Social systems -- ExUBF's Parlor_Free wheel as far as u can from UBF

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Date Posted: 08:44:46 01/07/05 Fri
Author: Mike K.
Subject: Social systems
In reply to: Chris 's message, "Re: secularism is killing the christianity of Europe?" on 02:19:07 12/27/04 Mon

On somewhat different topic you mention the social welfare benefits of Europe. But how long will Europe be able to afford these programs? The native populations of major European countries are in decline. Something has to give, either higher taxes or less benefits. Are the good times over in Europe?
The problem is that, specifically in Germany, our retirement fund system was a snowball scheme: the younger ones pay for the older ones, called the "generation contract"... in principle this sounds fair: I work for 30+ years, later I get a retirement wage (since I paid for these 30+ years, 10% or more of my income, to that fund).
Fair and square. All of a sudden comes East Germany, 20 million people who never before paid a cent but still, since being equal, draw money out of that fund. And since the East German economy is a shambles, the young people also don't pay anything. So, the retired people from the East start to deplete the funds... the previous government shoved the problem under the rug, and the new government came and found themselves before empty coffers with nagging people who really, honestly, deserve money. Now what?

No money left, many people who deserve money, economy down, taxes up already, interest rate low already, so ... no way out.
Globalization has part to do with it, the laws in Germany are totally absurd, the immigration laws don't allow people to come from the new European states to Germany to work, but they DO allow people to come to Germany to leech welfare - and who wouldn't, given that welfare in Germany used to be nearly 5 times as high as top worker salaries are in their own country?

I can't tell you about other European nations, but Germany has become quite lazy as a whole, and it's mostly fault of the social system because it actually discourages working (hey, you can work for $300/mo and have to pay insurance, TV, electricity, ... or you could get welfare $400/mo and get free insuance, free TV, free electricity, so what do you choose?)
That's how far overboard it's become with the generosity of Germany as a nation.
And now that they can't keep that system up, some people are creeping out of their brown little holes and start shouting "it's all the immigrant's fault!" - well, no it isn't, it's all the fault of laws that were not updated on time, of politicians who chose to sweep big problems under the rug, of Germans that are too willing to thrive off welfare rather than work... the problems are home-made.

Problems Chris mentioned...
Well Chris, I think many nations get these problems, again, like in a cult my question is: "So we see the problems, now what are we going to DO about it?" - and it seems like the politicians aren't able to properly answer that.

I have very, VERY little trust in politics that allows for a welfare that is nearly twice as high as my monthly fee, charging me nearly 50% of my income as "study fee" for "social equality" when I can't get a cent worth of government benefits and live FAR below the poverty level, the social system in Germany is just plain rotten and it doesn't seem to get better, they make it worse - and the rich get richer and the poor, poorer...

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Replies:

Re: Social systems -- Chris, 09:59:58 01/07/05 Fri
- Re: Social systems -- Mike K., 06:20:59 01/08/05 Sat
  - Re: Social systems -- Chris, 13:32:50 01/08/05 Sat
Re: Social systems -- Shane, 08:00:53 01/09/05 Sun