Hey Gambrinus,
I'd be thrilled. But I'm not sure what the goal of the 5 min speedup is. If it's only meant to make things a bit easier on day 1 or 2, then maybe scaling it up wouldn't be in line with what's intended. Having said that, if it's intended to reward us for paying closer attention to our upgrades (and staying active), then yes, I think it would be a good idea. And frankly, I think we should be rewarded for staying active.
As to the Greek benefit, if it's one of the nation's two major benefits, so it should be meaningful.