Sunday, February 26, 2012

Bring many forms and your stool

ekathimerini - It took 10 months, a fat bundle of paperwork, countless certificates, long hours of haggling with bureaucrats and overcoming myriad other inconceivable obstacles for one group of young entrepreneurs to open an online store. As e-commerce continues to gain ground apace abroad, and even Greeks seem to be warming to the idea of Internet shopping, opening an online store based in Greece is no job for the fainthearted.

.....Antonopoulos and his partners spent hours collecting papers from tax offices, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the municipal service where the company is based, the health inspector’s office, the fire department and banks. At the health department, they were told that all the shareholders of the company would have to provide chest X-rays, and, in the most surreal demand of all, stool samples. Hat tip Crusader Rabbit.

Back when the EU appointed the interim prime minister of Greece, many of us were worried that the democratic process was being pushed aside. After all there was no election, no voting, he was just 'appointed'. But then we didn't know how bad things really were in Greece. We knew they've been living off borrowed money and were essentially spending far more than they were earning. But it seems that's just scratching the surface.

I've had to deal with 3rd world bureaucracies in a previous life so I have an idea of what they're like. There are endless queues, lots of wretched forms asking all sorts of seemingly pointless and intrusive questions. There are many, many departments you have to trudge around to and it takes weeks and weeks if not months. And in many cases you had to grease the odd palm to get things moving again.

However bad as it may have been, they never ever asked for a stool sample for anything, let alone to open a store. No wonder the Germans as so angry.

It makes you wonder if the EU appointing a PM for the Greeks was such a bad idea, I mean they're freaking crazy asking for stool samples. If nothing else, it weakens their case for self-governance, especially when they owe others so much money.

11 comments:

Silverfiddle said...

Greece will declare bankruptcy, it's just a matter of time...

Right Truth said...

Stool, pee, blood,DNA, ... Not surprised at anything any more

Debbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

KG said...

It's a wonder they didn't ask for the sacrifice of the first-born while they were at it.
Although, in a sense, they already have. Future generations will be paying this debt off.

Always On Watch said...

At the health department, they were told that all the shareholders of the company would have to provide chest X-rays, and, in the most surreal demand of all, stool samples.

Bureaucracy run amok. Literally.

Always On Watch said...

Linked at my site.

Matt said...

And they wonder why no one has jobs?

Oh wait, I'm sure that more government will make it all better, right?

Z said...

WHY a STOOL SAMPLE? Gad!

Jim at Conservatives on Fire said...

I guess they have to keep their stool inspectors busy, don't you think?

Average American said...

Stool samples?? In Greece??

Oh, right, Greece---nevermind.

Average American said...

Damn thing just ate my comment---GRRRRRRR.

Imagine that, needing stool samples in Greece, Er, I always thought that was an old wives tale.

MathewK said...

Thanks all for stopping by, spread the word folks, before this kind of craziness invades our shores.