Meanwhile, The Cradle Of Western Civilization Crumbles

Feeling a bit doomy-gloomy about America's financial and political morass? Cheer up! It could be worse!  Much worse...

ATHENS—Greek police clashed with youths in central Athens Wednesday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest at the Socialist government's austerity measures.

The strike has affected transport and public services, with government offices, schools and universities all shut and travel around the capital, Athens, disrupted. Athens International Airport was also closed as air traffic controllers joined the action, with no flights in and out of the country's airports. Train, bus and ferry services were canceled nationwide.

Banks are also expected to be affected while state hospitals will operate on skeleton staffing. No newspapers will be published because the journalists' union is taking part too.

The Greeks have dug themselves an enormous hole.  Building a ladder and working their way OUT of the hole doesn't seem to be on anyone's "to do" list.   Nope, they're too busy clawing each other's eyes out, spitting, and pulling hair (sound familiar?)   Citizens are pouring into the streets, businesses are shuttering their doors, their Euro-buddies have kicked them to the Euro-kerb,  and jobs are scarce...

The worker ants are screaming bloody murder:

We understand the difficulties in the economy, but the average worker can't give anything more. If the EU wants more measures, the rich and those who evade taxes should pay for it.

The Greek government, trying to save money by instituting austerity measures, has a different take on the situation:

So far, those measures include a freeze on civil-service wages, cuts in public-sector entitlements by 10% on average, a fuel tax hike and the closure of dozens of tax loopholes for certain professions—including some civil servants—who now pay less than their fair share in taxes.

Americans should take note of the goings-on in Greece, and begin calmly working to whittle down our own out-of-control entitlement programs.  We should also take a hard look at the ratio/pay structure of government workers vs. private sector workers.  If we don't roll up our sleeves and begin cleaning our house, room by room, our future could look a lot like....Greece.

And that's NOT a good thing.