The Dollar is close to matching the EURO!

[gmoneyprs 2]

 

 

Cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.

 

Odd that you seem to know the definition yet seem to practice it perfectly. Bankers--sometimes rightfully so--get a bad rap but their behavior only feeds off the incessant malfeaseance that people inflict upon themselves. In this case, Greece's chickens have finally come home to roost. You socialists are always so quick to blame everyone but yourselves: you can't spend money you don't have. Well, you can (thanks to banks lending money) but just as that bar tab is fun to run up, you have to pay it. Folks like you have seemingly inhabited most of Europe and now the U.S. too. Thanks so much.

[Glynn 405]

Basically it boils down to many of the Greek people not paying their taxes for decades and expecting to retire early (some at 45) whilst expecting the northern Europeans to work until 70 to subsidise them.

 

It was never going to work out well for them.

 

The Greek state pension is still £594 per month compared to the UK state pension of £463, and they moan about austerity measures

Back in 2009 when the sticky stuff started hitting the fan, the Greek pension was £957 pm and the UK state pension was £381 pm.

 

It does not take a lot of working out why they have arrived at this point but the rest of Europe cannot keep throwing money at the problem and hope that the Greeks manage to sort themselves out.

[WotanUK 289]

 

 

Basically it boils down to many of the Greek people not paying their taxes for decades and expecting to retire early (some at 45) whilst expecting the northern Europeans to work until 70 to subsidise them.

 

That's a very simplistic appraisal, you don't care to mention that Greece joining the Euro and the unfettered borrowing, most of which had nothing to do with the Greek people.

 

The Euro has Greece lumped in with places like Germany, so suddenly the Greeks found themselves able to borrow money at the same rate as the Germans but without the real economy behind it.  Government spending has remained pretty flat, the 'Black economy' is more prevalent in places like the Baltic states.

 

 

 

you can't spend money you don't have.

 

Ah yes, the single line argument of the fundamentalist capitalists.  How about another meaningless statement; socialize losses, privatize profits.

I would consider myself quite left wing, in the UK, so very left wing almost communist when compared to an American.  It seems quite galling at a time when income disparity is rapidly increasing to start talking about not spending money you don't have.

 

I don't wish to speak about the States, but while that statement is often trotted out in response to people asking about increased welfare spending, curiously the government has no problems in finding money for replacement nuclear submarines we'll never use or air attacking targets in Iraq.

 

It's not about the government not having the money to spend, it's about priorities, personally i would rather the government gave £10 billion to the NHS rather than spending it on replacement trident boondoggles, or bombing dust in the Middle East.

[Oracle427 45]

I believe the statement about the people spending money they don't have was not meant to be taken literally. The government spending is a direct reflection of the people. If the people want it to stop they can stop it. Once again the people choose to charge ahead (over the cliff).

 

In America, like many other countries, we're spending our way to oblivion. We're no better than anyone else. The balance sheet is a mess. Whether it comes in the form of wars, healthcare, corporate bailouts, handouts, defense contracts or the litany of pet programs. Everyone's idea to SPEND is better than the other's. Only when we learn to STOP, or at the very least slow the heck down, will we make progress and not screw the future generations.

[stans 702]

I believe the statement about the people spending money they don't have was not meant to be taken literally. The government spending is a direct reflection of the people. If the people want it to stop they can stop it. Once again the people choose to charge ahead (over the cliff).

 

In America, like many other countries, we're spending our way to oblivion. We're no better than anyone else. The balance sheet is a mess. Whether it comes in the form of wars, healthcare, corporate bailouts, handouts, defense contracts or the litany of pet programs. Everyone's idea to SPEND is better than the other's. Only when we learn to STOP, or at the very least slow the heck down, will we make progress and not screw the future generations.

Very true.

[3Green 80]

 

 

(thanks to banks lending money)

 

Money the root of all evil.  

Greg, I'm just a messenger about a topic that affects every individual that is enslaved under the control of the IMF and their debt based banking system.  A nation’s debt is not the fault of the people, it's the fault of that nation’s government handing over control of the nation’s monetary system to the IMF.

In the USA, the Federal Reserve (a private central bank) took control of their monetary system in 1913.
In Canada, the Bank of Canada was taken over by the IMF in 1974.
Any nation that is controlled by the IMF (Greece included), will always be in debt, that's how the system works.

Who creates fiat currency in your country?
Answer:  The banks create money, not your government.

1.  Thanks to banks lending money (to the individual).
Banks in Western Nations don't lend money, they created money out of thin air and then borrow it to the individual with compound interest.  About 95% of the digital money in Western nation's is created from debt (a mortgage is just one example).  
When an individual walks into a bank for a mortgage, the bank simply types the numbers into your account and new money has just been created from debt.  The individual now must pay compound interest on money that was created from nothing.  This is called fractional reserve banking.  If the individual defaults on this loan, the bank now claims ownership on a physical assest (your home) from money that was created from thin air.
Best not to talk about the 2008/2009 mortgage back securities fraud the banks sold to millions of people.

2.  Thanks to banks lending money (to your country).
Example 1:  Before your nation becomes enslaved by the IMF:
- Your nation needs money to build a new highway.
- Your Government (which is authorized by its constitution to create and issue interest-free money) takes out a loan from their central bank (that the government controls) and builds the highway.
- The tax payers of that nation now repay that debt (principle only) interest free.

Example 2:  A nation that is enslaved by the IMF:
- Your nation needs money to build a new highway.
Your Government (which is authorized by its constitution to create and issue interest-free money) takes out a loan from their central bank (that the IMF controls) and builds the highway.
- The tax payers of that nation now repay that debt along with compound interest.  Where does the interest on that debt go?  To the IMF.  

 

Why does your Government, which is authorized by its constitution to create and issue interest-free money, instead, borrows that money at interest from a privately owned central bank?

Why do bankers never go to jail for all the fraud they create?

A List of the Biggest Bank Settlements

The first step towards truth is to be informed.

RJ

 

[z06z33 763]

I've been buying addon from Australia for years for awhile it was a little more expensive then the dollar but it beat the prices of Euroland stores. Now the AU is down and buying large numbers of orbx airports in feasible.

[codechris 9]

Well, that's nice the topic is back on track

 

I've never thought of buying in another country but I'm certainly going to give it a go. I like to try and buy local though, so always preferred to shop at UK companies, and not Amazon et al. But that's personal preferance

[gizmosellsbunnys 106]

Greek vacation sounds tempting now, Ahh German investors are mad now, but devaluation of Euro will benefit all in the long long.