I highly recommend this blog to anyone who is a macro economic mayhem maven.
http://economistmeg.com/ Letter of appreciation to Ms. Greene for her informative work:
I am an avid reader of your distinguished blog specifically dedicated to covering the ongoing developments in the embattled Eurozone. Your take is always well considered, and often ahead of the curve. You are clearly a must read resource for those of us closely following the unfolding events of this fascinating, complex, and in many ways tragic saga. I very much appreciate you graciously sharing your insightful comprehensive work with us, and sincerely thank you.
I too have been in Athens on two disparate occasions during the last four difficult years, and have witnessed for myself the riots & suffering of those most directly affected by the crisis. It is certainly true that the substantial social benefits & national welfare programs offered to the Greek people, were grossly excessive, irresponsible, and utterly unsustainable fiscally. It is equally true that those most responsible for these reckless policy imbalances, have been and will be the least affected by the necessary austerity measures, which must continue to be imposed on the population at large, in order to attempt to rectify the untenable situation. However, along with leadership should come responsibility.
There can be little doubt that the avaricious international banking community was clearly complicit, along with the disgracefully corrupt Greek politicians and high ranking government officials, as well as many of the Ionian elites at the highest levels of society, in the near total abrogation of their authoritative responsibilities. They completely failed the common man, who understandably counted on them for proper sustainable governance. Simply put, the provincial woman on the streets of Athens pushing her Gyro cart up the steep hills of Kolonaki, is certainly less responsible for the lamentable state of affairs her beloved country finds itself in, than those whom should have clearly known better.