Peter's Viewpoint

The benefits that many country leaders have taken upon themselves include luxuries that the majority of the people can only dream about.

Have you looked at the benefits that your leaders are receiving for the “patriotic” duty of your country?

I think that many people are shocked to learn about this, and so I am translating what the Greek ministers are “entitled to” as servants of their nation.  What people expect and what is actually happening within the government expenditures are completely different.

At a time where transparency and the economic crisis are major issues regarding transactions and spending by governments, citizens are rudely awakening as to how much abuse their taxes are paying for.

From the first glance at this list you may not think much of it, but the first two items make up most of their wages, and in a country where the base salary of an employee is less than 600 Euros a month, well how many benefits are your representative receiving???

• A monthly wage of 6,100 Euros
• For participation on committees, 250 Euros per hour
• Retirement after only four (4) years of service as a minister at the age of 65 with 80% of their monthly salary
• Christmas and Easter bonuses, which are equal to 1.5 times their monthly salary
• An allowance of 1,000 Euros to pay for the rental of an office
• An allowance of 1,500 Euros to pay toward the organization of their office
• An allowance of 1,000 Euros for each holiday (reasoning increase voter communications)
• Airline tickets, 104 to be exact, paid by the government
• Interest free loans from banks that can be used for both their job and their profession
• Free transportation using the bus intercity bus and trains, paid by the government
• Meals, hotels, and expenses abroad, paid by the government
• Free entrance to archeological and entertainment industry productions, (typically unaccounted for)
• Free telephone calls including up to four (4) units of the latest technology and the choice of provider, and one additionally for their home, paid by the government
• Free fuel and a luxury car, paid by the government
• Free usage of a gymnasium, sauna, childcare for their children, paid by the government
• Up to five employees, paid by the government
• An assigned body guard, a Police Officer, paid by the government
• Tax relief and other tax benefits

Paid by the government means paid by the people!

How many of these abused benefits are now being discovered.  One of the recent findings showed that the Prime Minister himself used the Learjet to transport him and others to a local area costing almost 80,000 Euros that could have been done using a regular airplane for less than half the cost and in the same amount of time.

It is apparent that the oath that the politicians of Greece swear by, translated with the original Greek and shown below, to protect the country and the people is written inconspicuous and duplicitous as it is the politicians that keep changing the laws of the land.

I swear in the name of the Holy and consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity to keep faith in the Fatherland and the democratic constitution, to obey the Constitution and laws and to discharge conscientiously my duties.

"Ορκίζομαι στο όνομα της Αγίας και Ομοούσιας και Αδιαίρετης Τριάδας να είμαι πιστός στην Πατρίδα και το δημοκρατικό πολίτευμα, να υπάκουω στο Σύνταγμα και τους νόμους και να εκπληρώνω ευσυνείδητα τα καθήκοντά μου". Ο όρκος των Βουλευτών Άρθρο 59 του Συντάγματος.

I’m not saying that people should not receive something for their service to their country but my first thoughts are, shouldn’t that be determined after their service based upon what they have positively contributed?