The dislocation of the middle class

Sound familiar!

By Nikos Xydakis
The pension cuts announced by PASOK’s socialist administration in the name of fiscal reform are essentially a shameless embezzlement of social security contributions.
Even those of us who have retired with an early -- and reduced -- pension have paid full contributions for 25 or 30 years of employment. So have, of course, those people who have worked for more than 35 years.
The government is not trimming some welfare benefits; it is rather slashing pensions which have been paid for with decades of social security contributions.  http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite3_6_23/09/2011_407799

Greek workers strike, protest against brutal austerity measures

Tens of thousands of Greek public transport workers, teachers, civil servants and air traffic controllers walked out Thursday to protest the latest round of brutal austerity measures announced the day before by the PASOK government of George Papandreou. The massive cuts in jobs and pensions, on top of previous measures, will mean destitution for wide layers of the Greek population. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/sep2011/gree-s23.shtml

Greece accelerates austerity cuts in return for aid

The Greek people get the shaft! The Greek government gets a bribe to screw its own people. The carrot and the stick!

The Greek government is to impose tougher austerity measures in a move to persuade international lenders to give it more bailout funds.

A cabinet meeting on Wednesday agreed to further cuts in pensions, to extend a property tax, and to put tens of thousands of public workers on notice.
It follows two days of tough talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European authorities.
Some state pensions will be cut by up to 20%, a government official said.
The Greek cabinet met for more than six hours to discuss further austerity measures in return for an 8bn-euro (£6.9bn) tranche of aid needed to avoid default.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15011770