In the last couple of weeks, there's been a fair amount of hype over a SPD Party idea to just dump Hartz IV (the German welfare system). Most folks....especially the receivers of Hartz IV, will agree that the welfare program simply hasn't worked (for almost fifteen years) as it was originally promoted to replace the old welfare program.
Today, the Green Party came out with the newest twist on this welfare business....as told by ARD (public TV here in Germany, Channel One).
The Green Party boss....Habeck....now suggests that the entire program, with the compulsions and sanctions...needs to be dumped. The new term being tossed around? 'Guarantee guarantee'.
One single source of money....the unemployment check, the social assistance, the check for housing/heat/utilities, the kid's money.....all neatly bundled into one single pay-out.
The idea of compulsing people to seek work? The Greens say....dump it.
Oh yeah....right off the bat....the SPD, CDU and FDP folks got real negative about that idea.
To pay for the higher costs involved? Habeck suggests more taxes on internet companies and financial organizations (banks, investment groups, etc). How much? No one has a good number on this....but it has to be tens of billions on top of the current social welfare program.
Selling this concept to the general public? I think the welfare crowd would prefer one single entity and check coming in....with ease of comfort to do the math over survival. However, let's be honest....once you assign some fair amount of money to folks....the first reaction will be that there is some unfair tactic or strategy being used and the money is not enough. Some folks living in the inner city of Frankfurt will tell you that to find an apartment big enough for a couple and three kids....on welfare....you'd be talking about 1,600 Euro (roughly 2,000 US dollars), then you start figuring utilities, food, etc....and this adds up to 3,500 Euro (going to 4,100 US dollars) a month. If you told the general public how much this adds up to....they'd go ballistic.
Most folks are suggesting that looking at the lack of job certification or apprentice accomplishment in their youth....you'd do far better to take welfare folks back into job-training and spend a year coaching them to 'succeed' in life and get them a real job....paying taxes...etc.
But this Green Party chatter ought invoke a number of public forums as they argue how thing will go onto the next mes.
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