The Upper Limit Topic

The topic came up in Focus today, with a new poll from YouGov.  Since 2013, there's been this call by Germans for immigration limits.  By the end of 2015, it'd be safe to say that at least a third of German society felt that the high numbers of asylum-seekers, economic and war refugees, and migrants were becoming a problem.

So the YouGov survey says this:

- From SPD-likely voters, 54-percent want an upper limit established by the government.
- From FDP-likely voters, 69-percent want an upper limit established.
- From AfD-likely voters, it's 96-percent wanting an upper limit.
- From CDU-likely voters, 55-percent support an upper limit.
- From the Linke Party-likely voters, it's near 50-percent for the upper limit.

Then you come to Green Party voters, and the trend is 60-percent of likely voters who are AGAINST the upper limit.

If you went around the upper level politicians in Berlin, I'd take a guess that three-quarters of them don't want a number written down. 

It is an odd position that Chancellor Merkel has at this point.  The FDP and CSU elements for this new potential coalition?  They want upper limits.  The Greens, who would be part of this new coalition?  They don't want any upper limits.  This is actually becoming a major issue in building the coalition. My guess is that the 'no-limits' crowd will win, but they will have give in on one or two major issues (probably the diesel car business) to form this new coalition government. 

As for how this will proceed with the SPD Party rebuilding process?  I think there's some underlying currents existing in the German working-class population and this upper-limits situation is something that they could exploit and carve out new support over the next four years.

The number cited by the FDP and CSU?  Typically around 200,000. 

Personally, I think the better objective is to create avenues to identify who exactly is a economic migrant, a war-time refugee, a immigrant in search of a new life, and an asylum seeker.  Once you identify each....you handle each in a different manner. 

If you had some skill, craft, or degree...with a basic course or two in German language....you ought to be able to apply for pure immigration and there ought to be 100,000 positions left open for this crowd each year.  Those with no skill, no craft, no education, and no German language?  It ought to be a closed door and no wasted resources spent housing or handling the guy for a year while you make this decision.

For the war-time refugee?  You ought to have five or six former military posts around east and west Germany, and house these temporary people for a period of time until their land is safe again. And no, there shouldn't be a necessity to them to walk 1,200 miles to reach Germany.....there ought to be two or three planes taking off each day and delivering 750-odd people per day into Germany until you reach some maximum limit to handle. 

As much as the Merkel vision as been hyped up and thrown upon the general public....they've reached a point where the hype doesn't work.