Reading about the man who died because he couldn't afford health care, was too young for Medicare and as a male, ineligible for Medicaid, I nearly cried.
My knee hurts so much many times, that I fantasize replacing the joint myself. Even though I know this is stupid. But I have 14 more months to wait until I'm eligible for Medicare and I'm on pins and needles expecting the damn Republican assholes to raise the age for Medicare coverage to 67. I don't think I can wait the 14th months. How can I wait another two years on top of that?
And then I live in Greece, whose economy is nearly in depression - while the EU Finance Ministers and the Greek government dithers. The government is sold on raising taxes, especially those taxes which everyone must pay. 23% for all goods and services, except food which is taxed at 13% is criminal. And now they're going to add a property tax and, of course, make it retroactive.
Tax cars, tax houses, tax food, tax your entire existence. But do they go after tax cheats? Is the state being taxed (property) like regular people? How about the church, the 2nd largest land owner in the country? The answer to every question is NO!
Yes, we can escape or we can stick around and wait for the default, which is surely coming when our dollars will restore a standard of living again - although for the rest of the country it is going to be uglier than it is now.
Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts
Friday, September 16, 2011
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Riots in Greece
I do understand some of the frustration and rage - I'm also enraged.
Enraged that when this country joined the euro zone they totally lied about the relative value of the drachma to the euro, pegging it at 340 drachmas to the euro. This caused immediate inflation from which the country has never recovered.
I'm also enraged that everyone seems to think that only they have rights and privileges. Seeing the kiosks burned because someone was burning banks angers me.
I'm enraged that the police are not allowed to do their jobs properly, even if they were so inclined. The fact that the Junta was forced out of power over 30 years ago means nothing if the country isn't willing to accept that change. The Junta is the reason why the police have to be invited onto college/university campuses. But if the police could arrest those who commit criminal acts and they would be punished by the judicial system, maybe change would occur.
But Greece is nothing if not egalitarian. The police are not punished, the politicians are not punished, nor or the ordinary citizens punished for committing crimes. We're just punished economically and through the lack of advancement.
How do you make change in such a small country that doesn't really want to change - people say they do, but then push back at every opportunity so that no one is brave enough to keep on.
Poor Greece.
Enraged that when this country joined the euro zone they totally lied about the relative value of the drachma to the euro, pegging it at 340 drachmas to the euro. This caused immediate inflation from which the country has never recovered.
I'm also enraged that everyone seems to think that only they have rights and privileges. Seeing the kiosks burned because someone was burning banks angers me.
I'm enraged that the police are not allowed to do their jobs properly, even if they were so inclined. The fact that the Junta was forced out of power over 30 years ago means nothing if the country isn't willing to accept that change. The Junta is the reason why the police have to be invited onto college/university campuses. But if the police could arrest those who commit criminal acts and they would be punished by the judicial system, maybe change would occur.
But Greece is nothing if not egalitarian. The police are not punished, the politicians are not punished, nor or the ordinary citizens punished for committing crimes. We're just punished economically and through the lack of advancement.
How do you make change in such a small country that doesn't really want to change - people say they do, but then push back at every opportunity so that no one is brave enough to keep on.
Poor Greece.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Health Care
Listening to John McCain's health care plan you have to wonder What is He Thinking? He clearly has been receiving government sponsored health care his entire life. I know I read this somewhere, but can't remember at the moment.
But the reason I'm mentioning it now is thinking about my own issues with health care. Up until 2003, my employer paid for my health care. I had an individual managed care plan that, until I turned 55, cost about $425 a month. The month I turned 55, the coverage jumped to over $800. If my employer hadn't covered me, I would never have been able to maintain coverage.
Within nine months we moved to Greece and had to provide our own coverage. We found a great carrier that provided expatriate health care at the low premium rate of $450 a month for both of us, our doctors in Seattle were in the "network," but, as usual, my pre-existing conditions were not covered. Oh, yeah - we also signed on for a $1,000/year deductible (we pay the first $1,000).
As the years went by and we grew older, the premiums went up to $550 per month. Last year I turned 60 and Michael turned 65 and our premiums went up to $1,000 per month. We looked everywhere for a plan with lower premiums without success. When we renew our coverage this summer we expect our premiums to go up once again.
If McCain thinks a tax break would help, he's more out of touch than I imagined. As to his claim of competition and lower rates, he obviously hasn't had to deal Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). HMOs were supposed to lower prices, instead they lowered coverage and added more bureaucracy to the chore of trying to stay healthy.
When I lived in the US, I had a co-pay of $20 for each prescription and every year I was forced to go to my doctor and get my prescription for my thyroid condition renewed. Here in Greece, I pay less than 4 euros (about $5.66) for a two months' supply. I am never asked to renew this prescription (after all this is a maintenance program, not something that's going to make me happy!) so I save money by not having to go to the doctor as well.
One more reason to vote for a Democrat, but neither of the last two standing had as good a plan as John Edwards.
But the reason I'm mentioning it now is thinking about my own issues with health care. Up until 2003, my employer paid for my health care. I had an individual managed care plan that, until I turned 55, cost about $425 a month. The month I turned 55, the coverage jumped to over $800. If my employer hadn't covered me, I would never have been able to maintain coverage.
Within nine months we moved to Greece and had to provide our own coverage. We found a great carrier that provided expatriate health care at the low premium rate of $450 a month for both of us, our doctors in Seattle were in the "network," but, as usual, my pre-existing conditions were not covered. Oh, yeah - we also signed on for a $1,000/year deductible (we pay the first $1,000).
As the years went by and we grew older, the premiums went up to $550 per month. Last year I turned 60 and Michael turned 65 and our premiums went up to $1,000 per month. We looked everywhere for a plan with lower premiums without success. When we renew our coverage this summer we expect our premiums to go up once again.
If McCain thinks a tax break would help, he's more out of touch than I imagined. As to his claim of competition and lower rates, he obviously hasn't had to deal Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). HMOs were supposed to lower prices, instead they lowered coverage and added more bureaucracy to the chore of trying to stay healthy.
When I lived in the US, I had a co-pay of $20 for each prescription and every year I was forced to go to my doctor and get my prescription for my thyroid condition renewed. Here in Greece, I pay less than 4 euros (about $5.66) for a two months' supply. I am never asked to renew this prescription (after all this is a maintenance program, not something that's going to make me happy!) so I save money by not having to go to the doctor as well.
One more reason to vote for a Democrat, but neither of the last two standing had as good a plan as John Edwards.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Greek Life
After having the electricity go off for the past three days now - twice today (Friday), I have learned something about Greece that I hadn't considered before. The first time we lost power was at 10:30 in the morning for half an hour. The next time was at 5:00 pm for three hours.
The Public Power Corporation employees are striking (causing rolling blackouts all over the country) because of the government's desire to consolidate the pension plans. Like the social security lockbox, the pension funds here have been looted by the politicians (actually, the politicians loot everything they can here) and the employees are afraid that the extra funds they pay for pensions will go the way of all the other pensions once they are consolidated.
But here's the epiphany I had: Why does this country accept anarchist youth and thieving politicians? Because the adults, under the banner of their trade unions are just as anarchistic and they also steal from the public. Just because you worked for the Public Power Corporation you should get free electricity for life after you retire? Give me a break. And then, if you are lucky (or strike long enough, whichever comes first) you can get your job designated as hazardous and get to retire early and collect a larger pension.
And everyone expects to pay a bribe for the most mundane activity (we wanted a garbage can closer to our home and were expected to pay 50 euro for the priviledge; we refused and waited three years until one finally showed up) to being asked to pay a 400 euro bribe to get our car through customs (we brought it from the US and paid over 3,000 euro in taxes). One pays a bribe to doctors if they want to get medical treatment, even though they have insurance.
Because most civil employees are hired to provide votes for the party in power, they have no idea about how to actually do their job.
We were told we owed 16,000 euros in back taxes for our automobile. True, it is a Jeep; but it is 10 years old and we paid taxes on it when we first brought it into the country. Because my Greek American husband has Greek citizenship we did not have to pay taxes on the car for the next three years - but the entire staff of the local tax office owes their jobs to patronage.
We resolved the issue, after five months, by paying our Greek lawyer 500 euros to get a ruling from the Ministry of Economics saying what we had been saying all along. I don't regret paying my lawyer for his work on our behalf, but I do hate that the local tax office doesn't know what the hell they're doing.
And now the dollar is worth $.48 and since all of our funds are dollar-based, it is getting a little tougher. But we're going to tough it out.
The Public Power Corporation employees are striking (causing rolling blackouts all over the country) because of the government's desire to consolidate the pension plans. Like the social security lockbox, the pension funds here have been looted by the politicians (actually, the politicians loot everything they can here) and the employees are afraid that the extra funds they pay for pensions will go the way of all the other pensions once they are consolidated.
But here's the epiphany I had: Why does this country accept anarchist youth and thieving politicians? Because the adults, under the banner of their trade unions are just as anarchistic and they also steal from the public. Just because you worked for the Public Power Corporation you should get free electricity for life after you retire? Give me a break. And then, if you are lucky (or strike long enough, whichever comes first) you can get your job designated as hazardous and get to retire early and collect a larger pension.
And everyone expects to pay a bribe for the most mundane activity (we wanted a garbage can closer to our home and were expected to pay 50 euro for the priviledge; we refused and waited three years until one finally showed up) to being asked to pay a 400 euro bribe to get our car through customs (we brought it from the US and paid over 3,000 euro in taxes). One pays a bribe to doctors if they want to get medical treatment, even though they have insurance.
Because most civil employees are hired to provide votes for the party in power, they have no idea about how to actually do their job.
We were told we owed 16,000 euros in back taxes for our automobile. True, it is a Jeep; but it is 10 years old and we paid taxes on it when we first brought it into the country. Because my Greek American husband has Greek citizenship we did not have to pay taxes on the car for the next three years - but the entire staff of the local tax office owes their jobs to patronage.
We resolved the issue, after five months, by paying our Greek lawyer 500 euros to get a ruling from the Ministry of Economics saying what we had been saying all along. I don't regret paying my lawyer for his work on our behalf, but I do hate that the local tax office doesn't know what the hell they're doing.
And now the dollar is worth $.48 and since all of our funds are dollar-based, it is getting a little tougher. But we're going to tough it out.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Greek Justice
The headline on last Thursday's Kathimerini read Furlough Rules More Stringent. I had seen these headlines before and didn't bother to read the latest outrage until this morning.
Greek criminal justice is probably the area of the greatest culture shock for me.
This particular prisoner was "a repeat child rapist on the run since 1999. He was serving a 25 year sentence for sexually abusing a minor in 1994 when he disappeared on leave. He had been previously sentenced to another two years for a similar crime in 1989..."
All I can say is WTF?
The article goes on to say that they're going to clamp down on vacations (furloughs) for repeat offenders. But what about violent crimes in general? I understand compassion - hell, I'm an admitted "bleeding heart liberal," but this is nonsensical. If better prisions are needed or the prisons are overcrowded and this furlough serves as a stress release, there must be a better way.
I'm waiting for the day when I'll read that the whole furlough concept has been reformed so that repeat and violent and/or sexual predators have lost their right to a vacation from their prison sentence. I'm sure the victims of these people are also waiting.
Greek criminal justice is probably the area of the greatest culture shock for me.
- People can pay a heftier fine in lieu of actually serving their prison sentence.
- Soccer hooligans have these vicious fights that leave people injured (sometimes severely), but they have their sentences suspended. This has recently been reformed so that they have to actually serve some time.
- Police and prison guards are not allowed to shoot people unless their lives are endangered (this is one rule I'd like to take back to the US).
- The bribery and corruption of judges and prosecutors seems to just go on and on. The latest set of trials has lasted nearly two years, it seems.
- Because of the actions of The Colonels, also known as the Greek Junta (the military dictatorship that ran Greece from 1967 to 1974) and their brutal suppression of a student demonstration at the Polytechnic University on November 17, 1973 - Greek universities are sanctuaries and the police have to be invited to enter. Well that means that they are never invited to enter and young Greek anarchists take full advantage of this fact.
This particular prisoner was "a repeat child rapist on the run since 1999. He was serving a 25 year sentence for sexually abusing a minor in 1994 when he disappeared on leave. He had been previously sentenced to another two years for a similar crime in 1989..."
All I can say is WTF?
The article goes on to say that they're going to clamp down on vacations (furloughs) for repeat offenders. But what about violent crimes in general? I understand compassion - hell, I'm an admitted "bleeding heart liberal," but this is nonsensical. If better prisions are needed or the prisons are overcrowded and this furlough serves as a stress release, there must be a better way.
I'm waiting for the day when I'll read that the whole furlough concept has been reformed so that repeat and violent and/or sexual predators have lost their right to a vacation from their prison sentence. I'm sure the victims of these people are also waiting.
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