Matthias Breitinger, "'SYRIZA Is Acting Responsibly': Interview with Yanis Varoufakis"

[Monthly Review]

Q. Even if Tsipras became prime minister, he would have to continue the austerity measures, because the Greek government is spending more than it takes in. Isn't he deceiving his voters? A. Of course, there's no way around poverty and hardship. The Greeks know that, too. But to put it bluntly: hardship is one thing; an austerity policy based on the theory that the public debt can be reduced by lowering public spending and raising taxes at the same time is quite another thing. Greece, Portugal, and Spain have also shown that this course just doesn't work.

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[blindpig]

Of course, there's no way around poverty and hardship. The Greeks know that, too. But to put it bluntly: hardship is one thing; an austerity policy based on the theory that the public debt can be reduced by lowering public spending and raising taxes at the same time is quite another thing. Greece, Portugal, and Spain have also shown that this course just doesn't work.

So the immiseration of the people is a given, it is the theory to which they object , nice. Of course they are 'theoretically' correct, it don't work for anything but to fill the banker's coffers, yet they would commit their people to slightly less drastic but still long term suffering, all to prop up the tottering ediface of capitalism, whose side are they on? They write the script for KKE, confirming all criticism.

(bolding added)

[Dhalgren]

This is correct: "there's no way around poverty and hardship" - if all resources continue to be siphoned away from the people and into the coffers of the capitalists! Why will no one "see" this? How can these "populist" politicians continue to advocate for austerity for the sole benefit of the top three or four percent of the population? The KKE doesn't even have to work at this, all they have to do is point and say, "Look" - it is that "out in the open".

It is like Mitt saying that the American people want to layoff firefighters and police, not to mention nursing home attendants, ambulance drivers, EMTs, teachers, highway maintenance personnel, park rangers, lifeguards, and on and on. This is how the American political system plans on "fixing" the "economic downturn" - lay off people until it fixes itself. And Romney is saying out loud what Obama plans in silence.

The worldwide ruling class is determined to turn back the clock by about two hundred years. We should all brush-up on our Dickens...

[blindpig]

The worldwide ruling class is determined to turn back the clock by about two hundred years. We should all brush-up on our Dickens...

I can hear the knitting needles...

Only thing they're fixing is finances of the upper 10%, the ruling class and their immediate minions. It looks like early 19th century liberal economics to me, all public expenditure reserved for the purposes of the owning class with some kind of trickle down effect as a footnote. So yeah, 200 years.