Everything’s quiet in the little Greek Village. The sun beats down and the square is deserted. Times are tough, everyone is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.
A rich German drives into the village. He stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs, before deciding whether to spend the night there. The owner gives him the keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the €100 note and runs down the street to repay the money he owes to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to settle his bill with the animal feed supplier.
The feed supplier takes the €100 note and runs to pay his drinks bill at the taverna.
The owner slips the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer him "services" on credit.
The hooker then rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the hotel owner with the €100 note.
The hotel proprietor then places the €100 note back on the counter so the German will not suspect anything.
At that moment the German comes down the stairs, picks up the €100 note, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves.
No one produced anything. Nobody earned anything. However, the whole village is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism.
And that is how the Greek bailout package is supposed to work!