On the minimum wage, nepotism, deficit, growth, Orwell’s elephant

?Labor deal row brewing over contracts?

?The government should move to change the law to allow the minimum wage, currently set at about 750 euros gross or 570 euros net, to be reduced.?

Of course, a reduction in the cost of labor, which would stimulate the Greek economy, is very desirable now. And maybe a deal can be reached with the unions if the government also offers a tax reform that reduces the burden on lower incomes, so that the net income stays the same. Of course, the shortfall in the tax income of the government would have to be balanced by higher taxes on the more afluent Greeks, and since the dysfunctional tax collection office seems to be totally unable to execute that, it?s probably still pie in the sky.

No matter from which side you look at the problems, without a thorough reform of the administration, ensuring at least a mimimum standard of efficiency, nothing can be done. Isn?t it possible to scrap the whole bureaucratic system and rebuild it from scratch? That seems to be the only way to a better future.

Gray

Germany

The source of misery

It is a mixture of international capitalism and nepotism.

Those that rule the world, the club of Goldman Sachs, have sought ever-decreasing labour costs. National trade unions no longer have an enemy to fight, as the enemies have taken themselves off to China, India and other poor countries to find slaves to enhance their own avarice and wealth. OK, now, those developing countries have labour that is beginning to demand a bit more ?please?, so the Goldman Sachs bunch are returning to pick over the bones of newly impoverished countries in Europe, such as Greece, Portugal etc. Hence the massive downward pressure on labour costs and the hideously mismanaged rampant immigration of unskilled problem-people for the future, in these poor spoiled countries. Of course the main currency in Greece is not the euro it is nepotism; this is such a joke, where talentless people sit in offices doing nothing at all but holding things up until they have all stamped some nonsensical bit of paper with a set of meaningless ink stains.

Part of the solution? Sack everyone who holds a public service job and then make it ?examination entry? into all public service positions. Greece, and other European countries, must become more nationalistic as a defense against the international capitalists and Europhiles in Brussels. Greece should ally itself with the US and Israel and get stuck into all the wonderful undeveloped natural resources it has, Turkey would soon look a bit sheepish then.

Harry Bell

Taxing the foreigners

This government is admittedly in a tight spot, but it is also being blinkered.

The majority of foreigners who have come to Greece to live are big contributors to the Greek economy already. We have bought your land and put money in your pockets. We have built houses and put money in your pockets. We spend our money (brought into Greece, not earned here) in your shops, supermarkets, tavernas, garages etc and we pay our electricity and water bills on time.

All ?for free?. Those of us who are in IKA and from EU countries don?t cost you anything as you can claim the cost of treatment and drugs back from our home countries (except, of course, that most health centres etc can?t be bothered to fill in the necessary forms in order to reclaim the money; but that?s not OUR fault!)

So how do we get repaid? ?Soak the foreigners? appears to be the watchword. Make us pay more taxes for our property; make sure that even though our income isn?t from Greece, make us residents and then tax our foreign incomes. We are already paying the high rates of VAT, fuel, etc and what is happening? More and more of us are going back to our country of origin. So, you have shot yourselves in the foot yet again. What is a lucrative source of income for Greece suddenly begins to dwindle away, making your receipts less and less.

When will you ever learn?

Bob Scott

Vamos

The troika

After hearing the latest news, comments from solicitors that the suggestion by the troika that we use notaries to try certain cases such as agreed divorces and therefore save the courts time, due to the backlog of cases to be heard, is not acceptable. The views passed by Samaras that we shouldn?t decrease the number of public workers, when this was the reason New Democracy was voted into Parliament last time. Again, not to deregulate taxi services even though we know the system is corrupt. The fact that PASOK members of Parliament can?t agree between themselves. We still have to pay Church wages, even though the Church has so much wealth. The fact that the government still hasn?t realised that the Greek tax officials have never worked for Greece, but for their personal benefits (how many cases have we heard over the years?). The health service is corrupt and commissions paid for anything from medication to services. Now the poor people especially in Athens are suffering to such an extent that it is pitiful. So as the troika seem to know what?s good for us, why don?t we just disolve Parliament for two years and let them run it? We will save a great deal of money in wages, expenses, bribes etc and quite frankly we are sick to death of our politicians, all of whom are responsible for the mess that we are in, and which gets worse day by day.

Ann Baker

Greece has opportunity to grow if it has the courage to follow the Baltics and Ireland

Austerity may feel as big as the Grand Canyon to most Greeks. But the Baltics have demonstrated that cutting deep and fast allows the economy to recover fast. Have a look at where your country is today and see the Baltics and ask yourself: How could we achieve that FAST? Yes you can, because you have no alternative!

Peter Storm

Orwell?s elephant

The danger of Greeks (if such a general term holds) becoming either victims or forces of destruction is real. Orwell?s elephant as metaphor sizes up the situation very well. It complements very much a deep concern, namely that the Greek government is now being asked to demonstrate full compliance and cooperation, otherwise the country will default. Similar demands were made of Saddam Hussein prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and those demands were designed so that surely there would be a failure. For such a failure is needed to justify still harsher methods, especially if a totalitarian logic begins to dominate all thinking and things are driven out of despair, panic but also anger in the direction of still stiffer forms of punishment. It is a brilliant editorial with high literary quality to bring across an unpleasant truth.

Hatto Fischer

Half-hearted

The government is half-hearted in the way it is tackling the deficit by not going after the big debtors, oh yes, we hear lot?s of sabre rattling. The unions are half-hearted calling uncoordinated random one- or two-day strikes. If the unions were really serious they would call a national one- or two-week general strike, this is the only way to get results. Unfortunately we see fragmentation due the ?me and my family only count? attitude which seems to abound in all walks of life in Greece today. Unity in one form or another is the only way forward. In other words, if you don?t want to pee, get off the pot.

Roly Baker

Corfu