What's the matter with Spain?

alevin said:
The German college students and their visitor-friends- young German worker tourists I knew or met-20 years ago-were jealous of US college student freedoms to choose what they wanted to study post-secondary. they said in Germany, they pretty much had the career path choices made for them while still in secondary school, what they would study post-secondary. basically impossible to change careers once started on a career path, also practically impossible to decide to relocate somewhere else in the country even if they wanted to-due to the career path chosen for them in their local area-if I understood the complaints-which I think I did. was hard for me to wrap my brain around their self-described socio-economic limitations-sounded like Soviet Union to me tho I never said that to them, just thought it to myself as I shook my head outwardly in empathy at their woes.
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Yah, yah ist immer die selbe. That is likely wrong grammatically but means what I hear now is the same. Yes. I do currently know two German students. Of course we know students always complain. They are pretty much locked in to what they were classified to do in secondary school. Sounds a little like socialism? Perhaps better than having several thousand unemployed people with a BS in gender studies or library science?

alevin said:
The young Swedish students I met 30 years ago complained that half their income was taxed, yes, literally 50%. again, I shook my head in disbelief and incredulousness. Sweden's doing better than other European countries even now, I'm not sure what the differences are in their society that make it all work-tho they had some kind of banking crisis years ago that they resolved quite differently than we have the past several years.
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Swedish students were complaining that their income was taxed? Were they working or projecting the future? Young people like to complain. They may be doing better now due to making everyone contribute to the country in some way. I know nothing about Swedes these days.

Cheers alevin
 
PessOptimist said:
I am quite sure you did what you could.

Those of us who do know people living in the UK or Europe know that they do complain about the cost of things, including medical care and education.

When I see the statements made here and there about the wonderful, free medical and education systems of Europe, I wonder what these acquaintances of mine (German and British) are actually complaining about. Is it lodging? Cell phones? Books? The car and driver training? Perhaps the tuition if they want opportunities for the children not offered under the free system?

I will never know as these subjects do not seem to be open to discussion in the groups where I see these people. FWIW, my generation amongst these acquaintances are mostly employed. The children are mostly students.

PO
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The German college students and their visitor-friends- young German worker tourists I knew or met-20 years ago-were jealous of US college student freedoms to choose what they wanted to study post-secondary. they said in Germany, they pretty much had the career path choices made for them while still in secondary school, what they would study post-secondary. basically impossible to change careers once started on a career path, also practically impossible to decide to relocate somewhere else in the country even if they wanted to-due to the career path chosen for them in their local area-if I understood the complaints-which I think I did. was hard for me to wrap my brain around their self-described socio-economic limitations-sounded like Soviet Union to me tho I never said that to them, just thought it to myself as I shook my head outwardly in empathy at their woes.

The young Swedish students I met 30 years ago complained that half their income was taxed, yes, literally 50%. again, I shook my head in disbelief and incredulousness. Sweden's doing better than other European countries even now, I'm not sure what the differences are in their society that make it all work-tho they had some kind of banking crisis years ago that they resolved quite differently than we have the past several years.
 
What's the matter with spain?

It's the rain, duh. It falls mainly on the plain. Even the kids know that. Storm clouds a comin.
 
Hmmm. Food for thought.

Since the friends I keep up with are in the UK and Germany I suppose I really don't know how it's really going over there. I lost track of the Greeks and Spainards.

I do know that one German friend was "down sized" several years ago and after a period of time hired back as "part time" She said it had something to do vis benifitz. Her husband has been working outside the country for years. Something to do vis benifitz auch. Their unemployment rate seems pretty low. Of course, how is it reported?

We may soon find out what it is like to deal with these type of problems.
 
PessOptimist said:
Are you implying something there, amigo?
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One thing that I do know about Spain is that it is almost impossible to get a permanent job, employers only hire temps in order to dodge the costs of government regulations. The Unions and the Nanny State have made it so difficult to fire an employee that they can't afford to hire anyone permanently, they end up owning them for LIFE! The result is Jobs numbers of over 25% unemployment.
FEED the MONKEY!
chimp-bouncing-on-feet.gif
​
 
nnuut said:
They were way to far gone when I arrived, all I could do is help the bar owners out with my nightly visits.
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I am quite sure you did what you could.

Those of us who do know people living in the UK or Europe know that they do complain about the cost of things, including medical care and education.

When I see the statements made here and there about the wonderful, free medical and education systems of Europe, I wonder what these acquaintances of mine (German and British) are actually complaining about. Is it lodging? Cell phones? Books? The car and driver training? Perhaps the tuition if they want opportunities for the children not offered under the free system?

I will never know as these subjects do not seem to be open to discussion in the groups where I see these people. FWIW, my generation amongst these acquaintances are mostly employed. The children are mostly students.

PO
 
Sound Familiar?:suspicious:
[h=1]Spain's regional governments: How they got into trouble[/h]By Laurence Knight Business reporter, BBC News
Spain's 17 regional governments are a big part of the country's financial problems.
Like the regional savings banks, they are victims of the country's property boom and bust.
During the boom years, regional government tax revenues were swelled by stamp duties on property sales, and by income taxes paid by immigrants that came to work on the country's construction sites.
The boom was felt most strongly on the Mediterranean coast, where hotels were built for tourists and villas for pensioners and the wealthy.
The regional governments also found themselves spending more - on big infrastructure projects, on education for the immigrants' children, as well as on providing increasingly expensive healthcare, especially for the growing elderly population.
Then the bust came.
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BBC News - Spain's regional governments: How they got into trouble
 
The E.U. dominoes are starting to fall.... The German's have to let the ECB, and ESFS step in soon or plan for a breakup of the Euro Zone.
 
Are there any alphabet letters left after p,i,i,g,s ? f? A sovereign should never give up the prerogative to coin money.
 
nnuut

nnuut

Moderator | TSP Legend
Is this the beginning of the end of the EURO?:confused:

15 November 2011 Last updated at 11:51 ET
By Laurence Knight Business reporter, BBC News
What's the matter with Spain?

_56730644_bullsmall.jpg

The next Spanish government will find itself on the horns of a nasty economic dilemma


Whoever wins Spain's general election on Sunday - and it looks likely to be the opposition conservatives - will face a potentially unsolvable economic dilemma.
They may also face a major financial crisis.
Because, with Italy having now joined Greece, Portugal and the Irish Republic on the eurozone critical list, it is looking like Spain will be next.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15734280
 
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