The massive Euro TARP program just announced is simply a bailoutof the PIIGS who way over spent and under taxed for all theseyears. In Greece few pay taxes and most who pay do not pay whatthey really owe. All of Europe has social safety nets programs thatkeep the voters happy so long as the string does not break, whichit now has. The willingness of governments to just spend and raisepensions, raise healthcare benefits paid by the government, raiseother benefits, and not pay for them is the root cause of thiscrisis. We were within hours of October 2008 all over again. Themedia and the administration can rant all they want about wall St,but the exact same irresponsible behavior was going on at alllevels all over the world. Greece, California, New York, Spain, andnow the US Congress and administration.
All the EU did this weekend is kick the can down the road again.It is highly unlikely that the austerity programs now being put inplace will last long as the cost to the EU economy will be verypainful and unions and the politicians will likely not endure thispain. At some point soon the Euro has to be devalued in whateverway this plays out. That is the only real solution and then a lotof pain has o be suffered as a result. We are just at the start ofthis phase of the crisis and there is nobody in Europe who is atrue leader like Maggie or Churchill in the moment of need. Merkelshould have stepped in but she completely blew it.
We all need to pay close attention to what is happening. Greeceis California, New York and Illinois. The teachers union here islike the unions in Greece. Give me, give me. Tax the rich. In theUS it is getting like Greece. Only 52% of Americans pay tax. If theDemocrats have their way that number will drop to under 50%. Lessthan half of voters will have any skin in the game so they will notmind higher taxes on those of us who employ the rest and who createthe capital which is the milk of economic growth. The newhealthcare bill subsidizes even the middle class making thesuccessful pay for all. Business owners are now being charged muchhigher taxes and capital gains tax is about to rise. They aretaking away the incentive to create capital and to create jobs.
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