Michael Lewis, who expertly profiled Iceland’s collapse last year, has now set his sights on Greece. Lewis chronicles a country accustomed to corruption, handouts, and “breathtaking inefficiency.” “Where waste ends and theft begins almost doesn’t matter; the one masks and thus enables the other,” he writes. “It’s simply assumed, for instance, that anyone who is working for the government is meant to be bribed. People who go to public health clinics assume they will need to bribe doctors to actually take care of them. Government ministers who have spent their lives in public service emerge from office able to afford multi-million-dollar mansions and two or three country homes.” [%comments]
"And They Invented Math!"
and 
. You can also watch it on 
They break their plates after eating.
What’s up with that?
Which – when combined with a quick look at efficiency in Germany and Benelux – is why you’d have to be foolish not to expect a debt default and break up of the Euro as we know it. As one of those who’ve never had a democratic say on it, I just hope it will raise the larger question of what the EU project itself is all about
greek politician- i own 5 homes
rational observer- wow, u must be corrupt (turns to us politician)- how many homes do you own?
us politician- i don’t know
hmm…
I think the more important question is this: How can I get one of those “government minister” jobs?
“They break their plates after eating.”
That’s an EXCELLENT point! It’s a plate maker jobs program, of course.
And now, after centuries of debate, Greece has proven that the Bastiat Parable of theBroken Window, is indeed, a fallacy.
Corruption, handouts, and wasteful ineffieicency….hmmm that sounds just like the USA too! Who knows, maybe in twenty years the US economy will be where Greece’s is today. The only difference is that the corruption and handouts are quasi-legal in the USA thanks to the campaign finance system and hidden congressional earmarks, and the inefficiency is by design because is means more money being spent in more individual congressional districts.
Okay, I give up. What’s the deal with the headline?
@John
I thinks it is related to the fact that Greeks can be considered the “inventors” of math as a science.
FM