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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Whose fault is it ?

I have been chastised because I seem to have placed the fault of Greece's economic misery onto the shoulders of the Tsipras government.

I am totally aware that the previous governments of Greece mismanaged the economy to a devastating degree. 
Tsipras and his "Far Left Party" inherited a broken country, which I think, could have been repaired over a long period of time with the help of the rest of Europe, but not with ultra left wing political philosophies, and not by insulting the Lenders by calling them "terrorists" and "leeches".
I suppose that the rest of Europe also erred in lending moneys which they knew or should have known, the borrower could never pay back, thereby getting deeper and deeper into the financial hole.

Smarter men than I will have to work out a plan of recovery.

I assure you though, that with the economic ideas of the Far Left, such a recovery cannot be achieved.
Each and every country which has ever tried to make Communism work, had to finally admit failure.
Read your history.

Now, if we are faced with a situation where an interest bearing loan will not help, because the borrower is not now and will not be in the foreseeable future in a position to repay the loan, principal and interest, there is, it seems to me, an alternative:
Instead of a "loan" make it an interest free "grant", or an outright "gift". 
May I remind you of the "European Recovery Program" (Marshall Plan), through which, in 1948, the USA pumped 130 billion in today's US dollars into a devastated Europe.
Then, it was done to create a strong business partner, to stem the rise of Communism,  as well as for so-called altruistic reasons.

There is little or no sense in lending moneys, the majority of which, it seems, must be used to pay the interest on previous loans.

If Greece, who is, after all, a member of the European community, must be helped on its feet again, then make it a gift, tied to certain conditions which should be designed to prevent a recurrence of this economic travesty.



Bertstravels
wishes it had the final answer.



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