What is Memorial Day?

<span class="postlistquotedtext"><blockquote>quote:<center><hr width="100%"/></center>Mayfield669 wrote:

why was the reunification not so good? I had heard that the East German culture had departed radically from the West during the Soviet occupation. Different work ethic? Economic burden of rebuilding what the communist government had neglected? <center><hr width="100%"/></center></blockquote></span>

Of course the reunification had its good sides. Especially for those living in the former GDR who were freed from the communistic government and its surveillance state and political oppression.

On the other hand and this is nearly never mentioned in German newspapers / history books etc.: the economic burden you've been talking about. Rebuilding the country, granting all the citizens the same claims our welfare state offered to the "western" Germans before. Ensuring them an old-age pension although they never contributed to the pension scheme. And so on.

I'm studying Business and Human Resource Education (Economic Education) so I had to take some macro-economic lectures. We've examined how the gross domestic product would have developed without the reunification and....boy, we would live in paradise today.

Where I live, the unemployment rate is 7.9 % which still is high. On the other hand, we have regions in Eatern Germany with rates about 20%!!!! And as you might know, unemployed people receive a lot of social benefits from our government. It's a vicious circle.
 
Art/Chris

Unbelievable. Migrate to the US!! but seriously, it is unbelievable that you can't fly your flag (but I am ashamed to admit I thought your flag was the Union Jack - guess I need to do some research). Perhaps if enough folks got together and flew the flag, you could change things. I am in a bit of a quandary here - the reason a lot of the imagined offended parties can be in England is that they became part of the English Empire, but that very act is now offensive to them? Go back to your country of origin if you are offended. Actually, you shouldn't leave, all the PC crowd should - just don't send them here.

We have a lot of debate about welfare here. I am in favor of welfare to help a person who is temporarily down on their luck to get training or education to become a productive citizen, but as with other welfare systems, it becomes a right and reaches across several generations. There is something wrong with a system (I am including ours) that encourages people to live off the state instead of finding a job, disabled people excepted.
 
100%

The Welfare State was set up here by Beveridge to help people out who require temporary assistance when out of work, or permanent assistance if disabled.

For those out of work, whilst they looked for, and found, new employment, the State guaranteed an allowance. The State would, quite rightly, also ensure a decent standard of living for pensioners and those who through no fault of their own are unable to work. No one has a problem with that. That was the original vision.

However. It's now gotten to a point that the sytem is encouraging/rewarding idleness. The amount of benefits available to the unemployed are staggering. I know through my work with prolific offenders. All they do is stay in (when not robbing/burgling) and play X Box or Playstation till 4am. They claim housing benefit, Jobseekers!!!!! allowance and income support. And of course they have children. Poor things.

The prisons are so cushy they have TV's, X Boxes, Playstations, BREAKFAST IN BED (YEP YOU HEARD ME RIGHT) BREAKFAST IN BED, and GET THIS they also have prisons that send for TAKE AWAYS! People throw tennis balls stuffed with class A drugs over the walls....heck...it's a holiday camp. Everything's done for you. You don't have to think. People say "Yeah...but no liberty". You think liberty is valuable to these people? It's horrendous on the outside. They may have to work...find their own accommodation and GASP pay for it!

So. We have reached a point whereby PRISON - which should be the ultimate deterrent in the UK - is a hotel. Pensioners that fought for our freedom in WWII are dying of hypothermia because they can't afford fuel bills.

Our ridiculous taxes (compare them with the rest of the world...I think you'll find we're crippled with taxes) go towards all of this. Rewarding the idle. Our governments immigration policy is sick. So, I don't blame people for wanting to get out.
 
 
Don't get me started on prisons. They are like a university for criminals whereby the novice criminals obtain advanced degrees from the professors (hardened types). There is no rehabilitation and the bleeding hearts keep prison from being a deterent. It should be humane but spartan and discourage people from a life of crime.
 
In the 1770s prison was 'hard board and hard fare'. We had the silent and separate system. No one talked to anyone else. It was a slab of concrete for a bed, a days hard toil, and a Bible.

We had the crank and the capstan and the treadmill. Hard labour.

The whole point of prison was based on the concept of LESS ELIGIBILITY : i.e. those in society who had not committed crime should have a standard of living HIGHER than that of a criminal in prison - otherwise the deterrence is lost. Which is where we find ourselves. We have had many ideological justifications for prison. One of which recently was 'humane containment'.

It seems that whilst 'contained' they arent subjected to rigorous education and work ethic courses; more towards catering, and excercise.
 
<span class="postlistquotedtext"><blockquote>quote:<center><hr width="100%"/></center>Art Weingartner wrote:

those in society who had not committed crime should have a standard of living HIGHER than that of a criminal in prison - otherwise the deterrence is lost. It seems that whilst 'contained' they arent subjected to rigorous education and work ethic courses; more towards catering, and excercise. <center><hr width="100%"/></center></blockquote></span>

What a concept. The U. S. Constitution, while a wondrous document, is so often perverted from its original intent as to be unrecognizable. I suspect the founding fathers had no such intent as coddling criminals in mind when they established the Bill of Rights. Rights were meant for law abiding citizens.
 
<span class="postlistquotedtext"><blockquote>quote:<center><hr width="100%"/></center>RayPeterson wrote:

That's the first time in the history of this board that two people posted at the same time. A memorable day...<center><hr width="100%"/></center></blockquote></span>



"You said we'd do it together..."
 
Ever heard of the "Darmstadt-Weiterstadt" prison here in Germany?

No?

I just say two words (well a few more)

1.) Basketball court (with electronic counter)

2.) Indoor swimming pool

Welcome criminals! Have a nice stay.
 
Ahhhh is that the one Ive been emailed pictures of at work today? Big glass thing? Widescreen TV, table tennis tables, table-soccer or whatever the heck its called...Foosball? No idea...anyway, this place is like Center Parcs. I emailed the pics to a police inspector and his reply was simply "Book two weeks for me in August"

UN--------------------------REAL

 
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