AGAIN I WILL ASK..WHY CAN GERMANY AFFORD IT'S CITIZENS SOCIAL DEMOCRACY?

[Thomas R]

SOCIAL BENEFITS IN GERMANY INCLUDE FREE COLLEGE, VOCATIONAL/TECHNICAL TRAINING, 100% HEALTHCARE BENEFITS AND BASIC DENTAL, LEGAL INSURANCE, 8-10 WEEKS PAID VACATION, PAID SICK DAYS, PAID SICK LEAVE, FREE OR CHEAP DAYCARE FOR CHILDREN, NURSING HOME INSURANCE,WELFARE(HOUSING AND MONEY FOR LIVING) GENEROUS PENSIONS,ETC. MERCER SURVEY INDICATED THAT SWITZERLAND HAS THE HIGHEST WAGES IN THE WORLD AND GERMANY IS SECOND( THIS IS AFTER TAXES AND COST OF LIVING INCLUDED) THE AVERAGE GERMAN MAKES ABOUT $40,000 EUROS OR $55,000 A YEAR WHILE ONLY WORKING ABOUT 1688 HOURS. THE SOCIAL BENEFITS ALONE WOULD COST AMERICANS AROUND $60,000 OR $70,000 A YEAR SO ADDING THE AVERAGE $55,000 SALARY THE WAGES/BENEFITS EXCEED $100,000 IN AMERICAN MONEY. HOW DOES GERMANY DO IT? THE AVERAGE GERMAN PAYS AROUND 36% TAXES ON INCOME WHILE LAND TAXES ARE DIRT CHEAP ON PROPERTY*$300 A YEAR). CAR INSURANCE($400 EUROS YEARLY) AND HOUSE INSURANCE($200 EUROS YEARLY) IS MUCH CHEAPER IN GERMANY VERSES AMERICA. AVERAGE MONTHLY ELECTRICAL BILLS ARE LESS THEN $100.00 WHILE INFLATION AVERAGES AROUND 2-3% YEARLY WHILE IN AMERICA TRUE INFLATION IS AROUND 8-9% YEARLY. GASOLINE IS MORE EXPENSIVE IN GERMANY BUT MOST GERMANS USE DIESEL AROUND $4 EUROS PER GALLON BUT MANY OF THEIR CARS GET 50-65 MILES PER GALLON AND GERMANY DOES NOT SPEND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON FIGHTING OIL WARS. GERMANY WILL HAVE A BALANCED GOVERNMENT BUDGET THIS YEAR WHILE AMERICA WILL HAVE A 8% DEFICIT. GERMANY WILL HAVE A 7% CURRENT ACCOUNT SURPLUS(WORLD'S LARGEST TRADE SURPLUS) WHILE AMERICA WILL HAVE A 4% DEFICIT. GERMANS HAVE MUCH LESS CONSUMER DEBTS VERSUS AMERICA AND THEY SAVE ON AVERAGE 14% OF THEIR INCOMES. IN FLORIDA WHERE I LIVE THE AVERAGE HOURLY SALARY IS AROUND $12 AN HOUR AND VERY FEW BENEFITS OR ABOUT $9.80 AN HOUR TAKE HOME. IN GERMANY AFTER TAX INCOME PLUS SOCIAL BENEFITS WOULD AMOUNT TO $55 AN HOUR IF PURCHASED IN AMERICA. HOW DOES GERMANY DO IT? SOME RANDOM WAGES: AUTO WORKERS IN GERMANY MAKE AROUND $70 AN HOUR IN WAGES/BENEFITS WHILE IN AMERICA NEW HIRES ARE STARTING AT $12 AN HOUR. TEACHERS IN GERMANY START AT $60,000 A YEAR PLUS THE SOCIAL BENEFITS OR AROUND $58 AN HOUR AFTER TAXES IN WAGES/BENEFITS WHILE HERE IN FLORIDA THEY ARE STARTING TEACHERS AS TEMPS MAKING $12 AN HOUR WITH LITTLE OR NO BENEFITS AND MOST AMERICANS GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE WITH VERY LARGE TUITION DEBTS SOMETIMES OF $100,000 OR MORE PLUS INTEREST. IN GERMANY THEY HAVE CODETERMINATION WHERE WORKERS SIT ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MAKING DECISIONS ALONG WITH THE COMPANY OFFICERS. WORK COUNCILS, UNIONS AND WORKER COOPS ARE ALSO VERY COMMON IN GERMANY. THE TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF GERMANS COVERED WITH CODETERMINATION AND OTHER SOCIAL ECONOMY ASPECTS IS AROUND 80% WHILE OTHERS HAVE THEIR OWN BUSINESSES OR THEY COLLECT SOCIAL WELFARE AND WORK UNDER THE TABLE SO BASICALLY EVERYONE IS INCLUDED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. AMERICA ONLY 10% OF THE WORKFORCE HAS A UNION WHILE MAYBE ANOTHER 10% HAVE THEIR OWN BUSINESS LEAVING 80% POWERLESS IN THE ECONIMIC AND POLITICAL PROCESS MANY EUROPEAN COMPANIES AND INVESTORS COME TO AMERICA AND USE THE PEOPLE AS CHEAP LABOR AND ALSO BUY THINGS ON THE CHEAP WITH THEIR STRONGER CURRENCIES BASICALLY AMERICA HAS BECOME A COLONY WHERE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE SHARE CROPPERS AND OTHER FOLKS FROM AROUND THE WORLD OWN THE ASSETS(WARREN BUFFETS OWN WORDS). DURING EUROPEAN ELECTIONS ALL CANDIDATES ARE FUNDED WITH PUBLIC MONEY AND THEY GET EQUAL MEDIA TIME SO NOT BUY ELECTION WITH MONEY. GERMANY HAS 7 MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES AND MORE MINOR PARTIES. GERMANY IS EMBARKING ON A RENEWABLE ENERGY REVOLUTION WHERE THEY ARE AIMING TO BE FOSSIL FUEL FREE BY 2040 AND USE HYDROGEN AS THEIR MAIN ENERGY CARRIER. GERMANY/NORTHER EUROPE ARE THE WORLD'S LARGEST CREDITORS AND RICHEST PEOPLE'S EXPORTING TWICE WHAT AMERICA EXPORTS AND HAVING A MUCH LARGER MANUFACTURING BASE,ETC....BECAUSE GERMANY/NORTHERN EUROPE HAS A HIGH WAGE/VALUE ADDED/HIGH TECHNOLOGY/EXPORT ECONOMY IT ALLOWS THEM TO HAVE THEIR SOCIAL DEMOCRACY.
Germans again receive about 50 days a year off including holidays(weekdays) and the standard work week is around 37-40 hours. German workers have one of the shortest working hours in the world in actuality places like Greece have much longer working hours on average but an inefficient/low tech economy. Germany rivals China in exports and Germany is the world's largest exporter of high end/high technology products. Germany's Free College and also paid Vocational/Technical training helps form a very potent workforce and knowledgeable people. Other Northern European Nations also have short working hours because they also have value added economies. Northern Europe has a 500 billion current account surplus while China is running a 200 billion surplus and America is running a 600 billion yearly deficit which has been high as 800 billion.

[Randy]

You may have a point or you may not. I'll never know because I won't bother trying to read something that is in all capital letters.

[slew]

Honestly, Germans are sort of workaholic. I talked to a few Germans and it's nothing like what liberals try to describe it.

[M.j Lim]

Oh! that could be the reason from bad to worst economically.

[fritz]

Meine "Ohren" ... !!!