Lets Make History

About six months ago I had a conversation with a coworker that went something like this:
'I'm worried about my kids, what kind of world will we be leaving them'
"I'm thinking that it will be one where governments have become irrelevant"you
'What do mean?'
"Well take the Ebola outbreak for example.  The quickest and most effective responders were the NGO's like Doctors Without Borders."
...

Here we are six months later. And guess what, we now have another example where the governments may well prove to be irrelevant. Thom Feeny, in what may have been a genius move, has started an Indiegogo project to crowd source a Greek bailout.  Just one guy taking action has sparked action by 84,731 people.

The European governments have been dithering over this for months.  This may be a historic opportunity to demonstrate once again the increasing irrelevance of government in the 21st Century,  I say may as it is going to take a much larger effort by an order of magnitude. It's going to take something on the order 540 million people donating their 3 Euros to raise 1.6 billion,

An impossible task!

No, not really. Merely difficult. It is estimated that there are over 3.7 billion users on the internet.  All we have to do is get 1 out of 6 to donate 3 Euros (~ $3.25).

Now at this point, one might ask 'Why should we bail out the Greeks'? There are a number of reasons:

• Who are we to throw stones?  
• The US national debt is over 18.3 Trillion dollars; while Greece is at 379 Billion euros.
• In 2013, the US federal deficit was 4% of the GDP while Greece's was 2.1%
• How can we castigate them for being irresponsible when they borrow less and spend less
• The Greek people have no more control over their politicians then we do.
• A sense of nationalism:
• We <nation name> can't let the Europeans hog all the glory of a successful crowd funded bailout.
• For communists it would be 'We can't let the capitalist, imperialist, warmongers do better at supporting the proletariat of Greece then we do'
• The Russians might take the position; 'What a neat way to stick our finger in Western Europe's eye'
• ...
• A sense of equity.  Many feel that all bailouts are bad and undeserved. Are not the Greek people just as deserving of a bailout as the 951 corporations that received $615 Billion as part of the of the 2009 financial system bailout? At 1.6 billion, the Greeks seem like mere pikers by comparison.
• A exercise in direct democracy, 21st century style.  Funding is one of the primary activities of a government.  Here we are, we, the people are doing what the governments can't or won't do.
• An opportunity to make history.  Imagine telling the grand kids how grandpa once helped save Greece.
• It's the right thing to do.  Plain and simple.  If we want to live in a world where people help other people, then we must help other people.  This a bailout for the Greek people not the government.  It will give them a second chance to get their house in order and is worth doing.

Still not convinced?  That's OK.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  Still, go ahead and share this with your friends, family and acquaintances.  Give them an opportunity to make up their own minds.

If you are convinced there are 2 things you can do:

1. Contribute.  Every Euro helps.
2. Get the word out. Post it and share it on your favorite social media site.  Email you friends. Make a YouTube video. Talk about it over dinner.  Use any and every way you can think of to communicate this idea.  It all helps build the buzz.

Besides with enough buzz, generating enough action we might be able to crash Indiegogo again.