YouTube Solution to Fakelaki Problem

Kathimerini reported today that kickbacks, or the famous "fakelaki", cost Greeks 613 million euros in 2007 . On average, bribes to grease the ridiculous public sector amounted to just over 1,300 euros, while the private sector, such as lawyers and doctors (who should be stripped of their right to practice considering the insult to the "oath") received over 1,500 euros.

While the politicians point fingers for whose at fault (while scurrying to the bank to deposit some money themselves), the reality is that the only way out of this madness is broad scale sting operations to publicly humiliate, fine and even jail offenders. After all, wouldn't it be better to invest over 600 million euros in other ways.... reforestation, public works or employment programs?

Now, since it is likely that many in government (ha! if not all) benefit from this practice, I see the You Tube generation needing to take this into its own hands.

• 1st stop - ALL major TV networks and other media for immediate and frequent airings
• 2nd stop - Greece's treasury dept. to collect fines for the offense (fine should be a multiplier of fakelaki collected to account for amounts received in past 5 years plus taxes that should have been paid on this income).
• 3rd stop - Percentage of fee returned to the sting operative as reward for helping remedy one of the country's most serious ills.
  

After all, if the hand is at risk of being punished, perhaps they'd think twice about putting it in the cookie jar.