Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Greece: By The Numbers
Greece: By The Numbers
Jan 29, 2026 11:46 PM

Greece’s economic problems are so prehension is difficult. Over at NPR, Greg Myre breaks it down for us.

25: The unemployment rate, and that’s probably low-balling. For those under the age of 25, the unemployment rate hovers around 50 percent.

92: The average e earned by a typical citizen is under-reported by 92 percent, on average, to the government.

Tax evasion is endemic in Greece and a major contributor to the government’s budget shortfalls. Creditors are demanding this be addressed in return for a new rescue package.

680: That’s how many people on the island of Zakynthos were receiving government benefits due to blindness. The actual number of those with severe vision problems? Closer to 180. Such scamming is rampant.

60: That’s how many euros a Greek citizen can withdraw each day from their bank, which is about $66 U.S. Of course, that is if the bank is open or the ATM actually has cash in it. It’s ing a roll of the dice.

240: 240 billion euros, that is: the amount the EU has provided Greece for bailouts in recent years.

Greeks say much of the bailout money has simply gone to pay off earlier lenders and has not been used to rebuild the Greek economy. Hence the term “extend and pretend,” that’s often used to describe the process.

2: Percent is how much Greece provides to the EU’s overall economy.

81: Percent – how many Greeks who reportedly say they wish to remain in the EU.

This may sound contradictory given Greece’s vote in Sunday’s referendum, where it rejected the terms proposed by its creditors. However, many Greeks say they want to keep close links to Europe but are tired of deals that inflict pain without leading to a solution. Critics say this shows Greece’s desire to have it both ways.

Some say Greece is too small a country to affect the rest of the EU, but others are not as optimistic. Either way, Greece is in deep, deep trouble and the coffers are very, very empty.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Pope Francis Encyclical Leak Fuels Speculations
A draft of Laudato Sii is circulating and causing an uproar. This document seems to align with climate scientists, arguing that “the bulk of global warming is caused by human activity.” However, this draft may not be the final encyclical, Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said that it is merely a “intermediate version” and not the final encyclical. Whether or not this is the final language and content that will be in the ing encyclical on the environment, much...
Why the Price System is One of God’s Artworks
At an auction in2007Andreas Gursky turned 99 cents into $3.34 million. Well, sort of. Perhaps it’d be more accurate to say he turned99 Cent II Diptychon, a photograph depicting an interior of a supermarket, into a few million. At the time this was the most expensive photograph in the world. Even more amazing is that this wasthe third print of the same image that had sold for millions. Two others sold in 2006, one for $2.25 million and another for...
Michael Miller: First Reaction to Leaked Encyclical Draft
Michael Matheson Miller, Research Fellow and Director of Acton Media at the Acton Institute: “Pope Francis has spoken consistently about the need to end exclusion for the world’s poor. Since the environmental movement often neglects the challenges of the poor, it will be interesting to see how the encyclical addresses the call to environmental stewardship in the context of poverty and economic development. “ ...
Court to U.S. Army: You Allow Vampire Mickey Mouse Tattoos, Why Not a Turban?
If the Army can make an exception to its regulations for a vampire Mickey Mouse tattoo, why can it not do the same for a turban? That was part of a federal court’s thinking in a ruling ordering the Army to allow a Sikh college student to join his college’s NROTC unit without having to shave his beard, cut his hair, or remove his turban. Iknoor Singh, a junior at Hofstra University and an observant Sikh, has “long dreamed of...
Dory Rowing in the Canyon: Where Work and Wonder Meet
One day, while riding down the Colorado River, Amber Shannon suddenly realized her vocation. “I really wanted to row little wooden boats down big rapids with big canyon walls,” she says. “That was the life dream.” Although it may sound impractical to some, tour guide John Shocklee calls being a boatman in the Grand Canyon “the most coveted job in the world.” “It’s definitely easier to get a PhD than it is to get a dory here in the Grand...
Kishore Jayabalan: Initial Thoughts on Encyclical Leak
Kishore Jayabalan, Director of Istituto Acton in Rome: “The fact that this draft has been leaked well in advance of the encyclical’s official release shows the great interest in what Pope Francis has to say about the environment. To be sure, he will frame the issues in Christian terms, as the pope must always do. My concern is that he will blame the market economy for basically all our environmental degradation and neglect the very important role private property and...
Have Christian Female Entrepreneurs Changed The World?
Christina M. Weber says that Christian women have been trail-blazers in showing us how to balance family life, work and worship. In the 20th century, Weber says that political ideologies tried to break down family life. Marxists munists promoted disconnection between children and their parents with patible work schedules. They also destabilized marriages with the encouragement of promiscuity and lust. The agenda—dependence on the state above family and God — fueled the economic and political goals of their leaders. But...
Rev. Sirico: Environmental Encyclical May Fall Prey To Politics
Speaking on The Steve Malzberg Show on Newsmax TV on Friday, Rev. Robert Sirico addressed questions regarding the new papal encyclical, Laudato Si’, which reportedly will be released this week. mented on Pope Francis’ tendency to speak “off the cuff,” saying this may be exploited by the press or others who simply want to push their own agenda regarding the environment and climate change. Sirico also expressed trepidation regarding the pontiff’s plan to address a joint session of Congress during...
Crank Up The Air Conditioning: It’s Good For The Economy
If you are of a “certain age,” you grew up without air conditioning. As unthinkable as it is now, we made due with window screens and fans. And we survived. Honestly, it was pretty miserable sometimes. Especially if your dad happened to have a vinyl recliner that you sat on during hot, humid August days watching Brady Bunch re-runs. Peeling yourself off one of those is an experience that will scar you forever. Air conditioning is more than just a...
5 Facts About the Magna Carta
Today marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. Here are five facts about this English documentwhich helped to establish the rule of law: 1. Magna Carta (Latin for “the Great Charter”), also called Magna Carta Libertatum (Latin for “the Great Charter of the Liberties”), was a peace treaty between King John of England and rebel barons that was sealed on June 15, 1215. Magna Carta established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved