EU Elections

[Jacks]

I doubt they are thinking that far ahead.

[CaptainCrunch]

They'd better be, that country will burn to the ground once their civil servants don't get paychecks and once their seniors don't get their pensions, and once their pedophiles don't get their welfare benefits.

[burn_this_city]

I think this quote fits quite nicely here.

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years."

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

They'd better be, that country will burn to the ground once their civil servants don't get paychecks and once their seniors don't get their pensions, and once their pedophiles don't get their welfare benefits.

For anybody unfamiliar with this (the news is from earlier this year):

http://news.yahoo.com/furor-greece-o...174002476.html

The Labor Ministry said categories added to the expanded list — that also includes pyromaniacs, compulsive gamblers, fetishists and sadomasochists — were included for purposes of medical assessment and used as a gauge for allocating financial assistance.

The new list gives pyromaniacs and pedophiles disability pay up to 35 percent, compared to 80 percent for heart transplant recipients.

"It's really not serious to grant Peeping Toms a 20-30 percent disability rate, and 10 percent to diabetics, who have insulin shots four or five times a day," said Vardakastanis.

[Jacks]

Holy frack, I thought the Cap'n was just being a little over the top with that quote. If you are a gambler, with fishnets under your pants, who burns down the casino after losing while on your way to torture your underage love slave you could pull in a tidy sum of cash.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Jacks

I doubt they are thinking that far ahead.

Indeed. At this point I don't really give a crap. The people are responsible for the government they elected. I hope they can deal with all the riots.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Jacks

Holy frack, I thought the Cap'n was just being a little over the top with that quote. If you are a gambler, with fishnets under your pants, who burns down the casino after losing while on your way to torture your underage love slave you could pull in a tidy sum of cash.

Me, over the top, thats impossible.

[Azure]

The annual mass exodus from the French capital sees the city's inhabitants while away the August heat in the countryside.

But this week many of the biggest earners across the Channel have been mulling a départ which could be rather more permanent.

The toppling of Nicolas Sarkozy by François Hollande, the first socialist president to lead the country in 17 years, has sent ripples of fear through the wealthier arrondissements of Paris.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/g...to-France.html

[Azure]

France's new Socialist president owns three holiday homes in the Riviera resort of Cannes, it emerged today.

Francois Hollande, 57, who “dislikes the rich” and wants to revolutionise his country with high taxes and an onslaught against bankers, is in fact hugely wealthy himself.

.....

But it is the fabulous property portfolio which is causing the greatest stir among millions of ordinary French people who voted for Hollande over the conservative Nicolas Sarkozy last Sunday.

Mr Hollande regularly attacked the “bling-bling” presidency of Mr Sarkozy, whose multi-millionaire lifestyle with Italian-born heiress Carla Bruni contributed to his humiliating election defeat after just one term in office.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/w...a-7737519.html

Oh look. Nothing more than a stupid hypocrite.

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by Azure

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/w...a-7737519.html

Oh look. Nothing more than a stupid hypocrite.

The noble French Left was always a wealthy, elitist bunch who knew the working class only from Charles Dicken's books.

[Shawnski]

Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.

All in all, it sounds to me like we can aptly describe the "rich will move" proposition as Ivory-grade BS. Not 100% pure BS, but 99 and 44/100th BS.

There have been quite a few names shown to rebut this post, and here is another recent one...

Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin has renounced his U.S. citizenship, according to an Internal Revenue Service report, just days before the company's record initial public offering.

The offering could leave Saverin with a hefty capital-gains tax bill.

Saverin now lives in Singapore, which has no capital-gains tax. That compares with a minimum 15 per cent rate for long-term capital gains in the U.S. for people in higher income brackets.

So, this chap not just moved but also gave a big middle finger to the States in doing so.

Singapore is also the home of another expat, uber wealthy financial guru Jim Rogers.

Just another couple examples to add to your collection...

[CaptainCrunch]

Looks like the minority style government is not going to work in Greece, talks between the socialist left, Conservatives and radical left to form a coalition have broken off and its likely there will be another general election next month.

[DFO]

Seems like the Syriza party is equating the austerity measures and upcoming deadline to a game of chicken;


A spokesman for Syriza, John Bournos, told BBC News his party wanted Greece to remain within the eurozone but it rejected the "super-austerity" measures imposed on Greeks by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"Greek people have been suffering in order to pay off speculative interest rates and make the private banking systems of Greece and Europe richer," he told the PM programme.

"What we will offer is the future existence of the eurozone... They are not willing, and they will not dare, to kick Greece out of the eurozone."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18046280

[CaptainCrunch]

He's incredibly stupid if he thinks that. Greece right now adds nothing to the Eurozone and is one of many boat anchors that are attached to that currency.

I'm sure the German's would be content if they didn't have to write national welfare checks.

When a leader like Angela says that the austerity cuts are non negotiable you'd better believe it.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Originally Posted by Shawnski

There have been quite a few names shown to rebut this post, and here is another recent one...

So, this chap not just moved but also gave a big middle finger to the States in doing so.

Singapore is also the home of another expat, uber wealthy financial guru Jim Rogers.

Just another couple examples to add to your collection...

If people are so engrossed in their personal wealth that they would throw the nation that supported them under the bus, then good riddance.

And let's just point out that this guy isn't leaving because there has been a tax increase. Taxes have done nothing but go down since GWB got into office. So in that respect, I don't know what your point is.

[cal_guy]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

He's incredibly stupid if he thinks that. Greece right now adds nothing to the Eurozone and is one of many boat anchors that are attached to that currency.

I'm sure the German's would be content if they didn't have to write national welfare checks.

When a leader like Angela says that the austerity cuts are non negotiable you'd better believe it.

The thing is the German government strongly favours it's export industry so it actually wants that anchor to the Euro.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Flame Of Liberty

The noble French Left was always a wealthy, elitist bunch who knew the working class only from Charles Dicken's books.

That's totally unfair.

They are much more likely to have read "Les Miserables".

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by cal_guy

The thing is the German government strongly favours it's export industry so it actually wants that anchor to the Euro.

What's the point of holding an export relationship with Greece? It would be like a liquor store giving homeless alcoholic I store credit.

[Slava]

Its not the exports to Greece though, its the drag on the Euro that favours the German export economy.

[Byrns]

Exactly, the Germans industrialists are loving this Euro crisis.