launch unemployment even higher, and re-calibrate their entire economy away from the farce it has relied on (crushing and ever-growing debt) and will force it onto a more sustainable path. And, I'm sorry to say, that will mean no more retiring at 50 with a full pension for a hair dresser.

Greece is demonstrably corrupt as hell, and that isn't helping.
 

rcpratt

Lifer
Jul 2, 2009
10,433
110
116
My two favorite things about this: (1) half the people think that their own country is the most corrupt...the other half think it's Italy, and (2) Britain and France are literally so boring that everybody has absolutely no opinion about them.
 

CrackRabbit

Lifer
Mar 30, 2001
16,641
58
91
That makes me think of an old joke...
Heaven is a place where...
The British are the police.
The French are the chefs.
The Italians are the lovers.
And the Germans run everything.

Hell is a place where...
The French are the police.
The British are the chefs.
The Germans are the lovers.
And the Italians run everything.

:D
 

davmat787

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2010
5,513
24
76
Greeks are living a fantasy and the goose is nearly cooked. Once they leave the Euro many economics are predicting about a 50% reduction in the purchasing power of their new currency, which will have a crushing effect on their quality of life, launch unemployment even higher, and re-calibrate their entire economy away from the farce it has relied on (crushing and ever-growing debt) and will force it onto a more sustainable path. And, I'm sorry to say, that will mean no more retiring at 50 with a full pension for a hair dresser.

Greece is demonstrably corrupt as hell, and that isn't helping.

But what does this mean to the price of imported olive oil and vinegars from Greece?

Actually I ask in seriousness, but in regards to all of their exports in general. I would assume they will sell for less, but on the other hand, if their purchasing power will be halved, raw materials will be double which will of course be passed on to the end price.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
2
81
But what does this mean to the price of imported olive oil and vinegars from Greece?

Actually I ask in seriousness, but in regards to all of their exports in general. I would assume they will sell for less, but on the other hand, if their purchasing power will be halved, raw materials will be double which will of course be passed on to the end price.

Depends where the raw materials come from. If they're grown in Greece and pressed in Greece, the price of everything will go down.

If the raw goods are imported, it should have no effect on price. The raw material costs $10 US or 10 Euro, then it doesn't matter what stupid currency Greece has. You are still paying $10 or 10 Euro for the raw material.
 

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
463
126
That makes me think of an old joke...
Heaven is a place where...
The British are the police.
The French are the chefs.
The Italians are the lovers.
And the Germans run everything.

Hell is a place where...
The French are the police.
The British are the chefs.
The Germans are the lovers.
And the Italians run everything.

:D
:D
 

mshan

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2004
7,868
0
71
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvl9N9GdraQ (spoof video (foul language warning) that was linked in some article from Zerohedge website a while ago)

I believe there is some truth to his statement that Greeks have always been using Drachmas or something like it when they barter and trade with each other, they just use Euros for European tourists.

Segment on Nightly Business Report weeks ago showed how Greeks were going back to a barter system among themselves, using paper IOUs with someone with an old Dell computer also entering entries into computer. Found this BBC video clip talking about same thing with google search: http://potentnews.com/2012/04/24/greek-town-implements-revolutionary-barter-system-without-euro/




edit: was trying to find link to old Washington Post article about political class parasites in Italy (I think article said something like Italy spends $1 billion / year on car service for this professional class of political bureacrats that are well entrenched and like their comfortable status quo (most corrupt might come from that, plus the three different mafia organizations that might have their tentacles all over their economy, plus http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/italys-tax-evasion-culture/2011/11/24/gIQAvSletN_graphic.html ), but found this link from some poster in Greece:

- average hours worked: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=ANHRS

- graph of relative wage competitiveness of Greeks (page 3 graph): http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2012/05-2/Cembalest%2005-29-2012%20-%20EOTM%20-%20WFG.pdf

(there was article a few days ago about some German bureacrat acknowledging that they might have to accept higher inflation than they would otherwise want so that, relatively speaking, other countries that they have trade imbalances can become more competitive by not having their wages go up as fast as Germans (e. g. flat in nominal terms, but losing purchasing power against inflation http://www.spiegel.de/international...y-would-accept-higher-inflation-a-832457.html)
 
Last edited:

manimal

Lifer
Mar 30, 2007
13,560
8
0
lol. Everybody except Greece thinks Germans are the hardest working.

My hat goes off to Italy, Greece, Poland, and Czech Republican. Each of them think their own country is the most corrupt.

evolved cultures know their shit does stink.
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
0
But what does this mean to the price of imported olive oil and vinegars from Greece?

Actually I ask in seriousness, but in regards to all of their exports in general. I would assume they will sell for less, but on the other hand, if their purchasing power will be halved, raw materials will be double which will of course be passed on to the end price.
External currency will go further and thus Greeks will pay a huge premium importing, and buying exports from them will cost less. Would also cost less to visit them and should help their tourism industry out a lot. I knew a person who visited Iceland after their currency went to sh*t and it was amazing how cheap his trip was.
 

bradley

Diamond Member
Jan 9, 2000
3,671
2
81
Pretty Hysterical. It appears as though only the Brits and Germans got it 100% right.
 

JohnnyGage

Senior member
Feb 18, 2008
699
0
71
Reminds me of a SNL sketch where two black prison inmates start talking world politics. The best line uttered was: "What's Greece's number one export?" "Hard working Greeks." Truer words have never been spoken.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,089
12
76
fobot.com
they're already doing it.

I have to commend the current German government for finally figuring out how to control all of Europe after the previous attempts ended in disaster.

basically

economic control >>> military control


especially since military control requires so much $$$