Leonidas, I don’t think we’re in Sparta anymore!

In between Greece’s morning coffee and early afternoon coffee and just before their middle-afternoon glass of Ouzo, the people of Greece find time to protest. Of course, this would never be in the summer months of the year, when Greece focus’s on their main purpose…tourism.

You see, summers in Greece are full of excitement. Everyone has to be the perfect golden shade to flaunt around in their fake-Gucci swim suits (that you buy off the African immigrants on the beach), drink the best Mojito (going for $14 American dollars a pop), and do absolutely nothing but drink and smoke and talk about the old days and how they can make money. Famous DJs put a high priority on making their way to play at Mykonos clubs like Paradise or Cavo Paradiso, and of course, everyone works in the summer months 8-16 hours a day. Then in the winter…everyone jumps on unemployment and hardly works at all. This is when time stops and everyone remembers…there is a problem in this country.

1. Everyone thinks they can get away with things by sneaking a bribe. Can’t pass your driving test? Here’s a couple hundred to the bitter teacher. Can’t get your university degree after 7 years because the professor doesn’t need a passing quota? Here’s a couple thousand so I can be passed. Get pulled over because you thought you were in England after a bottle of whiskey? Tell the police man to shove it and hand him a 50. Your mother having a really important operation? Why not slip the anesthesiologist a couple hundred or thousand so he takes extra good care of her for you…
2. Taxes are a guideline. You know…building restrictions are put on a person’s property so they don’t build more than they are allowed…or than what is legal. To Greeks, that’s the stupidest idea ever! If they have so much land…why not build onto their house and make another seperate house so they can rent it out to someone without making them sign a lease!…or better yet..build a couple extra rooms and make a small hotel..but still pay taxes for their original building they built! How about when you fill out your occupation at tax time, but lie about how much you make..so you don’t have to pay more taxes on your income! Or how about not giving every person who buys something from your store, or bar a reciept after they pay…so you can pretend like that money you got never happened!
3. Nobody knows their government job. You know how everyone says, “you have to know someone to get a job these days..” Well, Greece is way ahead of us on that note. If there is the Head Chief of Economic Trade within Internal Associations of the Blind position available, some guy in the company, named Kosta, has a brother named Dimitri who’s dog once had a play date with a dog who was owned by a Georgos who really needs a job.
4. Papers, papers, papers…anyone heard of keeping files on computers and keeping in contact with other companies who might also need the same papers in order for something to get done? Stop losing the papers and then saying you never had them in the first place!
5. “I’ll do it tomorrow,” or the next day…or next month…wait..what am I supposed to do again? Oh yea…don’t worry, I’ll do it tomorrow. Honestly now, I don’t want to wait until you finish you morning cup of whiskey for you to come over and do your job. Aren’t I the one paying YOU?
6. Laws are just there to be broken. Really now, stop passing on the right…stop driving drunk…stop bribing people…stop being lazy government workers, start paying correct taxes…and do things when they are meant to be done.

That is going to be the difficult problem in Greece. Change. It is such an old civilization and they are full of so much pride for their history, that they think everyone else should change and do things for them (ie: give them 138 Billion dollars to get them out of debt.) But if Greece does not change their bad habits, they will just be playing everyone for a fool as the politicians pocket the money and lower the people’s salaries and social security to almost unlivable.