[Trinidad]

Aberlour10, on Jan 29 2009, 10:22 AM, said:

Trinidad, on Jan 29 2009, 09:54 AM, said:

Having said that, I think that the Nordic countries are very far to the socialist side of the scale. And it works. It isn't perfect, but it works.

It still works, but there is a strong downward trend in Germany for example.
The costs for the health care, unenployment benefits, pensions etc. are exploded, the german goverment started to cut massively all these services at the end of the century, giving always the same reason for it : forced by Globalisation.

Robert

I doubt that anyone from the Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland) would call Germany a Nordic country.

As I grew up in The Netherlands, I wouldn't have thought of calling Germany socialist either. Not even in the end of the '70s and early 80's when Helmut Schmidt was Bundeskanzler.

Other than that Germany obviously still has another problem. It still needs to put a lot of money in the joining of the East and West.

Rik

[Aberlour10]

That Germany does not belong to the group of nordic states is everybody clear, but this country endowment with social systems, benefits, employment rights etc. was in 70' and 80's comparable with these of the nordic states, partial maybe here and there better. Surely, it was still a state with market economy but the social elements were enormous extended.

Robert

[Gerben42]

Quote

That Germany does not belong to the group of nordic states is everybody clear, but this country endowment with social systems, benefits, employment rights etc. was in 70' and 80's comparable with these of the nordic states, partial maybe here and there better. Surely, it was still a state with market economy but the social elements were enormous extended.

What is worrying me most in Germany is the popularity of left-wing parties, some of which really want to start GDR 2.0 it seems. The high incomes of managers (although still much lower than the US counterparts in the same positions) are used to take away money from the middle class.

Current plans include: Raising social benefits with the idea that this would help kids from jobless parents. Unfortunately the extra money will lower the pressure to actively look for a job, and be spent on beer and cigarettes and not reach the kids.

My plan would be: Make lots of things free for kids whose parents earn no money, but under no circumstances raise the benefits. Working must be worth it otherwise people will choose not to.

Another thing that is broken is the pension plan, which is really based on that current generation pays for the current pensioners, and that the future generations (much fewer people) pay for future pensioners. What is needed is that every year pays for its own group, i.e. a system where everyone born in 1979 pays the pensions for that year, and those born in 1959 pay for their year. Only this assures safety, as this avoids the mess that few people have to pay for many.

[helene_t]

Trinidad, on Jan 29 2009, 07:55 PM, said:

I doubt that anyone from the Nordic countries (Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland) would call Germany a Nordic country.

There are a few Danish weirdos who claim Schleswig-Holstein.

[Aberlour10]

Gerben42, on Jan 30 2009, 04:00 AM, said:

What is worrying me most in Germany is the popularity of left-wing parties, some of which really want to start GDR 2.0 it seems.

Sure, their electorate grew up to 11-13% last year , but something strange was happened in last weaks. Due to the global financial and economic crises and connecting with it savage criticism on current capitalism in all german media, I expected they will win new voters...it didn't happen, they "fell down" to 7% (todays Politbarometer)

Robert