Germany shows us why Republican policies will ALWAYS "fail".

[Toro]

You realize that the party that has run Germany for the last several years is not the SDP but the CDU/CSU conservative coalition? In other words, the German version of the Republican party has been in power since November of 2005.

I was assuming that's why the OP put "fail" in quotes... because a right wing Government has successfully pulled Germany out of recession.

Well, that and lots of exports to China and a currency which is far too cheap relative to the rest of Europe.

Plus, in an American context, the CDU isn't right-wing. They're kind of like Clinton Democrats, only with universal socialized medicine and no death penalty.

 

[MarcATL]

The Republicans have distorted what conservative means/is to the point that it's no longer recognizable.

Funny how they think that they and the conservatives in Germany have something in common.

Republicans really crack me up!

 

[CrusaderFrank]

The Republicans have distorted what conservative means/is to the point that it's no longer recognizable.

Funny how they think that they and the conservatives in Germany have something in common.

Republicans really crack me up!

Which explains why the jackass is the your Party's symbol

 

[TruthSeeker56]

You realize that the party that has run Germany for the last several years is not the SDP but the CDU/CSU conservative coalition? In other words, the German version of the Republican party has been in power since November of 2005.

Geez, did you have to go and burst the bubbles of all of the Marxists in this forum?

SHAME ON YOU!

 

[The Rabbi]

The adjusted level of joblessness has now fallen to 2.92 million people, or 6.9 percent, the lowest for 20 years. The figures also show how Germany, Europe’s largest economy and one of the world’s leading export-driven economies, has fully recovered from the financial crisis of 2008, when almost 3.2 million people were registered as unemployed.

Figures from the labor agency showed that fewer companies were still working with short-time workers, especially the automobile industry, which has been lifted by growth in the Chinese market and the expansion there of the luxury car market as the middle class expands.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/business/global/german-jobless-rate-declines.html

-----------------------------

Remember, Germany had to absorb another "entire" country, East Germany, after the collapse of the USSR. They are also being counted on to bail out other European countries.

Germany has almost no natural resources, yet, they are a leading exporter and have the worlds 5h largest economy.

They live longer.

Take more vacations.

The middle class is buying "luxury" cars.

They work fewer hours.

Everyone is covered by health care.

More people are educated.

They are a democratic country.

They have fast rail.

They are are using renewable energy.

They have the most strict laws in Europe for clean air and clean water.

The rich and the middle class are much closer together.

Government is involved with every aspect of business.

Government, Universities and Business works together.

It was only a couple of years before I was born the US was rebuilding Germany. Now, Republicans won't even let us rebuild this country. You don't see companies "fleeing" Germany because their corporate tax is too high. You don't see the rich taking their money and leaving because they don't like the tax rate. You don't see them slashing funding for education.

GOP Plans for America:

Slash education.

End Social Security.

End Medicare.

No infrastructure improvements.

End Romneycare.

Tax cuts for billionaires.

Subsidies for corporations.

If the Republican Plan is to turn us into a third world country, it's working. On the news, it was mentioned that at the Conservative Women's Convention in Kansas last week, 60% said they didn't believe in evolution. I never met a German who didn't believe in evolution. What does that have to do with anything? It's part of science and education.

Actually Germany has been doing well because they did not follow Obama and the Democrats in their stimulus programs.
Only 6% of Germans are Republicans. Fact!

 

[The Rabbi]

And here's one of those 6%:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUzUbtIptqQ]Don't Be Economic Girlie Men! - YouTube[/ame]

 

[saveliberty]

You realize that the party that has run Germany for the last several years is not the SDP but the CDU/CSU conservative coalition? In other words, the German version of the Republican party has been in power since November of 2005.

That and its easier to draw parallels to Greece than Germany as of late.

 

[francoHFW]

The CDU is like the GOP, but without the insanity and inhumanity...

 

[ekrem]

"The Republicans" of Germany is the CSU, which is a more-conservative split-off from the CDU and which solely exists in Bavaria. Both CDU and CSU are sister-parties, and the current German Government is a 3-party coalition between CDU, CSU and FDP.

There exist 16 Federal States in Germany, and in 7 of them were elections this year.
The FDP failed the 5-% election threshold in 5 of 7 elections.
The CDU decreased its vote-share in almost every Federal State and in some they also had to go into Opposition, like in Baden-Württemberg, which is one of the most innovative, most prosperous and most inhabited Federal States in Germany.
After 50 years of CDU government, Baden-Württemberg is now ruled by SPD.
Winner of this super-election year are the Greens.

And Ms. Merkel has lost her majority in Germany for quite a while.
In next elections she will be in the opposition and her coalition partners like FDP won't even come into Federal Parliament.
Same in France, where Socialists have now majority in the Senate for 1st time in 53 years.

In last years of last century and in beginning years of new millennium it didn't really look good for Germany, that's why the governing party, the SPD, launched the "Agenda 2010".
It was about reforming the economy and social-systems to the disadvantage of the weak and poor.
Out of this struggle some elements within the SPD departed into new party "Die Linke", and in the 2005 elections the SPD got its 4th weakest result in its history.

Now times have changed again and SPD-Greens represent the majority in all polls for quite a while.

 

[ekrem]

The introduction of Hartz IV in 2005, which subsumed social welfare into the unemployment benefit system, had a major impact. It sparked protests across the country and a rift in then-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democratic Party (SPD). This ultimately split Germany's center-left, led to the creation of the more radical and populist Left party, and permanently weakened the SPD in subsequent elections (...)

Hartz IV's immediate aim was to reduce the costs of the overburdened social welfare system.

The much-hated Hartz IV | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 09.02.2010

These reforms were all part of "Agenda 2010".
It was good for Germany, but bad for the SPD.

 

[rdean]

Germany has "no natural resources"? Is that a fact? What happened to their natural resources? They have no trees? no water? no air? no nutting? shit.

Who said they have NO natural resources? They have an educated population. Something Republicans abhor as "elitist".

What were you smoking when you decided to say that Republicans abhor education, crack, meth, or weed?

Yea, because people who LOVE education want to "teach the controversy" and want to slash billions from education. Guess it's called "tough love".

Seriously delusional.

 

[rdean]

Germany doesn't have the burden of being the world's policemen.

Yes, we saw what happened when they tried that now didn't we?

And they took decades to recover from following a fascist jerk whom capitalised on people's misery...

Those were the REAL German conservatives. They're gone now. They hated gays and blacks and poor people too.

 

[Si modo]

Yes, we saw what happened when they tried that now didn't we?

And they took decades to recover from following a fascist jerk whom capitalised on people's misery...

Those were the REAL German conservatives. They're gone now. They hated gays and blacks and poor people too.

They were real fascists, just like Obama.

 

[idb]

here's the best thing Germany can show us...

Oooooo...errrrr...yummm.
Beer!!!!!!

 

[francoHFW]

And they took decades to recover from following a fascist jerk whom capitalised on people's misery...

Those were the REAL German conservatives. They're gone now. They hated gays and blacks and poor people too.

They were real fascists, just like Obama.

Moron dittohead.

 

[rdean]

You guys have a lot of nerve comparing yourselves to Conservatives in Germany. Take a look at how they support their country:

Investing in the future of education and research is a top priority. In times of economic crisis, we need investments more than ever before. They can help us to overcome the crisis and emerge from it stronger and with new ideas.

Health, Stem Cells, and Technology: Research and Education Funding Increases In Germany; What Will The USA Do?

Germany's Federal Cabinet, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, has approved a 2012 budget proposal that will boost federal research and education spending to €12.8 billion (£11.3 billion), up 10 per cent on 2011.

German science receives a 10% boost in funding


The up and down in the German Market Rebate Programme for Renewable Energies (MAP) continues. Just in time for the beginning of the ISH, the worldwide largest trade fair for bathroom, building, energy and climate technology in Frankfurt, Germany, the Ministry of Environment published its new conditions for the MAP subsidy programme, which covers solar thermal installations, biomass boilers and heat pumps.

Germany: Increased Funding Levels of national Subsidy Programme | Global Solar Thermal Energy Council

previously only covered direct project costs, will be increased by 20% from federal funds. The additional money will give universities and colleges greater flexibility and enable them to develop viable institutional strategies.

Research in Germany: Higher Education Pact

-------------------------------------------------

While you fuckers want the president to fail and call him "Kenyan and Mau Mau", say he isn't born here. You want him to fail. You call health care "socialism", scream "Let him die" and applaud executions. You support politicians who slash funding for education so billionaires can get more tax breaks and you have the NERVE to say conservatives in other parts of the world are like you? You're delusional. Every country is fighting to get what's best for it's citizens, you fuckers are turning this country into an uneducated third world country faster than you can say, "You betcha".

Like I said, GOP Plans for America. They are nothing like Germany:

Slash education.

End Social Security.

End Medicare.

No infrastructure improvements.

End Romneycare.

Tax cuts for billionaires.

Subsidies for corporations.

And before you guys post any more links, "READ THEM FIRST". You only read the title. If you had sense, you would be ashamed. Lucky you don't have sense.

 

[Baruch Menachem]

You are the one who brought up Germany as a model for sensible governance. The three more (From a US standpoint) conservative parties have been the government since 2005.

Conversely, Greece is run by the socialists, as is spain, as is Ireland and they are circling the drain.

You might argue the Berlescoini's party is conservative. And that therefore Italy is a mess. But Italy is unusual in that respect.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Greece and Italy show us why Progressive economies sucks Alaskan Moose cock

 

[Londoner]

If Germany's current government was in the United States during the postwar years, they might have a home in the Rockefeller wing of the conservative party. But here is the scary part. By today's GOP standards, conservative german politicians - if you look at their support of social programs - would be considered evil socialists.

For the American GOP: subsides & tax breaks to big businesses that ship jobs to Asian sweatshops is never an issue. But, if government spends one dime trying to educate someone born poor; or if it invests in the middle class - like we did during the postwar years when we lead the world in education and productivity - than the Right cries Marxism.

Germany refuses to impose austerity on her citizens (a.k.a. consumers) in order to deliver the lion's share of its wealth to a small group of its citizens. In order to receive government subsidies... and in order to receive the benefits of publicly funded infrastructure... and in order to benefit from a workforce that was educated by public funding... and in order to gain the legal support for pursing global markets, German companies must contribute to a system which invests in its middle class.

Many of the Americans who fought in WWII were proud of their public education. They would probably detest the rightwing Americans who disparage their government provided education. When America's WWII war heroes got home from the war, their government put them to work building roads, bridges, energy grids, dams, and a vast array of public works - all of which was/is/will always be necessary for commerce and profits. (Do you know what these hard working patriots did with the money provided by their government jobs, which jobs built this country? They purchased things in unprecedented volume (TVs, refrigerators, cars, electronics, homes, college educations a.k.a. upward mobility for their children etc), which lead to the most sustained economic boom in this country's history) Many of our soldiers were sent to college with government secured funding on the GI Bill (evil socialists, all of them!) Some of our war heroes even joined Unions, which gave them the leverage to secure such decent wages that the mother could stay home and raise the kids. (Indeed, the 50s was, ironically, the apex of America Conservatism partly because high union wages-&-benfits allowed the parents to spend more time with the kids > family values> Until Reagan came along and convinced us that if we gave capital cheaper costs (which includes cheaper labor), a utopia would trickle down. Who knew the jobs would trickle overseas instead. Nobody saw that bait-&-switch coming, save maybe the corporations who paid Government to un-burden capital) Thank God Reagan wasn't brainwashed enough in the 50s to make our veterans feel like socialist slugs for taking government jobs and building this country into a kingdom of thriving suburbs.

(Psst . . . Reagan's father was given a Government job by FDR. Funny how that works. Do you think the rightwing even knows this fact?)

Germany protects its middle class as jealously as America protects its hedge fund billionaires. The rest you may ignore

 

[CrusaderFrank]

North Korea shows us the logical conclusion of Obama's energy policy