German parliament approves billions in welfare cuts

[Hannah Bell]

At the end of last month, Germany’s ruling conservative coalition passed legislation to impose drastic social cuts on millions of poor families and the unemployed. Handouts, however, are to continue for big business and the rich.

On October 28, the combined votes of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) resulted in parliament adopting much of the government’s €80 billion package of austerity measures. The so-called Ancillary Budget Law enables the government to save some €20 billion—mainly at the expense of recipients of Hartz IV unemployment benefits—by the end of 2014...

The scrapping of employers’ pension contributions for Hartz IV recipients was approved by parliament without amendment last Thursday. The result will be a further increase in poverty for the elderly. The supplementary payments given when an unemployed person moves from unemployment benefit to welfare will also be abolished. Moreover, job creation and support programmes and social integration assistance will be considerably reduced...

The government saw no reason to address the issue of the proposed welfare cuts, which they say are indisputable. Instead, the government spent its time resolving further fiscal changes in the interests of big business. Energy-intensive industries will no longer lose their “eco-tax” benefits, as was previously planned, and reductions in tax exemption will be applied less vigorously. The government estimates the value of these tax breaks at around €550 million...

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/nov2010/germ-n08.shtml

[CurtEastPoint]

1. A conservative, no matter what flavor or language, is still a conniving thief. n/t

[marmar]

2. C'est vrai.

People around the world are going to have to reclaim what's theirs.

[walldude]

3. They'll do it long before we will...

[Angry Dragon]

4. The thing of it is

If one country starts to get angry
it makes it easier for others

[marmar]

13. True....So again I say, "Thank you France."

nt

[alanquatermass]

5. Jesus. It's happening all over, isn't it (in the UK as well...)

What's going on here? Does it signify resurgent conservatism (and possibly incipient fascism) or merely a sensible reaction to an economy in trouble?

In other words, Is there a way of avoiding these cuts WITHOUT sinking the German economy (along the lines of what happened in Greece, where cumulative entitlements ended up DROWNING the Gov't in red ink)?

Just curious.

[Hannah Bell]

6. the international ruling class lost money on their phoney investments & are trying

to recoup it on the backs of their workers.

[alanquatermass]

7. That may be true (the answer is "above my pay grade", as Barack would say)...

-- but where does that leave Germany? What can it do to help its economy without cutting into Welfare?

[Hannah Bell]

8. the question has already framed its answer; acceptance of the status quo pov is implicit in it.

[alanquatermass]

10. Well, I hope I am more open-minded than that (but maybe not), however...

-- a remarkably successful Democrat named William Jefferson Clinton (in concert with a Rethuglican Congress) went ahead and made sweeping adjustments to the United States Welfare system in the mid-1990s and the results were pretty darn terrific: The economy hummed along for several more years until Clinton left the White House.

So rethinking... and modifying... and -- as Bill Clinton proved -- even hacking away at Government Welfare is hardly inconsistent with the "Democratic Ideal."

[Hannah Bell]

11. underlying assumptions: there is a "problem" with "the economy" that requires

reduction of social benefits or some other cutback.

there, conclusion is forgone.

[alanquatermass]

12. Agreed but why the quotes around "problem" and "assumptions" Hannah?

Aren't such assumptions occasionally accurate? When Greece got in trouble last year was it facing a problem... or merely a "problem"?

[Hannah Bell]

14. a "problem". capital wanted a bigger cut. that's the main "problem" with "the economy".

the rest is smoke & mirrors.

[alanquatermass]

15. "Capital", huh? Okay. This is coming into focus now...

The guy with the beard right there? That's Karl Marx, isn't it?

[Hannah Bell]

16. you're funny.

[leftstreet]

17. You consider Clinton's Welfare to Wage Slavery policies a success?

wow

lol well at least you're honest. That's pretty darn terrific

[alanquatermass]

20. I do. And don't you pretty much have to admit...

-- and this is an appropriate question, I think, for anyone on a website called DEMOCRATIC Underground -- don't you have to admit that Bill Clinton, at the end of the day, was a VERY successful Democrat?

[leftstreet]

22. No, I would not 'admit' that. Nixon was further left than Clinton

(Are you real young?)

Clinton's administration passed some the worst legislation ever

:puke:

But I will concede that Clinton was a very successful 'new' Democrat, if that's what you're getting at

[Starry Messenger]

26. Well, he's still alive and healthy.

Kid seems nice and his wife has a job. I guess you could call that success. It's also Democratic UNDERGROUND, not Democratic mainstream.

[Dappleganger]

28. Yes

he was the most successful conservative democratic president we've ever had.

;)

[Dappleganger]

29. Not to mention that absolutely wonderful thing he did NAFTA

[laughingliberal]

34. Or the increase in truth in the media since the 1996 Telecommunication's Act. nt

[Dappleganger]

35. Oh yeah, that was a whopper!

[elehhhhna]

38. AND he signed off on Gramm's repeal of financial industry regs. Super-Terrific!!1!!!1

[TBF]

30. Sure, Clinton was a very successful democrat -

but think about what that says about the direction of this party...

[alanquatermass]

36. The "direction..."? You think the Democratic party is moving to the RIGHT???

nt

[TBF]

37. I think it's already there. nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

39. You don't?

:crazy: That ship has already sailed.

[alanquatermass]

43. Of course it isn't drifting to the right!

At what moment in history was the Democratic party MORE Progressive than today? Seriously, at what other time did we...

-- have a BLACK President?

-- or a FEMALE Secretary of State?

-- or openly GAY Congressmen?

-- or have successfully pushed through the House and Senate SOME FORM OF HEALTHCARE?

Not to mention that we are on the verge of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"!

How -- I ask you -- and please think about this -- HOW... does all of this represent any sort of drift to the RIGHT???

(And be advised that "Drifting to the Right" and "Still not being Progressive enough to suit me" are two completely different things)

[Hannah Bell]

44. lol. you're funny.

[alanquatermass]

45. Terrific rebuttal, Hannah...

Trenchant. Insightful. I'm still reeling.

[WinkyDink]

42. THAT HAS BEEN THE PLAN.

[apocalypsehow]

9. I'll give it a K & R though I'm not crazy about the source. An important development in the EU.

Edit: typo.

[Starry Messenger]

18. How many are we up to now?

Greece, France, England, Germany...I'm missing some. I can't imagine the German workers will stand for this either.

[maryf]

23. My thoughts exactly...

Another will be coming soon

[maryf]

24. dupe

wrong place..

[Starry Messenger]

27. Ireland has been getting education cuts and protesting.

What about Spain and Portugal? I think I read that they were getting hit with cuts too.

[TBF]

32. Spain, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Poland

I'm sure there are more - that is what I came up with a few weeks ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9359729

[Starry Messenger]

33. Holy shit!

I guess my question should have been: who is left? And next up--USA, I'm sure.

[marmar]

40. Don't forget the UK

[TBF]

41. Yes, I've been watching and we may see some activity there soon.

So far we've seen protests of about 3,000 I believe. There is supposed to be a large protest against the education cuts tomorrow.

[maryf]

47. That was a great post...

thanks for the recap!! :hi:

[leftstreet]

19. K&R

[and-justice-for-all]

21. "Handouts, however, are to continue for big business and the rich."

Big business and the rich are going to end up getting the same thing Marie Antoinette got.

[maryf]

25. K&Rnt

[Rex]

31. More modern govts are ramping up control over their subjects er

citizens. Bush/Cheney gave the green light to the world - fuck the poor, pamper the rich. Control the message, keep the spoils. Pitchforks and torches are no longer in the equation (not modern), so they know it is a golden ticket.


Although they are just following time honored traditions from centuries of the rich keeping their boot on the poors head. Monarchies are so in fashion dontcha know! Monarchies and closed system governments like CHINA!

If ANYONE has come out of these global economic wars better than China, then I don't know which country it would be.

Hell at least they still have socialized medicine!

Could be worse, you could live in The States.

[blindpig]

46. So much for the hybrids, huh?

Lotta folks around here like to point to these European countries as examples of how capitalism and socialism can be combined to produce an equitable system. We can see here, and elsewhere in Europe, that Capitalism, like rust, never sleeps. It is the nature, the mandate of Capitalism which requires it to seek maximum return. The niceties of these 'mixed economies' cannot stand before the determined hunt for profit. It is only in the street that redress can be found.

Capitalism and socialism are deadly enemies, only one an survive the struggle, we better make sure it is socialism.

[maryf]

48. only one can survive the struggle, we better make sure it is socialism

or none of us will survive the damage wrought...capitalism is a deadly virus...