Latvia Required to Steal from Poor and Give to Rich for Emergency Loan

They are getting emergency loans from the EU and IMF to the tune of about €7.5 billion, and they come with an austerity package.

The bullet points on the austerity package:

• Public sector wages are to be slashed by 15%
• BTW, this will increase corruption in the public sector, because bureaucrats gotta eat too....Decent wages is the best line of defense against a culture of corruption in the public sector.
• The VAT (sales tax) is to be increased.
• Which hits poor people harder.
• The income tax is to be cut.
• Free money for the rich.

Mostly, this is to keep their currency, the Lat, fixed relative to the Euro in preparation for joining the monetary union.

It also has the effect of benefiting rich creditors over poor debtors...See
William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech.

The country is in trouble: Save the rich, burn the poor for fuel.