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Germans are always able to make decisive decisions in the toughest critical time

已有 691 次阅读2016-5-1 18:29 |个人分类:Frank's Writings| critical, always

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Germans are always able to make decisive decisions in the toughest critical time

Frank May 1, 2016, in waterloo, On. Ca.

http://www.kwcg.ca/bbs/home.php?mod=space&uid=61910&do=blog&id=4117

When I am writing the article Dividend Makes Industrious German Lazy, the decisive action of Mr. Robert Bosch who delisted he listed company Robert Bosch GmbH inspired me to think of other similar rational actions of German people, which were rational, but, did not meet the common sense of most of others.

One of them was the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder who saved Germany by Agenda 2010.

Today, under the impact of European sovereign debt crisis, Europe's economy has sustained in downturn, even some countries were hovering on the edge of bankruptcy. However, the German economy has been thriving, and has become the savior of those Looser-countries.

The admirable performance of German economy was not mainly due to the high quality of German people, but, due to the rational governance.

Since that, only in 13 years ago, the German economy was still considered a "sick man of Europe". Because of the economy of many European countries was in steady growth, while the German economy is in the state of anemic and malaise. Such as, in 2003, the German economy grew by - 0.4%, just better than the other negative growth country - Portugal.

The fact showed that the quality of German people was no big difference with that of the people in other European countries.

It was the series social reform under Agenda 2010 has essentially saved German economy, however, as the key founder and leader of Agenda 2010, the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who has paid with political price.

Jan. 15, 2012, the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was invited in the talk show of China Central Television – CCTV - The Choice of germany in the economic reform.

Follow is the video screenshots.

Germany 1 Germany

At the start, the Host introduced that, there German media have commented Mr. Gerhard Schroeder as that: if he was the Titanic, then the sink one would be the iceberg. Mr. Schroeder laughed with that: I might choose to bypass the iceberg, rather than to run into it.

The host said that, when just took the office as the Prime Minister, you launched the 2010 Agenda. A program that was radically reforming the welfare system in Germany, including the time receiving unemployment benefits, from 32 months down to 12--18 months, the proportion of pension contributions from 19.5% increased to 22% and raised the retirement age to 67 years old, besides have to pay insurance premiums, employees also have to pay an additional charge on seeing doctor, receiving medication and hospitalization. Why you do that?

Mr. Schroeder said with that:

“Firstly, it is that people who are working must pay some relevant insurance for those who are too small, too old, sick and unemployed; we need to reform our nation's welfare, so that those who are working can afford related costs.”

“Secondly, it is because of globalization, we have to deal with global competition.”

“Thirdly, we must spare some funds for education and R&Ds in science and technology.”

“Now, Europe was in crisis, all countries must be reformed, and the conditions are more difficult. Fortunately, Germany has reformed in 2013.”

When, the host asked that: “at the time after you launched 2010 Agenda, there were about 60 thousand ruling party members quitted the party as protest, and people have recognized that it was the Agenda 2010 directly led to the failure of your 2005 election.”

Mr. Schroeder replied with that: there was no any rational alternative. Now, we all knew that the reform was necessary, we must make the reform. Even it will adversely impact our election, and also we certainly did not want to defeat in the general election, which was a risk for us at that time, we had to weigh between that whether for the future of own country to face the risk, or for the win in the re-election to avoid the risks. However, if we avoided the risk, future generations would say that we did wrong thing at the right time. I think, in comparison with avoiding the risky, my choice was correct.

If politicians were convinced that was favorable for own country and people, then, even if to be defeated in the general election, they must do the same, the 2010 Agenda was the case. Now, this model has been successful in Germany. People have been recognized that, it is necessary to reform the EU by the same way.

Mr. Schroeder emphasized that there were two major problems that faced in the reform.

1. In our society, if you ask people whether the reforms are necessary, the answer must be the yes, but if the reforms touched their vital interests, the situation will be different.

2. In our societies, there is a time difference, that is, today made the decision that bring immediate negative impact to people, the possibly positive effect will be only able to emerge after two or three years later.

A rational politician who must be able to make a rational choice between own political life and the interests of those people who are taking care of their families by hard working.

The rational action of Mr. Gerhard Schroeder who launched Agenda 2010 by the expense of own political life inspired me to think of former German Chancellor Willy Brandt.

In the Dec. 7, 1970, during his visit in the former Jewish Ghetto of Warsaw, when faced with the angry and hate-filled local crowd, the Chancellor Willy Brandt kneels down and silence for the victims who were killed during the aggression of Nazi Germany at the front of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Monument, where World War II started when Germany invaded on Sept. 1, 1939. It was one of the most powerful and unexpected gestures of German remorse.

In a television interview, an escort recalled that evening, when he asked Brandt on the matter, Mr. Brandt replied that: "I suddenly felt that just presented a wreath was absolutely not enough.”

Brandt received the Nobel Peace Prize in the next year, with officials citing his kneeling at the Jewish site in Warsaw as an example of his work 'to bury hatred and seek reconciliation across the mass graves of the war.'

“The man who had no need to kneel, did so on behalf of all those who ought to kneel but don’t”.

Follow is the photo of the Chancellor Willy Brandt kneels down.