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BriPat -
The US Democrats patently are not socialist, and anyone who thinks they are has never been to a socialist country.
Many US Dems are in fact identical to the social democrats infesting Europe.
But thanks for playing. Now go take your opinions somwhere else.
You're right, I've never been to Cuba or North Korea. However, U.S. democrats are indistinguishable from European socialists.
.
Republicans drool over the prospect of Greek type austerity.
"Now I understand why the Republicans get 1% of the vote. The richest 1%. That other 49%? Someone will have to explain to me." ~ Bill Maher
Exclusive Interview: Meet Alexis Tsipras, the Most Dangerous Man in Europe
Oligarchs are watching the rise of Greece's opposition Syriza party leader with alarm. But he may be the best, brightest hope for the people.
Lynn Stuart Parramore
February 12, 2013
Greece has become the hellish microcosm of Europe's failed austerity policies. Politicans bargain with unscrupulous financiers as formerly middle-class people sort through garbage for food and shiver beside smoke-belching wood fires. Burdened by widespread corruption, sky-high unemployment, and plans to pay off the banks at any cost to the people, the country is headed to the breaking point.
The New Democracy party, currently in power, is struggling for dominance over left-wing Syriza, led by Alexis Tsipras, a bold young politician who many believe is Greece's brightest hope. His revolutionary idea? Economic policies linked to the needs of ordinary people. For those who benefit from the current disaster, this makes him a very dangerous man.
Recently, Tsipras visited the U.S. on a campaign to counter his opponents' image of him as a wild-eyed radical and to share his vision of a more equitable, human-centered economy. I caught up with Tsipras during his trip, and far from his opponents' portrait, I found him a pragmatic, thoughtful leader well-versed in economics and eager to discuss the details of a transformation that will benefit not only Greece, but the rest of us, too. The following interview was conducted via email following our meeting.
<snip>
L[ynn] P[aramor]: What lessons should Americans take from the Greek crisis?
A[lexis] T[sipras]: The European Union is utilizing the crisis in order to rewrite the political history of Europe. The post-war design of Europes economies is under revision. The celebrated "European social model" which, until recently supposedly differentiated Europe from the United States, is unravelling. At the same time, Europe is not moving in the direction of America; it is, rather, moving in the wrong direction altogether. The United States, with its federal unemployment benefit system, its Medicaid and Medicare provisions, possesses checks and balances that the Eurozone does not have. And as the nation-states of Europe are being hollowed out by austerity-driven policies, while European institutions are not stepping in to make up for the lost social, welfare and rebalancing services, todays United States is closer to the famed European social model than Europe is!
So, the most important lesson for the United States from the Greek crisis is that it is suicidal to try to deal with the federal debt by means of an austerity which attacks federal programs, such as Social Security, whose purpose is to shield Americas social economy from both recession and internal imbalances. Basic incomes, public health provisions, public education, social cohesion, environmental protection these are the public goods that, if depleted in the context of fiscal consolidation, will bite your people back, and in the end, jeopardize not only Americas shared prosperity but also its capacity to repay its debts. It is for this utterly pragmatic reason that we must defend our public goods, both in Europe and in America.
Americans do not have the luxury of thinking: These things are happening in Greece. Why should we care? If we do not emancipate our societies on both sides of the Atlantic from speculative finance and from the notion that the crisis must be paid by the weaker members of our society, America and Europe alike will continue to live under the crisis cloud. But if we recognize the regenerative power of democracy, of politics, of our peoples, we will be in a position to change the world for the better.
.
What fracking austerity?
Does anyone actually pay enough attention to understand that what Europeans call austerity is the same thing we cal tax increases?
.
Republicans drool over the prospect of Greek type austerity.
"Now I understand why the Republicans get 1% of the vote. The richest 1%. That other 49%? Someone will have to explain to me." ~ Bill Maher
Exclusive Interview: Meet Alexis Tsipras, the Most Dangerous Man in Europe
Oligarchs are watching the rise of Greece's opposition Syriza party leader with alarm. But he may be the best, brightest hope for the people.
Lynn Stuart Parramore
February 12, 2013
Greece has become the hellish microcosm of Europe's failed austerity policies. Politicans bargain with unscrupulous financiers as formerly middle-class people sort through garbage for food and shiver beside smoke-belching wood fires. Burdened by widespread corruption, sky-high unemployment, and plans to pay off the banks at any cost to the people, the country is headed to the breaking point.
The New Democracy party, currently in power, is struggling for dominance over left-wing Syriza, led by Alexis Tsipras, a bold young politician who many believe is Greece's brightest hope. His revolutionary idea? Economic policies linked to the needs of ordinary people. For those who benefit from the current disaster, this makes him a very dangerous man.
Recently, Tsipras visited the U.S. on a campaign to counter his opponents' image of him as a wild-eyed radical and to share his vision of a more equitable, human-centered economy. I caught up with Tsipras during his trip, and far from his opponents' portrait, I found him a pragmatic, thoughtful leader well-versed in economics and eager to discuss the details of a transformation that will benefit not only Greece, but the rest of us, too. The following interview was conducted via email following our meeting.
<snip>
L[ynn] P[aramor]: What lessons should Americans take from the Greek crisis?
A[lexis] T[sipras]: The European Union is utilizing the crisis in order to rewrite the political history of Europe. The post-war design of Europes economies is under revision. The celebrated "European social model" which, until recently supposedly differentiated Europe from the United States, is unravelling. At the same time, Europe is not moving in the direction of America; it is, rather, moving in the wrong direction altogether. The United States, with its federal unemployment benefit system, its Medicaid and Medicare provisions, possesses checks and balances that the Eurozone does not have. And as the nation-states of Europe are being hollowed out by austerity-driven policies, while European institutions are not stepping in to make up for the lost social, welfare and rebalancing services, todays United States is closer to the famed European social model than Europe is!
So, the most important lesson for the United States from the Greek crisis is that it is suicidal to try to deal with the federal debt by means of an austerity which attacks federal programs, such as Social Security, whose purpose is to shield Americas social economy from both recession and internal imbalances. Basic incomes, public health provisions, public education, social cohesion, environmental protection these are the public goods that, if depleted in the context of fiscal consolidation, will bite your people back, and in the end, jeopardize not only Americas shared prosperity but also its capacity to repay its debts. It is for this utterly pragmatic reason that we must defend our public goods, both in Europe and in America.
Americans do not have the luxury of thinking: These things are happening in Greece. Why should we care? If we do not emancipate our societies on both sides of the Atlantic from speculative finance and from the notion that the crisis must be paid by the weaker members of our society, America and Europe alike will continue to live under the crisis cloud. But if we recognize the regenerative power of democracy, of politics, of our peoples, we will be in a position to change the world for the better.
.
What fracking austerity?
Does anyone actually pay enough attention to understand that what Europeans call austerity is the same thing we cal tax increases?
.
The so-called red state model keeps wages low, healthcare down, education behind...
OTOH, the so-called blue state model of public investment is the harbinger of health, wealth, education...
Lynn Parramore:
"The GOP has plans for a comeback. But it may cost you a lot. The idea is to capitalize on recent Republican state takeovers to conduct an austerity experiment known as the new red-state model and prove that faulty policies can be turned into gold."
"We already have a red-state model, and its called Mississippi. Or Texas. Or any number of states characterized by low public investment, worker abuse, environmental degradation, educational backwardness, high rates of unwanted pregnancy, poor health, and so on."
"The blue-state model, evident in high-income states like Massachusetts, has long been associated with high levels of state investments in education, transportation and other public goods. And guess what? Its also associated with economic strength. The red-state model, on the other hand, is linked to backwardness, second-rate educational systems and economic weakness.
What the GOP wants to do is create an image-problem for blue states where taxes have been raised to balance budgets and continue vital services and jobs by crying Look, Ma! No taxes! in the states where theyve taken control.
Theyll soon be able to say, Look, Ma! No economy."
States ranked by per capita income
Note: Data is from the 2010 United States Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[1][2]
RankStatePer capita
Washington, D.C.$42,078
Connecticut$36,775
New Jersey$34,858
Maryland$34,849
Massachusetts$33,966
Virginia$32,145
New Hampshire$31,422
New York$30,948
Alaska$30,726
Colorado$30,151
Washington$29,733
Minnesota$29,582
California$29,188
Delaware$29,007
Hawaii$28,882
Illinois$28,782
Rhode Island$28,707
Wyoming$27,860
Nevada$27,589
Vermont$27,478
United States$27,334
Pennsylvania$27,049
Wisconsin$26,624
Florida$26,551
Oregon$26,171
Kansas$25,907
North Dakota$25,803
Arizona$25,680
Maine$25,385
Iowa$25,335
Nebraska$25,229
Michigan$25,135
Georgia$25,134
Ohio$25,113
Texas$24,870
North Carolina$24,745
Missouri$24,724
South Dakota$24,110
Indiana$24,058
Montana$23,836
Tennessee$23,722
South Carolina$23,443
Utah$23,139
Louisiana$23,094
Oklahoma$23,094
Alabama$22,984
New Mexico$22,966
Idaho$22,518
Kentucky$22,515
Arkansas$21,274
West Virginia$21,232
Mississippi$19,977
Puerto Rico$10,355
.
Greece is a great example of a heavy handed state that retards private enterprise through taxation and regulation.
It is the model for Team Obama.
Um....you do realise that Greece had right wing government for years, right?
And that most of the dodgy deals which threw Greece off the cliff occured under right wing governments?
Honestly - why post if you have no idea of the facts?
Do you think guessing makes you look cool?
New Democracy (Greek: Νέα Δημοκρατία, Néa Dimokratía, literally New Republic, also known by its acronym ΝΔ, ND) is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. Its leader, Antonis Samaras, is the Prime Minister of Greece.
New Democracy (Greece) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
You understand that "right wing" in Greece is not right wing in AMerica, right?
Neg rep for stupidity and bad judgment.
The point is that Greece has no choice. Three decades of socialist rule with two brief intermissions has bankrupt the country. Sure, austerity is bad for an economy and should not happen in a recession. The problem is, of course, that the shortsighted refuse to address austerity when there is no recession. The result is inescapable and Greece is a harbinger of things to come in other European economies, and eventually, the US.
The last chance Greece had was when the Mitsokaki government came into power, 1990 - 1993. He tried to challenge the unions and bring austerity but was trounced by a sickly but still popular Anreas Papandreau. the "right" came into power again in 2004 and they fucked up.In order for Greece to join the Euro they had to meet certain financial standards. PASOK was in power at that time, and they cooked the books to pass the audit. Everyone knew they cooked the books, but let them in anyway.
Greece's financial problems go back virtually forever.
Once Greece was allowed entry into the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union, lenders spread their legs for Greece since Greece's debts would now be under the full faith and credit protection of their northern partners in the Union.
At the time Greece entered the EU, its debts were probably already in the neighborhood of 100 percent of GDP.
When New Democracy took power in 2004, they learned from Wall Street, particularly Goldman Sachs, how to hide their borrowing. And borrow they did. Big time.
When New Democracy took power, they claimed PASOK had cooked the books to get into the EU.
When PASOK got power back, they revealed New Democracy had hidden a lot of debt, too.
Everyone is guilty in Greece. Everyone. It is a nation of tax dodging, government tit sucking, heavy borrowing, siesta taking people.
You're right, I've never been to Cuba or North Korea. However, U.S. democrats are indistinguishable from European socialists.
Of course they are, but that doesn't mean that you could distinguish them.
I could list a dozen policies most EU Socialist parties would offer, not one of whch the Dems would dream of.
do people really fall for the crap off Alerworldnet?
and hey, did you know we are all drooling now?
