Sunday, September 25, 2022

Five German News Stories

 1.  Russia-Ukraine.

Lot of hype that male protest folks (no matter age) are being arrested, held, and then released to the Russian Army....to be given uniforms, and then sent direct to the front with no training or boot-camp.  They will be killed....one way or another.

I watched an interview of a Russian woman (late 20s).  Her husband was a reservist and sent to the war.  Her chief complaint.....he had a decent job and income prior to this moment.  She's not that sure that the family income will be maintained, and questioned how financial things will work. 

Lavrov (Foreign Minister for Russia) suggests that everyone in the West is anti-Russia or has Russophobia.  This is often repeated on state TV, so a lot of Russians may believe this.

2.  Where is the natural gas tax-levy going?

The levy would exist to give some cash into the pockets of the natural gas providers because their contract system could keep up or match the real cost of natural gas.  If you don't add this tax.....various providers (not all of them) would go into failure.

This is being debated a good bit.  Is the tax-levy even Constitutional?  That's coming up almost daily.  

For a lot of Germans.....the cost has escalated so much already....that the levy just breaks the camel's back.

All of this drags up the subject of a natural gas 'cap'.  Some believe that the government (in October) will be dragged in and forced to cover what is above the cap (could be tens of billions, monthly).

3.  It came up this weekend that BR (the Bavarian public radio-TV empire) 'boss/director' was regularly paid around 266,000 Euro a year as salary.  But BR also had to admit that there was around 500,000 Euro (more or less) in 'other' compensation that they were 'gifting' her.  

Lot of heartburn going on in the public about these public TV scandals brewing.  

BR's financial 'hole'?  It's generally figured in the 450-million Euro range, and has started a chat that in normal situations.....they'd be forced to declare bankruptcy, and have a judge assign a new director/boss to the public TV network (most Germans laugh when this is openly discussed).  I think 10-percent of Bavarians would openly welcome a judge-bankruptcy situation and force the network to be operated by someone else.

4.  Lot of chatter going on about Germany accepting Russian men who ask for asylum.  There probably will be a vote conducted in the next two weeks, with acceptance for the idea.  Numbers? Unknown.  I doubt if anyone would be shocked if this number were over 100,000 in a matter of two months. 

Even if you weren't on the reservist list to be activated....this Putin action has scared the crap out of half the nation, and started a trend where young males leave....figuring their 'number' will come up in six to twelve months.  It'll trigger a major economical and work-related issue in 2023, once realized.  

5.  'Energy-Tsunami' is being uttered a good bit by German mid-sized companies....as they will either cease operations completely or go to a lesser schedule....because of natural gas prices or the electrical costs.

Blame?  Being dished toward the Economics Minister (Habeck, Green Party). 

There needs to be a full-scale solution sized-up now, and implemented by the beginning of October.  At present pace....I don't think much of anything will occur until early November.  

I was at a grocery this week in Wiesbaden....which oddly enough....had zero catfood of particular brand on the shelf.  Delivery?  Probably would not occur until the end of the month for that brand type. 

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