1. Some form of austerity will be TRIED for a while, but the people who get their benefits cut back will soon be like the Greeks..... rioting in the streets. 2. The political party of austerity will serve about 1 term. Then power will shift back to the other party... resuming/increasing subsidies and handouts. 3. We'll continue down the high unemployment, high taxes, ever higher deficits, inflation, currency debasement... until the system implodes. 4. THEN there will be real and structural change... and it won't be fun for anybody except the oligarchy.
Maybe some will wise up . A choice other than Democrat or Republican, really the same, is for me. I will not be voting in the CO primary. I plan to vote Libertarian at this point. I gotta admit the Tea Party had some decent points the other day on Fox. I have hope that people will accept change and cuts in entitlements as long as they see those same cuts in banker bailouts.
Something else that is telling in Greece: Greece, being a small country in a rather volatile area of the world has mandatory military service. Having parents born in Greece - I applied for dual citizenship, so in about a year from now, I could be drafted. The laws on military service have become more lax, especially for those over 35 yrs old (which is me). However, the duration of service for those under 35 will be expanded again I've been told - if it hasn't already - which I'm looking into. And this is even though the military's operating budget has been cut by 25% this year. I foresee expanded military service being the norm here - which is one way to keep the unemployed youth "out of trouble." Scataphagos - your list seems about right. There will be a seesaw of spending and austerity, with severe political consequences to the party of "austerity" but even the spending party won't be immune. It will continue until it implodes.... and then god knows what the political fallout will be. Random.Capital - I agree with you 100%. Even surplus trade countries under austerity will feel effects. This is truly global - and austerity/contraction is the ultimate consequence. I believe it can be put off temporarily by inflating, but eventually, every country will cut spending or destroy their currency in the process - which leads to cut spending/economic contraction. Funny story that happened about a month ago before I got here: In a nearby town - the second largest on the island, a group of protesting leftists tried to stop a ship from docking at the harbor. They kept blocking the dockworkers from tying the boat down and basically wanted to make a political statement by kicking the ship off the island. Well, whenever a ship comes to port, the local taxi drivers line up their cars to pick up passengers dropping off. The taxi drivers, watching their biggest income for the day being vulnerable, got really upset. A fight ensued between the taxi drivers and the protesters. One protester was thrown in the harbor by the taxi drivers! ( I heard no one was hurt) The taxi drivers won the fight - the ship docked successfully. People take matters into their own hands here - no police action that I am aware of. Everyone knows everyone else and things get resolved one way or the other.
this affects extremly to Greece economy, and hope that they could find effective solution for this strike
The Tea Party needs to use its head and not divide the conservative vote. The Democrats and Obama's radical Leftist agenda MUST BE STOPPED... in the 2010 and 2012 elections. This is the only chance the country is going to get, as once Obama's influence is ingrained into culture and economic policy, it won't be able to be stopped. The Tea Party is the future of America, if we're going to have one which has any semblance of our past... but it's not big enough yet to win enough seats on its own. Dividing the conservative vote will be a HUGE mistake... will assure the Democrats stay in control... and would seal our fate.