NEO magazine, August 2010: The Pacific Pulse

The Pacific Pulse Share \|
	Loose Talk on Greek Street With all the economic turmoil going on in our beloved Greece, NEO went on a mission to the streets of San Francisco’s Bay Area to speak to young Greek Americans and get some opinions. When asked about their feelings on Greece‘s issues, many were quite opinionated and passionate about their answers. Obviously, even though living in California, the problems in Greece hit close to home for many of these young individuals, with family and friends being affected directly. In conclusion, it is refreshing to see that young Greek Americans with roots from all over Greece are keeping themselves educated on the current issues in their homeland. Check out what they had to say… By Andrea Photopoulos

	“As for Greece, they have a common issue that affects many other nations. Fundamentally; they've had a declining birthrate for decades. Thus; there are less and less young workers available to pay taxes to support the pension systems. The same is occurring in the US as well. Recognizing the aging population issue, the Greek government is paying bonuses to couples to have more kids. My cousin Petro is being paid a few hundred Euros a month by the government for having a third child. The Euro currency is also a constraint for Greece. She no longer has any independent ability to set central bank interest rates or define currency policy for the benefit of her people. My aunt is on a fixed retirement income, and she sees her purchasing power decline year after year. And with increased VAT tax on goods coming into law this year, it will get worse. However; in the end, it is the overly relaxed work week that has been a major contributor to the detriment of Greece. Nations today can scarcely be industrially competitive with a 30 hour workweek and a labor force that repeatedly goes on strike as a national pastime. My mom is from Chios and my paternal grandparents are from Rhodes” -Chris Vurnis age 36 Engineer in Semiconductor Industry.

	“I think Greece deserves what's happening to it. People long abused the system they have in place, one that was created and supported by corrupt politicians who the people elected to keep in office. Everyone wants to be a socialist, but you have to pay to be one and no one wants to pay, they just want to -get- paid. Personally it doesn't affect me in a direct way. Most of my family lives there, but I live here. I holiday there occasionally and all I can think when people bring up politics and economics, despite not being a fan of how our country is run all the time is, "USA! USA! USA!" and make myself a frappe /irony. My dad is from Nea Kios and my mom is from Sparta.” - Georgia T age 27, self employed.

	“I think the current state of the Greek economy sucks, like how they are in debt, etc. I don’t follow politics very well, but I can only imagine that they are going through what we in the US went through and are still going through. My mother is from Tripoli and Kastoria, and my father is from Astros and Megalopoli (Arkadia).” - Maria Leles age 21, college student at Sacramento State.

	“Though I do not know much about what is truly going on in Greece, I still feel sad. I want things to get better for them and I am sure they will pull through! I have faith in my fellow Greeks that they will get out of the hole they are in. My mom is from Sparta and Tripoli and my dad is from Stranza, Greece.”-Elaine Sahines age 26, nanny.

	“I think this economy crisis is impacting those newer to the workforce or those trying to enter it for the first time. It's hard to get ahead and plan for the future when our futures are so uncertain. We're not sure what new obstacles will present themselves in years to come, in regards to employment, banking, housing, and education, or which obstacles will be removed in time. My family is from Chrystostomos, Ikaria.” -Lila Louise Gemellos age 25, artist and founder of “No Paradigm Designs”

	“My family has not been directly affected yet but I fear most Greeks will see a short to medium term (2-5yrs) drop in their quality of life. The solution to Greece's problem is the same as the US, they need real job creation. People think Greeks are not hard workers but 2008 OECD data shows Greek workers logged the most hours of any country after South Korea - 2100+hrs avg. Meanwhile, German workers were almost last at 1500hrs average annual worked and US was in the middle. Regardless of economic situations I will be going to the Greek Islands this summer because....it’s in the blood, I have to see some real clear blue water! My family is from Kalymnos, Greece” - George Bakas age 42, Strategic US Account Manager.

	“In a nutshell it all starts with the financial sector. Once that is fixed, then the rest will mend itself. Sort of like US. Here we have some CEOs that make way too much $$$ and that looks bad. Thank You! Forever young! My father is from Thessaloniki and my mom is from Kokkoni, Korinth.” -Demetri Papadopoulos age 32, Real Estate Management.

	“Though Greek people have felt the pain of the Eurodollar on a daily basis for over 10 years following the country’s political powers abandoning the Drachma as its main currency, it is now that the world sees how the rich continue to get richer and the poor stay poor front and center. Is this failed economy because of Greeks? Not really. When you trace who “helped” initiate the failure to come – it is none other than the best USA bank Goldman Sachs. Just as we in the USA do not elect politicians because they are good, but rather choose the “lesser of two evils”, and it is the people of Greece who were the innocent people who did not have a chance at seeing what was about to hit them. So Greeks are staying Greek, finding ways to cope without the support of their leaders, without money and without a flourishing economy. My family is from Ikaria, Greece.” - Stephania R.P. Panayotopoulos age 27, owner of “For My Sweet P”/Freelance PR Consultant.