So Here's How it Will Go

Once upon a time, there was a world power called Greece. But that was a LONG time ago. Today Greece is in serious financial trouble.

You see, some decades ago when they found out they could borrow unlimited amounts of money that they didn't have to work for, the Grecians decided it would be fun if they could all retire at age 53 with 80% of their pay. Everyone agreed that would be fun...so they made it so.

Next they decided it would be fun if they could have tons of vacation time while they were working. What better time to figure out what you want to do when you retire than when you are on vacation? They all agreed and borrowed more money to give everyone a mandatory 6 weeks vacation right from your very first job. Good times!

As long as life was going so well they next decided that everyone should have health insurance paid for by the Government. They all agreed that healthcare is a "human right" and should be paid for by someone other than themselves. So they issued more bonds and borrowed more money and gave health care to all.

Then one day someone decided to look into their banking books....someone from outside their country. What they found was an entire society that has been living a life that they can't afford because few people work very hard, they make hardly anything that the rest of the world wants, and they have no real plan to pay back the money that they borrowed.

So the bankers of the world told Greece that no more money would be loaned to them until they put together a sustainable financial plan. "Hey", said the Greeks, "that's no fun!"

The financial plan that was put together told the Greeks the sad reality that they would have to work til age 60 and not have so much vacation and also they would have to work 35 hours per week instead of 30. "Hey," said the Greeks, "that's REALLY no fun!"

They proceeded to riot and fire bomb the banks to show they were serious about the fact that they saw no "fun" in that plan. They also went on strike (against who? We aren't quite sure) to show their fury at a plan that wasn't as "fun" as what they expected.

That brings us to today. The Greek government is still living in "fun" land and trying desperately to appeal to it's childish citizens....so they came out with a great idea to lower their health care costs for all their citizens who don't like paying for health care but feel strongly that they "deserve" it.

Now listen closely to what they said; BY DECREE, THE GOVERNMENT OF GREECE HEREBY ORDERS ALL COMPANIES PRODUCING MEDICINE SOLD TO GRECIANS TO LOWER THEIR COSTS BY 25%!

The world's leading supplier of the anti-diabetes drug insulin is withdrawing a state-of-the-art medication from Greece.

Novo Nordisk, a Danish company, objects to a government decree ordering a 25% price cut in all medicines.

A campaign group has condemned the move as "brutal capitalist blackmail".
More than 50,000 Greeks with diabetes use Novo Nordisk's product, which is injected via an easy-to-use fountain pen-like device.

A spokesman for the Danish pharmaceutical company said it was withdrawing the product from the Greek market because the price cut would force its business in Greece to run at a loss.

Did you catch that? They aren't going to sell their drugs at 25% less because they would lose money!! How simple is that to understand?? I'm fairly sure most 10 year olds could figure that story problem out.

But apparently, the Greeks can't understand.

Greece wants to slash its enormous medical bill as part of its effort to reduce the country's crippling debt.

International pharmaceutical companies are owed billions in unpaid bills. Novo Nordisk claims it is owed $36m (£24.9m) dollars by the Greek state.

Pavlos Panayotacos, whose 10-year-old daughter Nephele has diabetes, has written to Novo Nordisk's chairman to criticise the move.

"As an economist I realise the importance of making a profit, but healthcare is more than just the bottom line," he wrote.

"As you well may know, Greece is presently in dire economic and social straits, and you could not have acted in a more insensitive manner at a more inopportune time."

The Greek diabetes association was more robust, describing the Danes' actions as "brutal blackmail" and "a violation of corporate social responsibility".

The Danish chairman, Lars Sorensen, wrote to Mr Panayotacos stressing that it was "the irresponsible management of finances by the Greek government which puts both you and our company in this difficult position".

Did you catch that? A Greek economist believes that health care is about something more than making a profit!! No wonder Greece is going bankrupt if that's what their economists have been taught!!

See it here; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10189367.stm

Friends, what has started in Greece is by no means unique to that country. Spain also just had their credit rating lowered because they are in unsustainable debt. Italy, Ireland, Portugal will probably be next. France is also starting to riot because their President dared suggest that they work til age 62 instead of 60 as a way to help avoid catastrophe.

Now turn the mirror on the USA....are we really so different? We have 50% of the working population that pays nothing into the income tax system....but still demands a lot of benefits. We have a President that just promised a new health care system during the worst financial climate in decades. We have a generation of MILLIONS who have been raised on by the welfare state to believe that they are owed FOODSTAMPS if they are hungry, WELFARE if they are broke and SECTION 8 HOUSING if they are homeless.

This simply cannot last. It WILL result in massive social unrest when those expectations are not met.