"If U.S. welfare standards were introduced in Europe, "we would have revolution, not tomorrow, but

[midnight]

on the very same day," Schaeuble told a conference in Paris." They know austerity is a failure...

"Europe must not drop its welfare model in favor of US standards or it will spark a revolution "not tomorrow but the same day," Germany's Finance Minister warned on Tuesday.

Speaking at a conference in Paris, Wolfgang Schäuble was joined by other German, French and Italian ministers in issuing warning calls over the soaring unemployment plaguing nearly six million European youths, and that threatens an "entire generation of people" and risks losing "the battle for Europe's unity."

Warning of "catastrophe," Schäuble said, "We need to be more successful in our fight against youth unemployment; otherwise, we will lose the battle for Europe's unity."

Reuters reports:

While Germany insists on the importance of budget consolidation, Schaeuble spoke of the need to preserve Europe's welfare model.

If U.S. welfare standards were introduced in Europe, "we would have revolution, not tomorrow, but on the very same day," Schaeuble told a conference in Paris."


http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/05/29-6

[Spitfire of ATJ]

1. Just the types of forms would cause an uprising...

People who are completely eligible are forced to fill out forms designed to discourage them. Not only is every aspect of their life disclosed but there are threats of imprisonment for getting things wrong or for not disclosing everything and in some states aid workers are prohibited from helping you fill out the forms or offer you any advice over which forms you need. Republicans have made it a crime to APPLY for some forms of aid. Think about that. You don't know if you are eligible so you submit an application to see if you are and instead of a simple "no you are not" you get nailed under some bullshit "attempt to defraud the government" statute.

[JimDandy]

4. What type of aid is it a crime to simply apply for?

Last edited Sat Jun 8, 2013, 10:01 PM - Edit history (1)

That seems to be going too far all right.

Maybe the thinking is applicants who know they aren't eligible are using up the time and resources of the government. To take it to the extreme, if everyone who knew they weren't elegible did that, they could waste the time and resources of the govt to such a degree as to cripple that agency's budget (sort of like a DOS attack on a website). Just typing out loud.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. During the Bush Years they pulled that on disaster relief.

[Marr]

2. I expect so. The population in the US is stupefyingly docile and

passive, eagerly waving the flag for a system that shits on them every day. It's slowly seen all of it's supportive elements unceremoniously removed, one little bit at a time, for decades. We now live on, and expect, so little, that most people just want to keep their head down and hope they don't end up like their neighbor, or cousin, or whatever-- made homeless or bankrupt by some mundane medical problem, or subpar wages, or unemployment, etc.

[Diclotican]

3. midnight

midnight

If the US form of velfare fear had been tried in most of Europe - it would have ended in more than just a scuffle - a revolution would be the answer for it - and the responsible politic ans executed on the streets, without trials - by the people.. If the US form of public service had been tried in Europe - the whole continent had been engulfed in revolutions never seen in Europe since 1917 or yet - 1789...

The force of the people is still strong in Europe - and the political leaders, together with the economical leaders should head the danger of revolution in Europe... And millions IS pissed of as it is - if you try to take away the welfare system too, and people is starting to go hungry... In europe we are not that afraid of "socialism" as in USA....

Diclotican

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. "In europe we are not that afraid of "socialism" as in USA."

They also don't act like "the dole" is going to lead to the collapse of society and in some cases, the rise of the anti-Christ and the rejection of the entire Nation by Jesus for our wicked ways.

[Diclotican]

7. Spitfire of AT

Spitfire of AT

When it come to the religion, in most european country's it is a matter of personal belief - and not that most want to show off as a matter of reality.. Many IS christian - but choose not to put it on the sleeve and show it off all the time... And it also helps, that we managed to export most of our nut cases to the US in the 1600s - and later when christian sects choose to emigrate to the US, because of real or believed prosecution from the State against religious minorites...

Many who claim to be christian - in the US I suspect are using christianity to all other ways than to do the right thing - it is outright bad to look at some of them, who scare the hell out of anyone with their hatred and outright evilness.... They will go back to a time when just an minority really had any power - a minority who misused their power - and treated everyone else, the same way they claimed the different governments in Europe did to them when they was there...

I'm not sure how to combat this - but a strong public school system - and a universal health Care system would maybe be a way to combat the worst of it.. And to build up institution where outright mental cases can be given help - and medical need for their troubles.. I suspect a few of them, who trow all this viciousness around - have un-treated mental problems at the bottom of it all..

Diclotican

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. A lot of it is the whole "Master/Slave" thing...

...and the belief that if you aren't one than you are the other.

The Republicans are using the techniques of the Biblical Satan to get votes by appealing to people's greed and hatred and prejudice and fear. And the people who vote for them not only don't see that but see the Republicans as the heroes that will save them from all that they fear. After 9/11 it was the Islamic Terrorists. Now with Obama it's back to black people,...again.

[Diclotican]

9. Spitfire of ATJ

Spitfire of ATJ

It is the same scar the conservatives did in Europe in the inter-war period her in Europe to.. Making people scared about the communists - socialists - social democrats and the like.. Germany is maybe a prime example where the conservatives in many forms, everything from "reasonable" conservatives, to rabiate nationalists, who wanted a rematch of the great war - was scaring millions of germans to vote for the worst possible conservatives, specially between 1918-1920 - and then again when the economy really was going in the tube, after 1929-1930 for the conservatives - but in the end it was Hitler, and the NSDAP who got the upper hand - even as they was a minority in the "conservative national government" of the 1933... Before 8 mounts have passed - the other parties - conservatives and socialistic alike, was disbanded and forbidden - and NSDAP took over as the sole party - and it was not given away that power before Germany was a rubble and Berlin occupied by the Red Army in 1945..

The conservatives - or let us be honest - the neo-conservatives in the US use the same script as the conservatives did in Germany between the wars - appealing to the hatred and greed many have - and is also using the prejudice many still have, deep down, to get elected... I have tried to follow US politic as best as I can since GWB got elected (before then, it was little difficult - and I have to admit, I believed the US to be far more closer to european attitudes than it was) and I have to say - a lot of the script the republicans are using in US to make them self in power - would never fly well in most european nations - mostly because we still "know" how it ended last time around...

For a time, the scar of islamic terrorist was something that could muster a lot of election power to the conservatives in Europe too - and still does to a degree - but for the most part, it is just the fringe who play out that card when election time comes - and a fringe will never be elected to power... At least not until the economic collapse of 2008... Who knows what could happened the next couple of years in Europe - as more and more people feel the possibilities of a good life going down the drain... The far Right could have a form of Renaissance in that climate.. When people have sub-standard housing and little, or nothing to eat they will be desperate to blame someone for it...

Diclotican

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. Actually, young people are seeing the right wing as a total failure and the CAUSE of their problems.

[Diclotican]

11. Spitfire of ATJ

Spitfire of ATJ

Most young understand that the right wing policies have not exactly doing them something good - rather the opposite..

And I just hope enough people who is born after 1989, is starting to understand how bad un-controlled capitalism really is - and will do their best to fix that issue.. Capitalism works best, when it is regulated, and crimes is punished according to the crime - and the damage they do to the community they exist in....

Diclotican

[midnight]

13. The privateers have done a good job to scare people away from the idea of socialism...

so·cial·ism noun \ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm\

Definition of SOCIALISM

1
: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2
a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property
b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3
: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
See socialism defined for English-language learners »
See socialism defined for kids »
Examples of SOCIALISM

She is quite right, for example, to stress that Thatcher's crusade against socialism was not merely about economic efficiency and prosperity but that above all, “it was that socialism itself—in all its incarnations, wherever and however it was applied—was morally corrupting.” —Stephen Pollard, New York Times Book Review, 18 Jan. 2009

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/socialism

[Diclotican]

15. midnight

midnight

I know - but i believe some form of socialism will prevail in the end - mostly because the opposite is to bad to even think about... Or that capitalism is more controled than it is today.. Regulate the hell out of the worst thiefs...

Thatcher was a veil, evil woman who I suspect was disappointed when she discovered she was not coming to heavens - but the opposite right down in the deepest pit in hell... In fact I believe the Devil himself was afraid of that woman..

Thatcher and Reagan, was no good for the needy - the ones who was not able to fend for them self - or who was in any form handicapped, or needed help to survive in a hard and brutal world... What the two persons did to society is horrible, and a whole generation of people have been paying the price for it too..

Diclotican

[Mr Samuel Hain]

12. DURec

[midnight]

14. Welcome to D.U. and thanks for the Rec...