Merkel was STUPID to lend Greece the money in the first place. They will never repay it. Its just too much for their meager economy.

Greece is filled with people who are used to getting something for nothing. Germany and the other eurozone country governments enabled them to get away with that. Now, Germany and the others need to lick their wounds and give no more. BUT, they are probably NOT going to do that as there would be political upheavals when the citizens found out they have been fleeced by their governments.

He played three.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053084/f...

He also played three in Dr. Strangelove--

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/

Great show - one of my favorites. Always liked Peter Sellars - didn't he do like half the characters?

Old Dino's rusty memory can misfire over specifics from time to time.

Me Old Dino has seen a lot.
I am also an old Peter Sellers fan.
When my ex told me she hated Peter Sellers, everything else about that marriage slid down from there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue0fZ...

It is always easier to blame someone else for one's mistakes. And it is easier for politicians to continue the same failed Socialist policies that caused the problem than to consider free- market solutions. Sell off some of its government-owned businesses to free up capital? No, the Socialist politicians want instead to play around the margins with a few meaningless 'reforms', squeeze 'the rich' - or whoever they can target- and govern by crisis.
Meanwhile, the 'leaders' of the EU, afraid their 'bad idea gone worse', bureacratic, undemocratic 'union' might collapse, revealing their failure, will always raise taxes on their own people to pay for Greece's overindulgence.
Had Ms. Merckle any convictions, she would have said "Nicht mehr!" and let Greece go its own way.
Greece would be better off, and- eventually- seeing how useless their 'union' is, every other EU country would exit and be better off.

Anyone know of a family that has a 35 year old son, living in their basement, playing video games, sucking in food and drink and not contributing either money or labor to his benefactors? That's Greece. Too bad the lady minister lost her spine and is further supporting that bum of a nation. Look at what has happened to the cradle of civilized thought through the use of entitlement thinking. "Socialism works until the money runs out." -- Margaret Thatcher How long will it take for Germany's money to run out?

Exactly!!!

Until we face total insolvency we will not do anything about the entitlements and trillions and trillions of debt.

LOL of course its someone else's fault. When you are a "progressive" its always someone else's fault when utopia fails

In a way, I suppose it is. Just as, if I make loans to unemployed people, it's my fault that I'm not going to get paid back. I should have known better.

And indeed, in current law, if I make a loan to someone knowing he will probably default, then I have committed fraud.

Only to have the plan fail because we surrendered first. (It was the US -- this movie predated the UN by at least a decade.)

Obama would, too.

Funny stuff from another socialist endeavoring to ensure this wonderful example of a socialist failure doesn't get assigned to socialism, but the oppressing successful.

This is exactly like the arguments in the US to take money form the "lucky" and greedy successful and give it to the oppressed poor.

i wondered if someone knew what i was referring too.

...AND those who were foolish enough to elect them to do their mischief!!!!!

Having long ago seen "The Mouse That Roared," my Old Dino brain envisions Peter Sellers leading a fleet of war galleys (like in the movie, Troy) to attack the United Nations with bows and arrows and quickly surrendering to receive charitable war reparation money like post Nazi Germany did.

What would one expect from a rag where they want non-citizens to vote and the Jefferson Monument to be removed? The world is turned on its head and WaPo is just the rag to give voice to nonsense like this.

No doubt, Salty. That is the tragedy behind the outrage.
The average Joe/Jane is crushed under economic collapse.

It's all "talking points" until the bank won't give you back your savings, the cash under your mattress turns to newsprint and bread can't be bought at any price.

And you're damn right - we might not be next but we're in line!

greece does not have the ability to do what germany did- start a war with their creditors in order to ultimately get 1/2 of the debt voided. greece will become the "mouse that roared" and will ultimately not have to pay the debt reduced or not until hell freezes over. welcome to the new world order.

I thought Greece was Bush's fault.

I feel sorry for the average Joe and Jill (or whatever the Greek equivalent is) who have to suffer in the end. Let's face it...just as it is here, the socialists are a very small minority, yet they're the ones who stir up the mischief. The average "man on the street" is just trying to get by. Granted, they look forward to retirement at 55, but they're not the ones who rigged the system. They are however the ones who must pay. And before we listen to our sanctimonious leaders, we, my dear friends and correspondents, are looking at ourselves in the not-too-distant future if we don't start to get our own house in order...and quickly at that!

I feel sorry (not really) for anyone who has to come up with these arguments as to how it's anyone else's fault besides the Greek gov't's