Posted on 11/22/2005 2:30:44 AM PST by Navydog
BERLIN (AP) - Angela Merkel was elected Tuesday as Germany's first female chancellor, taking power at the helm of an unwieldy alliance of the right and left that now officially has the job of turning around Europe's biggest economy.
Lawmakers voted 397 to 202, with 12 abstentions, to make Merkel Germany's eighth leader since World War II, succeeding Gerhard Schroeder, whose seven-year government of Social Democrats and Greens was ousted by voters Sept. 18.
good maybe the women there have more balls these days
What about Schroeder and his workers utopia?
The poor dear. Hope he goes home and rots.
No `maybe' about it.
She will be a good Chancellor, I´m sure. :-)
Last picture with the Federal President after her appointment. Her Ministers are already appointed and will be sworn in in 13 minutes. Then she will get the keys of the Chancellery from Gerhard Schröder, who has given up his membership in the parliament, and hold a meeting of the Cabinet later today. As far as I know, the diplomats are right now working to make a date with President Bush before Christmas.
Now, she is the most powerful woman in the world!!
She's got big balls!
She was the one that went back and fourth between the US and Germany when Schroeder was playing his anti-US card in 2002. Fully knowing what her political adversary would do (Smear her as an American asscrawler) she steered straight ahead and did the right thing. Even in 2005 she kept the war in Iraq and the threat with Iran out of the German election race, while her opponent Schroeder of course used every opportunity to play his game and open his mouth.
No no, Merkel seems strong! Her dad I think was a minister and she was raised with a religious backbone. I don’t see “her” as weak, but unfortunately she has no real mandate by the people. She does not have the vast popular support of a Reagan or Thatcher. While “she” is strong and has a moral foundation many even in the “Christian” Democrats do not. Even the conservative more right party of Germany (Which now supports abortion and many other liberal causes) panders to leftist ideology, or at least has many members who do.
She will have a hard time, but not because of a lack of vision or moral courage. It will be her Coalition with the SPD and her own party that do her in.
Red6
One would think the people in the DDR would support her.
One would have thought that with the economy slipping even further into an abyss people would vote for change.
What is wrong? Again, there is but "ONE" explanation I can think of. Many in Germany today subscribe to a socialist ideology. Facts, historic precedence, even reason don't matter anymore. That's the only way I can explain why so many would vote for a Lafontaine.
Red6
I agree that the people - at least 53% - have too much socialist ideology in them. And they lack understanding of economics!!
Btw, I´m also in favour of abortion (the 12-weeks-rule after consulting a counselor).
Campaign Photo
But today there is Paragraf 218.
The US has a huge advantage. Beginning in the 1900's there was a socialist movement in Europe. The US never was engulfed with this ideology like Germany. Even Hitler was a socialist and pressed this ideology on the people. The German does not see him as a socialist, but he was; Franco, Mussolini were no different. Then came the Cold War and massive indoctrination in the DDR. Even West Germany was pummeled with Radio Moscow, the (CRP) Communist Revolutionary Front (Which was being backed by the DDR behind the scene and targeted the youth in Germany)…… The US never had such socialist exposure.
The German mind is a product of its past and present environmental inputs. Today the German sees “Nationalism” as bad, “Patriotism” is synonymous with Hitler/NAZI and “God/religion” is the root of most evil in the world. Ask a typical German whether religion caused most of the worlds wars in the past. They will give you a dissertation of how bad religion is. The Germans today have had God sucked out of them. Socialism have filled the void. Patriotism and Nationalism is bad, hence they see the US as wrong since we are nationalist and patriotic.
The Socialist ideology has largely conquered the German mind. Germany’s biggest enemy is itself! God is not the basis of any moral underpinning in government anymore. Hence there are no more morals. It’s all relative, like abortion, like a love parade, like Liebe Suende, and Wahre Liebe, Protitution or hashish.
Bring the Christian back into the CDU. Know who the real enemy is, “Sozialismus” and while you can’t be open about it, since the masses won’t understand, fight against this horrible abomination of an ideology wherever possible. The Cold War ended, the wall fell, but many ideas are still alive and well in peoples minds. Ask a Ossi who votes for the PDS.
Red6
I have taken appreciation in the swearing-in ceremony of our new Cabinet. 14 of 15 Ministers plus the Chancellor have chosen to add "So help me God" at the end of the oath. I´m all for patriotism, and for worshipping the Almighty. One shouldn´t forget the One who gives our lives sense, who makes our existence understandable. And we shouldn´t forget that we aren´t the supreme power in this what we call universe.
Even with this campaign "You are Germany", patriotism is coming back. Especially the younger have less problems to be proud of their country. I asked a platoon of conscripts I´ve taught the meaning of our "public vow" and the basic structure of our Republic whether they´re proud to be German. Ca. 66% raised their hands, although the Lt standing in front of them has also raised his hand. I guess this "poll" was pretty accurate for this generation. I´m - as always - optimistic. :-)
We are no doubt drifting in the same direction.
1. The US immigrant pre WWII was very different than the immigrant post WWII. Pre-WWII the US was a place people went to start over, to flee oppression for religious, political reasons. There was a “pioneer” spirit and a national health care plan was not the highest priority for the people. Examples of this can be found in the debtor colonies, Mormons or Pilgrims. People wanted to escape the life they had.
Today we get people who what economic wealth. They want an IT job in CA or TX that pays $75,000 a year, but neither see themselves as American nor want to assimilate. In fact, while they come here for the “job” and material wealth they want to establish the same systems here as in their country. Not seeing the correlation between why the place is depressed they came from and its way of operating, they want to establish the same systems here that brought down the place they were at.
The “type” of immigrant we get today is very different than in the past.
2. All societies seem to drift left over time. Whether Canada, Australia, the US, Germany or Italy, even Japan and Korea - all Western societies seem to follow a trend of more socialism, more centralization over time. Social Security, HUD, VA, MEDICARE, MEDICADE etc. Germany was a fairly unbridled economy when it first kicked off after WWII. It wasn’t until the 60s when more and more social programs were instituted. As societies age they seem to change in this way. Old is meant in both the physical age of the population and the length for which this society has been around. Even in the US you see a push for a medical prescription plan. Why is this now suddenly such a big issue? Look at the demographics of the US. The mean age is getting older.
3. In the US most people are not really concerned with politics outside our boarders. Largely because of our size and the fact that the state/city/county affects you more than the Federal government in day to day life- it’s the lower levels where you see high voter turn outs, high voter registration and participation. We tend to be introverts when it come to what interests us. In fact we have been largely isolationist until WWII. What this creates is a vulnerability.
We are largely gullible. The perfect example is the National Healthcare debate. Ever here someone state that we should have “free” national healthcare for all? Yea, social medicine is free, right? BS. They just take 14% from your paycheck in a tax, reduce your options in care (Giant HMO is what it comes down to), restrict your legal recourse if a Dr messes up, and give ALL equally shabby care where you’re no longer viewed as a customer since the, “It’s YOUR money”, part of the equation is now missing. The Hospital will get its money from the state no matter what. And the state in turn will take it from you, regardless of care rendered. Why explain this? Because ideas like this are catchy and sell well to people that don’t know any better. You will hear this often. “Look look in Great Britain/Germany/France they have free medical care!” Well, first off it ain’t free.
http://www.comfortplan.de/krankenversicherung/krankenkassen_vergleich.php
This is where you can calculate how much your “free” health care will cost you in just one of those examples the pro-national health care agenda like to use.
Secondly, if you think being denied kidney dialysis over a certain age (They used to just cut your care off in Great Britain if you’re older) is good care, great, then it’s a system for you! It’s easy to misguide people into having them think something is great if they have no clue about it. Socialism is like that. It has a lot of appeal to the bourgeois liberals growing up in suburban America. Lots of wealth and a touch of ignorance makes people dangerous.
4. Population density seems to play a role in the equation as well. It seems that the more dense the population, the more the need as well as desire to come up with more common rules to govern and control behavior. Look at an election map of the US in terms of Red vs. Blue areas! Also has populations grow in areas they tend to become more liberal, yet more centralized and socialist in thinking. Even in the heart of conservative states this can be found. A few of the bigger cities in Texas are very liberal, while the rural areas of New York tend to be conservative. Long term, nationally as the US population is growing and rural America is shrinking the “It Takes a Village” crowd seems to benefit.
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