Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/07/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I just assume the main reason behind cash only is they're not paying taxes. Mark William Rabiner > From: Robert Clark <rclark01 at comcast.net> > Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:21:32 -0400 > To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > Subject: Re: [Leica] Luis and Steve > > I think they will be around in the current form as long as the EU continues > to offer bailouts but to reform the system, structural changes have to > happen. I'm not sure that's going to happen. I do know that nearly all the > restaurants where we dined did not provide us with receipts when we paid in > cash and the private hotels requested to be paid in cash rather than credit > card. Gleen from that what you will...and I do know that it adds another > cost to accept credit cards. And when we paid in cash - no receipts. Didn't > matter to me if I received one or not but for proper bookeeping and > accounting, receipts are needed. > You give a guy 100 euros for an 85 euro room, he digs in his pocket and > brings out a roll of bills and peels off a five and a ten for your change. > The 100 you gave him gets added to the roll... > > Robert Clark > Lancaster, PA > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mark Rabiner" <mark at rabinergroup.com> > To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org> > Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 5:20 PM > Subject: Re: [Leica] Luis and Steve > > >> No ones mentioning that Greece was a fascist place for most of the last >> modern decades. There is a vacuum because of those guys finally getting >> out >> and now its all of a sudden a relatively free country very late in the >> game. >> One can cast aspersions on the Greek character all we want but such a >> harsh >> social and political transition is tumultuous. It goes without saying that >> the Greek people have been around a long time and will survive this like >> they've survived everything else for thousands upon thousands of years. >> >> Mark William Rabiner >> >> >> >>> From: Robert Clark <rclark01 at comcast.net> >>> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> >>> Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:16:47 -0400 >>> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> >>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Luis and Steve >>> >>> I spent about eight days in Greece this summer and was quite interested >>> in >>> what I might find. While the historical components are fascinating, >>> there's >>> little else there. As Nathan said, they have little to nothing to export >>> to >>> the world in terms of Greek expertise. We found the country to be a >>> pleasant >>> place but with a ramshackle economy, very very poor infrastructure, and >>> many >>> dilapidated buildings/residences. Many structures had been abandoned in >>> mid-construction. The place just generally looked unkept with grass and >>> weeds everywhere and lots of people sitting around. Athens struck me as >>> an >>> organic place...it just grew up without any zoning, purpose of areas, or >>> anything of the sort. Even the administration of the ruins was >>> suspect...we >>> bought tickets for a certain archeological area and were told by the >>> ticket >>> seller it would close in two hours. We get inside and 20 minutes later, >>> they >>> were shooing us out. >>> >>>> From what I learned given Greece's tumultous recent history, there >>>> appears >>> to be no loyalty to the government but to small areas and what used to be >>> called tribes. People don't feel any obligation to do things that are >>> supportive of the country economically. On the other hand, I drove on the >>> worst roads I've ever seen and then on the best roads I've ever seen, >>> too. >>> The roads leading from the new airport are spectacular as are other >>> motorways leading south from Athens. Going east towards Delphi and then >>> to >>> Olympia, the roads quickly deteriorate to almost paved goat paths. >>> >>> Oh...things were much cheaper in Greece compared to Italy or France, too. >>> Too bad they can't export tourism. >>> >>> Robert Clark >>> Lancaster, PA >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Frank Dernie" <Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com> >>> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org> >>> Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 6:21 AM >>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Luis and Steve >>> >>> >>>> Spot on Nathan. Scary to think the only taxpayers are the public >>>> employees >>>> since that means nobody is topping up the pot at all, since tax paid by >>>> public employees goes straight into their next pay packet to be topped >>>> up >>>> by money paid in by non-paid-out-of-the-same-pot taxpayers. >>>> Greece really is a millstone. >>>> FD >>>> >>>> On 19 Jul, 2011, at 09:18, Nathan Wajsman wrote: >>>> >>>>> First of all, Greece has by far the highest debt, 160% of GDP or so, >>>>> about twice as much as the US. Secondly, the economy is backwards, >>>>> dysfunctional (basically, only public sector employees pay taxes, the >>>>> rest cheat and get away with it, at least until now). Spain has some >>>>> world-class companies, like Zara, Santander (yes, I know it is a bank, >>>>> but banks are still needed), Telefonica, bits of Airbus, high-speed >>>>> train >>>>> expertise, good medical research etc. Greece has none of those things, >>>>> just some ruins and ouzo. In the old days it could compete on costs by >>>>> devaluing its currency, the drachma, from time to time, but that >>>>> option >>>>> is not open to it inside the Euro zone. >>>>> >>>>> Finally, Greek politicians are simply crooks. They actually falsified >>>>> national accounts--think Enron on a country scale. >>>>> >>>>> Aside from its geographic location, I have a hard time thinking of >>>>> Greece >>>>> as a proper European country. They had their glory days, but that was >>>>> about 2500 years ago. >>>>> >>>>> Cheers, >>>>> Nathan >>>>> >>>>> Nathan Wajsman >>>>> Alicante, Spain >>>>> http://www.frozenlight.eu >>>>> http://www.greatpix.eu >>>>> http://www.nathanfoto.com >>>>> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws >>>>> Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Leica Users Group. >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information