You No Want, He No Help.

by Capricorner

Friday Oct.14-2011

If history is indicative of a nation’s character then Greece is doomed. In 1922 reason went out the window and catastrophy of a seismic character followed. In 1944 the inevitable was obvious but this did not prevent the start of the civil war which tore the country apart adding pain and devastation to a country already devastated by the war. In 1967 politics were getting out of control and the nation was slipping to a state of self destruction. A group of army officers staged a coup and took control of the country for seven years. The situation today resembles the chaotic situation that led to the coup of April 1967.

People are discussed with the political system and all the politicians, as opinion surveys repeatedly indicate. People crave for change, but there is no one out there to define it and lead them to it. This makes it easy for demagogues and Hitler-like characters to interfere with the course of events and create a following which can only take the country further away from the path of survival and “reformation”. If the leading class, the so called establishment, decides that unless it moves “it” too will loose, then it will push for a temporary Government of technocrats, a new group of

c o m p e t e n t people with the ability to attract national attention and define, in terms easily understood by all, what should be done to save the country and enable it to ascend. This group of technocrats will present a concrete plan with specific objectives for every one of the so called social partners, the specific strategy to be followed and the purported results, complete with time estimates. This way the Greek society will have a sense of direction, of purpose, it will know where it is heading and that there is a national leadership with a goal and the ability to attain it and will, thus, cooperate and feel secure. This group will “rally around the flag” the creative forces of the nation and direct them to growth, because only growth - together with public sector cost savings and reformation- will pull up the country and enable it to gain what it presently lacks - - respect and credibility. Growth and wise management will create the surpluses with which the national debt will be paid down to a manageable level.

The question, therefore is what is the leading class, the establishment, pondering, or “it” too has no cohesion in its thinking, no commonality in its attitude. If this is the case then obviously all the people of Greece are in no mood for help and the country is doomed, because it has slipped to a state of lawlessness and lack of Government.

This miserable lot of inept individuals that poses as government can simply not provide “government”. It has let the country reach a state where every body can do what they want, even break the law or ignore court rulings, with no consequence.

Law and order have given way to lawlessness and impunity.

A few days ago university students locked up some of their professors demanding they rescind a recent decision which is not to their liking! By 02.30 AM the weary professors gave in and rescinded their decision. Who is there to apply the law? NOBODY. The students, therefore are bred with a deep sense of freedom to act violently, trespass human rights, ignore the law, while at the same time clamoring for democracy - - a noble gift they so freely abuse. These are the future “leaders” of Greece, misguided and on the wrong path to self development, oblivious to any thing but their dear selves. If Greece wanted to help itself it would not have allowed the law of the “far west” to prevail in Greek universities.

The garbage collectors are (are not) on strike, again. Thousands of tons of garbage are littering the streets constituting a menace to public health and to the pets that may eat from the rotting food remnants in the piles of garbage and transmit to humans the diseases they acquire from the germs-infested garbage. The strike is being prolonged and the malodorous garbage keeps piling up. The garbage collectors? They have nothing to loose. They get their pay in full and when the time comes for them to collect the garbage they will, no doubt, work (and get paid for) overtime. This game is made possible by the fact that the garbage collectors are NOT on strike. The garbage collection trucks do not go out to collect the garbage, because they have no place to deposit it as the garbage collectors prohibit entrance of the garbage collection trucks to the landfill where the garbage is deposited. The garbage collectors claim they can not collect the garbage because they have no place to deposit it and the garbage collectors prohibiting the entry of garbage trucks in the landfill claim that no garbage collection trucks show up to empty their content in the landfills, with the exception of garbage from hospitals and schools, which are permitted to come in the landfill freely. Absurd? A court order to let the garbage trucks enter the landfill is ignored and the garbage collectors challenge the court stating they will continue this game, made possible by the law itself. Could this happen in another country? Other countries have Governments. Greece? Does it want one, or, is content with how things are?

The Mariners Pension Fund owns an apartment building in Athens, the unforgettable Maria Kalas used to live there. The building is now occupied by anarchists. Every time the Fund asks the police to evict them the police dutifully does it and within an hour the anarchists break in and occupy the building again. The Fund can not sell or rent the building because it has no means to keep the anarchists out. Note: the building is within walking distance from the city centre and could fetch a good price if a buyer turns it to commercial use, but who will buy it and why? The anarchists all but legally “own” it. The law? Who is there to apply it? This, so called government, can not, or, does not want to, apply the law.

This same Fund also owns a building of 11000 sq. meters situated in a 130000 sq. meters stretch of land covered with pine trees. This property is in an upper middle class suburb of Athens. To maintain and secure it the cost is 20000 Euros/month, an expense the fund can not afford. The Police approached the Fund proposing to clean up the abandoned building, maintain it and of course guarantee round the clock security. The wooded area around the building is ideal for the training of police special forces. The lease would be for ten years. Considering that the building is in a dilapidated condition and the surrounding area is now in a messy condition, used by drug addicts, the fund had to do something to safeguard the value of its property and so the offer of the police was very welcome. Enter the board member from the communist party and his group who threaten the other members of the board with menacing repercussions to them if the board leases the property to the police. The board, fearing for their personal safety, rejected the police offer and the property is rotting. Greece has permitted the law of the “far west” to prevail. If it did not want it so, it would not have it so. Greece is happy as things are, wants no change.

The President of the Republic of Greece receives 373000 Euros a year. How much more does the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland receive? Likely not a great deal more. How much does the President of the Republic of Italy receive? 240000 Euros and has recently ordered a reduction of his pay. The Greek President has, in addition, a large staff, to do what? How can Greece’s saviors believe that Greece wants to be saved when all indications point to the opposite?

The Greek Parliament leads all others in rewards to its members. It provides them with a car, but to share the pain of the people it has just announced that no car should exceed 1800c.c engine power. Note: NO OTHER PARLIAMENT provides its members with a free car.

In addition to their (very good) pay members of the Greek Parliament receive bonuses for attending Parliamentary committees, their duty. No other Parliament does that.

The Greek Parliament also has its own TV station. What does it offer that all the TV Networks and independent stations all over Greece do not? How many tune in to watch it? What does it cost to have and operate it? How useful is it? To whom?

Every member of the Greek parliament has five parliamentary employees at its disposal. Is the work load such that it can not be handled by just one, or, two people?

Each former Prime Minister has an office within the parliament building, as well as five parliamentary employees to staff it, for what purpose? To save Greece?

Greek society has undergone a rapid transformation over the last forty-four years. It became conditioned to “easy” institutionally vested as “citizens’ rights”.

The state itself became a bloated ineffective mechanism. Amoral ways in Greek life became “norm”, encouraged by ALL the political parties. A self centered mentality “guides” Greek society. Only a concerted effort can help the country, but this seems well nigh impossible. Greece seems unwilling to be saved, the strikes of every group refusing to cede part of its “rights” and a non existent Government attest to that.

The saviors of Greece have reached the limits of their patience. They strongly doubt the willingness of the country (political parties- syndicates- media- the Greek society itself) to be saved. Their Governments find it difficult to convince their people that Greece should be saved, when Greece does not give the impression that it wants to be saved. So God will not help those who do not want to be helped. Those who can jump off the train which is out of control will do so. Those who can not will meet with their fate.