Greece, it seems, invented democracy, philosophy, scientific inquiry, art and architecture--and then called it a day, some say 3500 years past its prime. Yesterday, the European Union temporarily rescinded Greece's voting rights until the Greeks can put their finances in order--also perhaps as retribution for hiding their insolvency behind currency swaps. It is more symbolic than anything on the part of the EU to suspend Athens for this one inconsequential vote, but it is really a shock to the idea of suzerainty and self-determination are betrays some of the EU's latent power. Last week Germany refused to toss the Greeks a life-line in the form of an American-style bailout, which proved wildly popular with the Germans who don't believe that the dissolute should be funded by their thrift.
Before full sovereignty is restored, Greece must reign in its deficits to within three percent of their Gross Domestic Product and reform the tax-collecting system, or Greece could lose control of its own fiscal policy altogether. This seems harsh but maybe other countries should take a cue: if America suspended California's voting rights, though, there would be a new US civil war. Of course, California's connection with the US is not just through a common currency but it is also, for what it's worth, a political bloc. The EU, on the other hand, can only hope to maintain a viable and meaningful euro, without a political union, through adherence to its rigourous monetary standards. 
