Q-and-A

 1.  Are diesel engines at the end of improvement over carbon monoxide?  

There was a business report on N-TV this AM and it talked to various tests having been done on diesel cars...using the Euro 5 and 6 standards.....results weren't that positive.

For the record, the EU made up the Euro diesel standards....starting back around 30 years ago, and had in their mind that every five years.....some breakthrough would occur, and things would just keep advancing.

Well....it's not rocket science here, but I'd say from the 2005 era on....there's been little to no advancement.  I'd offer the opinion that most of the technology has finally peaked out.  Even suggesting there might be a Euro 7 standard out there to be created....would just cause car engineers to start laughing.

2.  This rumor of the Economics Ministry having a 'summit' to talk wind-power?

Well....the rumor goes this way....Habeck (Minister over Economics and Climate Protection....wants a meeting where state governnments are dragged in and forced in some way to accept more wind generators.

Why are there barriers existing?  I would suggest it's not the state's faults.  Just in various communities around the nation....there's a growing anti-wind generator attitude now existing.  No one wants a generator within 2 or 3 kilometers of their neighborhood.  Various environmental groups have a negative feeling about the generators now.

Habeck wants a national 'let-it-go' standard where there's only certain things to prevent the erection of a wind-generator.  I doubt if the states will be willing to allow this.

3.  Rumor of a super-strike on transportation?

The rumor goes this way....all trains and buses throughout the country would shut down for a minimum of 24 hours.  Some people are even suggesting a 48 hour strike.  

4.  Is Reich 'threat' chatter occurring almost daily now?

I would suggest it's an odd thing....for almost a month now....there's some mention on the public TV news.

Various people have been arrested.  Some threats have been established.  If you bring up the topic...probably 90-percent of Germans will tell you they don't know anyone fitting into this Reich group. 

5.  More people than ever before....applying for hunting licenses?

WELT talked about the numbers....way up with 2022 data presented. 

6.  Head of the Health Ministry, Lauterbach, talking about more closures of clinics around the country?

In public statements over the past week, Lauterbach has suggested that hospital/clinic reform needs to be accomplished.  This worries a lot of Germans in rural areas that they may end up with no hospital within a reasonable drive.

7.  Why are there such serious problems in the coalition gov't of the SPD?

Basically, the FDP asked for three critical ministries when they said they'd accept the coalition deal.  They asked for the Attorney General position, Transportation Ministry and the Finance Ministry.

No matter what the Green Party wants to achieve....nothing moves without some say by the FDP position in these three ministries.  

I would suggest that one out of every three Green Party voters are fairly disenchanted at the lack of progress 'promised' by the Green Party and their participation in the coalition.

8.  Will the 49-Euro ticket talked about so much....starting 1 May....stay at 49-Euro?

Virtually no one says what happens in 2024.  Presently, something in the range of 1-billion Euro is being funneled to the sixteen states to cover the remainder cost.

I would probably suggest that by spring of 2024...the ticket will go up to around 69-Euro.  It would still be a 'deal'....at that price.