Beware the Greeks

It was observed by the ancient poet Virgil to beware Greeks, even when they are bearing gifts. In the modern day, someone who I am sure history will be far less apt to remember opined, "Herpes is the gift that keeps on giving," and is perhaps an interesting microcosm for why modern society is falling.

But the history and evolution of popular aphorisms is a digression.

As to the Greeks, whose economy is on the verge of total collapse.

Why should the Greeks not suffer? They have an economy predicated on sloth. They retire at 61, they have  entitled themselves to rich pensions, they've helped themselves to billions of other Europeans' wealth.

The Common Market calls for austerity and calls for debt to be paid.

Greece claims this is an outrage, resolute in announcing that it is unjust and they will make no such payment. So the banks have closed and they are shut out. Money is scarce, ATMs are empty. The Greeks complain the banks will let them withdraw "their" money. A retirement pension is the treasury's money, paid out to beneficiaries. It's not clear what the ordinary citizen's indebtedness is to the European bank either, but it's a stretch to claim money which has clearly been stolen from European nations is "their" money. So whether the citizen has money or not, they will get their money when the banks open back up, when the entire mess is sorted out. It's really indefensible to have that much money tied up in a Greek bank anyway, especially in the current state of things in that country.

For a nation which is one of the earliest, and most successful, promoters of homosexuality, it is a fitting end to that nation which they are now experiencing. They never should have taken money they had no intention of repaying and they should have adopted the proper measures to prevent the current crisis. But they did not.

In the category of snobs, you have the French. But far more refined in their snobbery than the French even are the Greeks. In Italy it was reported that immigrants were baking pizzas in the pizzerias. The Italians wouldn't make pizzas, or deliver the pizzas. It didn't pay enough and while unemployment was high, the young people would sooner live with their parents than work in a pizzeria. Well of course they would. Most young people would live at home until they are asked to leave. But the Italians were handing their own economy out from under them and the immigrants were moving in on the Italian economy. Greece is filled with even bigger babies than Italy. They have babies that look for every excuse to not work, vacation days, early retirements, pensions, borrowing money from Europe then snubbing their nose and refusing to pay it back.

I'm glad the Greeks got shut out. They need to answer for their wicked ways.