But seriously, Athens is quite literally in flames as I type this. Police clad in fire-resistant riot gear are currently engaged in a legit no-shit street battle with protesters hurling their weapons of choice...which just so happen to be Molotov Cocktails.
Why? Greece is hopelessly in debt, and it has only two choices. Complete default, or a massive reduction of government services combined with a massive increase of government taxation. The Greek government acts as if the default option is off the table, making it appear as if the austerity option is the only way to go.
I liken it to when my right arm was severely burned as a child. To prevent massive infection that would have killed me, there were but two options. Skin grafts or amputation. The doctor in my local ER acted as if grafts weren't an option, because his hospital wasn't equipped for them at the time. That's essentially what the Greek people are going through right now. "We're not going to discuss default, so get ready for austerity." is what they're hearing from their government.
So what brought this on? While some may call it the "New World Order", it is undeniable that there are privately-owned international banks at play here. Banks whose owners possess more wealth than could ever be spent by the grandchildren of their grandchildren, if they all had seventeen grandchildren and they all spent money like a Prince of Dubai.
When you've got that kind of power and wealth, what's it to you if Greece doesn't pay their bills on time? It's essentially a credit card with a massive interest rate, but on a global scale. Greece is in so much debt that its economy no longer produces enough money to cover the interest on the debt, quite literally rendering its citizens as slaves to foreign bankers. The only way to escape such slavery is to either not work, or to illegally work an "off the record" job and not pay income taxes.
It is, of course, the great fallacy of that sacred golden calf known as "Democracy". For thousands of years it was heralded as the "proper", "civilized", or "free" way for people to live. Everyone gets a vote, majority rules, so let it be written, so let it be done.
That's great and all...but what about the poor fuck that works his ass off and votes against increased taxation for the benefit of others? What about the welfare kids with the lazy parents that did nothing and expected his neighbors to "handle it"? His parents voted for the commies. He grew up "eating the government cheese". Now he's grown. He wants a job. He gets a job, pays 65% of his wages into taxes to pay for the services of others, and daily he sees those "services" degrading every day.
There are two solutions. Either allow someone to buy the marker of debt being placed in your name by someone other than yourself, or tell the creditors to go fuck themselves...and have some Molotovs with their bread and circuses!
Think about it from this point of view. Suppose your grandpa signed on for a credit card in your family's name, 20 years before you were born. It had a relatively small limit, say about 10 grand, but he only made 12 grand a year. He kept spending here and there, doing his best to keep up with the debt, but soon found that the interest rates were kicking his ass and he was barely able to keep up with the minimum payments. While the actual charges for purchases totaled less than $4k, he used it when he couldn't afford the payments, and the interest rates piled up so fast that they soon ate the other $6k on his credit limit.
So now he has no more credit. Due to interest that keeps compounding, he now owes $33k. Then he dies. Your father struggles to keep up with the debt, because it was taken in your name, but can't. The interest keeps piling up. 20 years later, as you reach the legal age of employment, your family's debt has found its interest piling up. Your father was forced to retire due to health reasons two years ago, but that didn't stop the interest. In fact, because he was no longer able to work, the interest is piling on faster.
You were able to find a job, but it's a mediocre job that doesn't pay very well. You make $20k a year, but your wages are garnished at 65% to pay your family's debt that is now $400k. You cannot afford the 65% wage garnishment. It does not cover the interest payments. The 35% you have left over has made it to where you quite literally cannot afford to live.
At the start of the new year, you realize that your debt is now over $500k. The cost of food, clothing, shelter, and other basic living expenses is going up. Due to the poor economy, you're given a pay cut from your employer. To top it off, you're being told that your wage garnishments are going up another four percent.
You are, in fact, given a choice between virtual slavery or open revolt. Your government says that if you choose to earn your living, you must acquiesce to the repayment of a debt you never personally incurred, which paradoxically makes it impossible to earn a living.
The other choice?
No comments:
Post a Comment