Them belly full

Owner Tomáš Březina of BEST garden-tile maker said he thinks 99% of Czechs are "overly rich," even if they don't realize it. He told Rádio Česko last month that the average Czech doesn't know what to do with all his or her money and has no idea what poverty is. The few people (in percentage terms) who are truly destitute or homeless, he said, aren't those protesting at the government headquarters, screaming "Give us something to eat!" and being egged on by union leaders with political agendas. He said he's not sure Czechs will ever feel rich, because of the envy that consumes them no matter how much they have. His solution, he suggested, might be to withdraw totally from business. Those who can't afford this solution will have to count on increased social unrest and more complications in business and life. A few thousand "overly rich" teachers turned out at the government headquarters yesterday, and it was enough to cause traffic to grind to a crawl.