Merkel Leads in German Election, Schroeder Won't Concede

Ya the 34% are the young little creeps who think they know it all.

I worked with a fellow who actually escaped from Germany during that time. He told me that first, (his dad), they were left off work once a week (normal) and got paid (normal). Then, they left them off twice a week and paid them, then it was once a day and they were paid at noon, had an hour and a half off from work just so they could spend that money and get it back in circulation.

Then the Nazis came to power. Anyone who did not go to a Nazi school was beaten bullied or whatever. Eventually it got to killing the kids who did not go to a Nazi youth school.

One day he came back from town and the Ol Man pinned a tag on he and his oldest sisters chest. They left with a small satchel with a few belongings and went to the docks where they got on a freighter bound for the USA and slept in the cargo hold. He told me his younger sister of 13 prostituted herself to the merchant marine sailors to get the passage for them.

He and his sister never heard from his family ever again. 7 children in that family. I guess they were all killed during the war. He figures the Nazis killed them.

CDU is pro-welfare state, but they are aware that the goose will stop laying golden eggs if it is killed. So they have a slightly more friendly attitude toward business than the SPD.

FDP is the closest Germany has to a "free markets" party.

"Christian Democrats" in this sense simply mean they support democracy (as opposed to authoritarianism) and Christian social doctrine developed in 19th century Europe. When the party grouping was formed in post-WWII Geramny, it was understood that Christianity (in the European state church Protestant or Catholic varieties) had historically supported a lot of "strong men" autocrats like Bismarck or Meternich in the early modern ages when representative politics was in its infancy. The term "Democrat" simply shows they were committed to the democratic ideals.

"Christian" refers to a belief popular in European Christian social circles that the state is obligated to promote public order by looking after the needy and to promote an orderly public environment.

Looking from Asian or American Christian perspective this concept is pretty alien. Just because they call themselves "Christian" does not mean they will be like Jerry Falwell, even among the most conservative CDU people.

And in addition, as European countries go even more secularized they may be nothing but an archaic expression. It is today understood simply as the party that does not as favourable to social welfare state as the other major party (inevitably called "Socialists").

They had a small farm and the guy would save everything. Every last piece of scrap metal he could find was on a pile in his yard. Even wooden fence posts. He feared hard times and felt that scrap would get them through.

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