Greece 2015

Greece seems to be on the verge of collapse, economically at least.  This post will be an attempt to record some of the issues.  As on July 15th the country has recieved an additional bail out from the European Union.  It seems one of the provisions of that plan is an increase in sales tax, making everything the Greek citizen buys more expensive.  Many are rioting at this time.  When there last year we saw the evidence of he last time the country rioted because of the recessions there.  Graffiti was everywhere.

One issue may be the reluctance of the Greek citizen to pay taxes.  Some say that harks back to a time when the Ottoman Turks ruled the country and to not pay taxes was seen as a form of patriotism; but hell that was way over 100 years ago.  Now it is said the reluctance comes from the believ that the govt is corrupt.

On reported income earned by the underground economy is one issue, it could amount to 25 % of the gross domestic product.  The IMF says that tax evasion is a big problem,  "Tax debts in Greece equal about 90 % of annual tax revenue" that is the hightest among industrialized nations.  A chart I found on a Google search indicated that from 2008 to 2010 tax collection % fell from just over 60 % to just over 50 %.  This while other countires the figure is in the high 90's.

The bail out recently was for 85 billion euroes or 95 billion dollars.  Unpaid taxes since 2009 were 76 billion euroes or 86 billion dollars. 

Might be an on-going file.

A Lesson From the Sixties

Protest in the 1960's occurred while the economy was still in good shape and people felt comfortable and secure in their jobs and homes.  This resulted in the middle class having time and personal security to afford to be able to concern themselves with issues like civil rights, war, and segregation and discrimination, and they protest all those issues fully.

In the 1970's the economic conditions turned sour causing many people to be concerned more about that job and security of their home and family; the "bread and butter" issues became more important than issues of society's wrongs.

Maybe this was planned by those who run this country, who were fed-up with the masses protesting issues that rocked the boat and threatened to end the privileged position of those who run the country.  If they could divert everyone's attention from the society's problems by causing people to worry about their own security then the "establishment" could continue to rule without interference from the mass.

This was accomplished by driving down wages, destroying the union movement, shipping jobs and money overseas and changing the tax laws to benefit the wealthy.  By making people more fearful they could make them more manageable and in the process increase their own wealth to obscene levels not seen since the Gilded Age.

This would quality as a "conspiracy theory" of some kind.

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself" said FDR

While the government diverts our attention by one scare or another-Ebole one day, ISIS another, Social Security bankruptcy another, and then back to the old stand-by, Terrorism-they allow the plutocrats to find ways to stick it to the rest of us.  Now I read that NJ wants to raise a gas tax by eliminating the estate tax.  How greedy can the one percent get?  Take away a tax on the extremely wealthy and replace it with a sales tax, that as all sales taxes, is a dis-proportionate burden on the lower classes.  Is there no limit to how far the rich will push the envelope (in my opinion, there isn't)?  Thomas Jefferson once wrote that people will bear suffering until a certain point and then they will respond;  I don't want to be around when they do.

Remember Jefferson's words:  "All experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, then to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed".

US Elections: A Modest Proposal

After reading The Nation 6/8/15 on the "Wealth Primary" and the need for presidential candidates to raise money, it occurred to me we should change our election process.  Lets just auction off every political office in the country to the highest bidder.  That way the money that "buys an election" will go to the government and not to some multi-million dollar ad agency or media empire. 

Ok, so its a crazy idea some might say, but the wealthy run the country anyway, they should be able to pick their leader.  In that way candidates don't have to debase themselves kissing up or lying thru their teeth to us about what they will do once in office.  These promises are mostly forgotten anyway.  You know, Bush the compassionate conservative or Obama the anti war candidate (Iraq).

The money made by the auction should be earmarked for some domestic purpose depending on the level of government the candidate seeks.  The money raised by those wishing to be President would go to the federal government to be used for infrastructure repair or social security or education or whatever the nation needs most. 

Money raised by those wishing to be House or Senate members should be split evenly between the federal and state governments and used for domestic issues to be determined by those levels of government.

Money raised by those wishing to be Governor or Lt Gov should be earmarked for the state to spend on domestic issues.  Likewise, those running for country office and town should be used by those jurisdictions for their needs.

The bidding can be done on E-Bay and open to all those who meet the qualifications as set forth in the US Constitution.  This would be conducted over a 30 day period to allow the rest of us to watch to gain some entertainment value from.  This would also negate the need for all those annoying phone calls for this candidate or that candidate, all those political signs up and down the highway (in the name of full disclosure I  must admit this might make my collection of political signs more valuable), the endless TV and radio commercials saying what a lard-ass some someone else is or how many times they have committed an unspeakable sexual act in a men's (or women's) room on the NJ Turnpike.

We can also make a lottery out of this by allowing people to place bets on who would win.  This way the "electorate" is given a little taste of a remaining free election process.

As I said at the beginning, this is only a modest proposal and one that will need to be improved on if a number of people agree with the idea.

Obama and Gun Violence.

In response to the killing of nine people in a Charleston, SC church because of their race, calls for change have been many.  Some of demanded the removal of the Confederate battle flag being taken down from the grounds of the state capital in SC and many have called for more control over who can buy a handgun.  President Obama comments that things will not change until "the American people feel a sufficient sense of urgency" and say this is not normal in a society.

I have said before, after Columbine, and Sandy Hook that I for one make a pledge to not vote for any politician who takes money or support from the NRA or the Gun Owners of America.  That will apply for every office for which an election is the way to pick the office holder.  That might leave me with no one of the major parties to vote for, but there will always be a minor party with someone with gun money.  If we all took this pledge then things would change.  I am not talking about denying gun ownership to hunters or those who have a legitimate need for one.  Just get in registered and don't allow anyone to sell a gun without a background check and a licence to sell.  The Second Amendment does include the words "well regulated" in regard to gun ownership and that's all most people are asking.

US Aircraft Carriers

Since 1968 the United States had built 14 aircraft carriers; ten of those named for Presidents of the country. There were the Kennedy Eisenhower, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln, Washington, Truman, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Ford and a second JFK.  The next one (you know there will a next one) should be named the Bush W. Bush.  It could be the first all-drone naval vessel.  It could be programmed to fire automatically whenever something got in its way.  

Iraq War

Iraq War question should be did you oppose the war from the get go, not this bullshit about "knowing what we know now, would you have opposed it".  I said from day one that the war was the worst mistake we could have made in over 50 years of foreign policy.  I believe that has proven to be correct.  If a candidate for president didn't know what I did they should not be in the running to lead this country.