I do wonder, Pepsionice, if the German government is paying this current crop of “Syrian” refugees a different rate?
That may account for the discrepancy.
There has been talk of setting the asylum folks under the Hartz IV program just to save on paperwork and have someone to monitor their “progress”. But the rate of money isn’t much different. They might get 10-percent more per month than the welfare crowd. Trust me....the welfare money in Germany is just enough to survive. If you were a pack-a-day smoker....you won’t make it in a month unless you pick up bottles off the street or make some cash under the table for black-work.