Thank you. I've always prided myself on my elegant speech, geniality and ability to make friends.
Was there a specific topic you wanted to discuss with people when you started this thread? I find that the more specific the question or comment, the greater the likelihood that people will take one's post seriously. For example, did you want to solicit opinions as to how Greece could solve its current problems? Or did you want to discuss ways that other European countries could help Greece, or ways that you think other countries could have acted differently in order to make Greece's problems less severe? And maybe you could consider the possibility that starting a thread by flinging insults at people, much in the manner of a money flinging feces, will mainly attract those of us who like a good fight.
As for the current financial crisis, it seems to have started in the U.S. in 2008 and spread out from there. Many European banks got burned for billions buying U.S. mortgage backed securities that proved to be worthless. And the resulting financial belt tightening hit hardest those countries that had been acting financially irresponsible for a long time and that had run up a lot of debt or reduced their ability to collect the taxes needed for their government to function properly. Canada did in fact sidestep a lot of those problems, so was less impacted by the financial meltdown than many other countries, because we had years of relatively good government from the Liberal party. But the Conservatives are in power here now, and are doing a lot of stupid things that will blow up on us in the long run. So perhaps by the times Greece has finished treating the movie The Hunger Games as a public policy manual and your economy is slowly beginning to revive, Canada will be in the financial sewer. Political and economic decisions have long term implications, and most countries largely have their own governments to blame for their problems (except for those countries that are invaded by their neighbours).