I think that giving stuff out for "free" tends to make people less inclined to procure the same goods at their own expense, or as a result of the fruits of their own labour.
And anyway: nothing is free. Everything has a cost, everything costs money to produce.
But the one thing that really struck me as highly symptomatic of the Greek mentality was this:
"Among the people lining up was
Panayiota Sidera, 31, from Athens. She said she has been unemployed for
two-and-a-half years and her husband is also out of a job. The couple is
living on a (euro) 250 monthly disability pension and rent from an
apartment they own, and has a (euro) 540-a-month loan installment to
pay."
She says:
"That's my predicament, she said, adding that the food handout ‘is helping people, and I'm grateful."
"The government should have been doing this years ago."
Now, the nature of the disability is not clear, nor is it clear who has the disability, but it does seem very odd that at least one half of a married couple could not find a single job in the entire city of Athens for two and a half years.
The people in the line up also look relatively able bodied, young, pretty healthy and certainly not emaciated or starving.
This is going to get much worse before it gets any better.
