Is Greece our future?

Greece is on the edge of financial disaster and they deserve it. For years Greece has been a socialistic country featuring a “nanny state” mentality that they couldn’t afford. Greeks work less than the rest of Europe, take more holidays, pay less taxes, and retire earlier. Now the due bill has arrived and they can’t afford to pay it, because they have lived beyond their means and borrowed more than they can pay back.

Greeks are being forced to “pay the piper” with longer work hours, higher taxes, and less nanny state benefits. And they are rioting in the streets like adolescent children in response to reality.

Germany has been supporting Greece with loans because a financial meltdown in Greece can not only pull down the euro and all of Europe, it can cause a global economic crisis.

But Chancellor Merkel of Germany has said they have about had enough. She asked the Greeks, “Why should Germans who work harder and longer, take less vacations, and retire later then Greeks support the Greeks gross negligence?”

I hope Americans are paying attention. We have a massive $14.3 trillion debt and we are also creating a nanny state that we can’t afford. Fifty-two percent of Americans paid no federal income taxes while 48 percent of Americans carried the full load. The 48 percent who do pay federal taxes have about had enough, just like the Germans.

The world learned democracy from the Greeks. Let’s hope that we can now learn how to avoid economic Armageddon from the Greeks by not repeating their tragic mistakes.

Randy Rossi

Grayslake