Syriza Imitates the US - on immigration

One of the worst trait of knee-jerk lefties around the world, or here actually, is an lazy anti-Americanism.  For a country like Greece, that does not make sense.  There are many ways in which America could benefit from imitating Greek attitudes on food, family, and work-life balance.

But Greece really needs to copy American ideals such as meritocracy, faith in democratic institutions (courts, etc.), taking more personal responsibility for civic life  (volunteerism, citizens boards), and above all not asking what your country can do for you but what can you for your country.  

One way our meritocracy manifests itself is an immigrant can come to America and instantly feel like an American, and more importantly know a child born here is automatically an American citizen.  

Unlike the U.S. or Canada, most old world nation's determine citizenship by blood or heritage. For instance, in Greece there are generations of Greek-born Albanians who despite that birth are officially Albanian citizens. The same was true for Turks in Germany, northern Africans in France, etc.  That is starting to change in Europe, though not everywhere, but in a very progressive move changed this week in Greece courtesy of Syriza. 

On Tuesday, Alternate Migration Policy Minister Tasia Christodoulopoulou announced that Greek nationality would be granted to all migrants' children who were born and raised in Greece. She added that this would apply to even those who were not born here, but came to Greece at very young age and finished school here.

That is huge!  Congrats to Syriza for that very humane and logical move, AND for imitating the U.S. too.

My Quick Take on the Looming Greek Elections

Unlike the last time they went to the polls, the fate of the world may not be decided by the Greek electorate on January 25th.  The German banks that were repaid by the troika - IMF, European Central Bank, European Commission - that bailed out Greece two years ago are liquid again; since they have gotten their money Germany apparently does not fear a Greek exit from the eurozone if Syriza wins.

Though the leader of that party, Kosta Tsipras, is a loon a vote for Syriza does have some good points, mainly as a vote in opposition to the austerity measures forced on Greece and other eurozone nations like Spain, Ireland and Italy. It's striking to see Europe cling to austerity; their economies are so weak that Greece - GREECE - was one of only 3 eurozone nations that saw economic growth in 2014.

Contrast that with the U.S., where President Obama - with robust Democratic majorities in the House and Senate - went in the other direction and passed a stimulus bill in 2009 that kept our economy above water and paved the way for a robust recovery that is still picking up steam. Republicans wanted to push cuts in spending and emulate the European elites they supposedly despise.

But the German banks were repaid so that's all that matters to the EU.

Also unlike the last elections in 2012, eurozone leaders do not seem that alarmed about Greece possibly leaving the common currency.  Again, their banks have recovered so Greece, which is only 2 percent of the European economy, is back to being a blip on the radar screen.

But having an EU nation drop their common currency seems awfully cynical, politically.  The economic union of Europe was supposed to herald a era of continental cooperation and integration.  Has the EU stopped aspiring to those lofty political and cultural goals?  Seems like it.

While I would love to see an anti-austerity party win the Greek elections, and see an anti-austerity movement pick up steam in Europe, I can't get behind Syriza. It's ironic that they are somewhat anti-American - Syriza has threatened to kick the U.S. Navy out of Crete, opposes sanctions against Putin, etc. - when what Greece really needs is to emulate the U.S. and become a meritocracy, embrace immigrants (which Greece USED to do), and convince the E.U. - from the inside, instead of dropping out of the eurozone - to try an Obama-style stimulus instead of austerity. 

Greek voters may decide world economy's future

"Greek voters may decide world economy's future."  That's the headline, on page A15, for one of the Washington Post's 3 articles on today's Greek elections.

For most peoples, that headline would be a bit intimidating.  But Greek voters have decided the fate of the world's future before. We did it at Thermopylae, at Marathon, at Guagamela.  We were the first nation to defeat the Axis Powers in World War II.*  We established three of the greatest cities of all time in Athens, Constantinople and Alexandria.  

We may even smite Germany in soccer this week.

Bring it on.

Like many Greek-Americans, I have gone through bouts of hand wringing in anticipation of today's vote (which, by the way, will likely be inconclusive).  

I don't like the idea that New Democracy, the centrist party seen as the counterbalance to the leftist Syriza, winning today.  They are the heirs to George Bush in Greek politics; they cooked the books and lied to the EU about Greece's debt and ran the country into the ground, leaving a mess for Barack Obama/PASOK (the traditional Greek left party) to clean up.  Voting for them would be like rewarding Mitt Romney with the presidency in November so he can do what Bush 41 did to the economy: tax breaks for the wealthy and no regulation of our criminal financial sector. 

But my loathing of New Democracy is not the main reason I hope Syriza wins today.  No, after much internal debate I actively hope Syriza wins so that finally, a political party and more importantly a people will stand up to the barbarians (AGAIN in the case of Greece) and say NO to austerity.

Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras wants to keep Greece in the euro zone, but he - and the battered Greek people - also want the troika of the European Central Bank, World Bank and IMF to compromise and give Greece a better deal.  

[Syriza will also - and finally - start collecting more taxes from wealthy Greeks, a huge part of the problem with the nation's financial crisis.] 

Most Greeks believe, and liberal economists such as Paul Krugman agree, that the current bailout deal has mainly helped German banks recoup their money.  However, the bailout and debt repayment schedule has NOT helped Greece's economy grow.  It has devastated the Greek health care system and shaken Greek civic society and even bruised the arrogant Greek psyche.  

Austerity and only caring about paying back your debts is not a successful program for any nation, as the U.S. can attest, and does not lead to growth.

How Greek voters react today will beg the big question for Angela Merkel and Germany.  It's time to act like a responsible nation, but will they? The Germans fashioned the current monetary union for Europe - and have benefitted like no other nation on the continent.  

If Syriza wins and forms a government, Germany will be asked: do they care more about Europe?  Or do they, and Merkel, mainly care about protecting German banks from their willfully-made bad investments?  

The Germans should compromise, and renegotiate Greece's debt repayment, if they are serious about the euro and saving Europe.  Doing so would go a long way in deciding the fate of the world's economy.  It can't always be the Greeks!

But as has often happened in our planet's history, the Greeks will have to decide the world's future one more time, in this instance by rejecting austerity today.