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Pregnant Germans seek cash bonus
BBC ^ | 12/27/06 | n/a

Posted on 12/28/2006 9:06:51 AM PST by kiriath_jearim

Many German mothers-to-be are reportedly trying to delay labour so their births coincide with a generous new government scheme.

Parents of babies born on or after 1 January will be entitled to up to 25,200 euros (£16,911, $33,300) to ease the financial burden of parenthood.

[German mums-to-be are avoiding actions that may bring on labour]

But those born even a minute earlier will not be covered by the scheme.

The cash subsidies are part of a government initiative to boost Germany's dwindling birth rate.

German women have an average of 1.37 children, well below the average of 2.1 needed to keep a population stable. One minister recently warned of "the lights going out".

Under the current system of Elterngeld, parents receive a maximum of 7,200 euros (£4,831, $9,472) over two years.

But the parents of children born in 2007 will be granted over two thirds of their former salary for up to a year - up to 25,200 euros.

'Let nature take its course'

Doctors have been warning women not to take any medication to try to delay labour, and few, they stress, would put the life of their baby at risk for the sake of the money.

But what many mums-to-be do in order to bring on labour, pregnant Germans are now anxious to avoid.

These include drinking red wine, eating curries and taking part in physical activity.

Midwives are also advising women to avoid cinnamon and cloves - a staple of German Christmas cooking.

And it was to the government's festive spirit that a Berlin bishop appealed this week when he asked for the start date for the new benefits to be brought forward.

"It would be an anti-bureaucratic act in the spirit of Christmas to move the date from 1 January to 24 December," Wolfgang Huber, a leader of the Protestant church, said in the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Germany
KEYWORDS: fallingbirthrates; germany; payme; socialism
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To: kiriath_jearim

"The cash subsidies are part of a government initiative to boost Germany's dwindling birth rate."

The Muslim women are getting rich.

The problem in general is that taxes are too high which means that both parents are forced to be employed, which means that there is less room for an additional person in the family. Many Europeans see a bleak future for the next generation - why expose a child to that unhappiness?

Muslim women do not have that problem - they know that their children will take over Europe.


21 posted on 12/28/2006 9:43:31 AM PST by 353FMG (I never met a liberal I didn't dislike.)
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To: kiriath_jearim

"...German women have an average of 1.37 children..."
What happened to the other twin's 63%?


22 posted on 12/28/2006 9:58:58 AM PST by DH (The government writes no bill that does not line the pockets of special interests.)
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To: flynmudd
They are having to pay their citizens to procreate? What a crock of sh*t.

The alternative is to give the country over to the Muzzies. Mostly turks in the case of Germany, but Muslims nonetheless.

23 posted on 12/28/2006 10:00:07 AM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: kiriath_jearim

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just outlaw abortion?


24 posted on 12/28/2006 10:01:28 AM PST by Between the Lines (Liberalism: the insanity that results from too many people living in close proximity to one another.)
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To: Aetius
Even though they are well-intentioned, the problem will be that the 'Germans' most likely to take advantage are those who don't need any encouragement to have children in the first place; i.e. the Muslim population.

IIRC, the Muslim Guest workers, and their children are not German citizens, but retain the citizenship of the country of origin of the parents. So they might or might not be eligible for the subsidy. They are eligible for most social welfare benefits.

25 posted on 12/28/2006 10:10:48 AM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: kiriath_jearim

Nothing new here. Hitler paid Motherhood Bonuses for creating future soldiers for the Reich and awarded them Motherhood Medals.


26 posted on 12/28/2006 10:26:45 AM PST by Hugin
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To: kiriath_jearim

This SHOULD apply only to German born women. They need to boost their native German births to offset to the baby boom of the immigrant Muslims.

Actually all of Europe needs to take notice and fast. The muslims are breeding themselves to a majority.


27 posted on 12/28/2006 10:31:53 AM PST by Tatze (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: Aetius

They need to outlaw women in the workplace. That will bring the birthrate up to replacement. And they need to send all the Mohammedans to a Mohammedan country other than Germany. One of these measures is as likely to be enacted as the other.


28 posted on 12/28/2006 10:32:33 AM PST by arthurus (Better to fight them over THERE than over HERE)
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To: Mercat

I know of a couple who had twins born four minutes apart-one born December 31, 1999 at 11:57 pm, the other twin January 1, 2000 at 12:01.


29 posted on 12/28/2006 10:33:53 AM PST by RockinRight (To compare Congress to drunken sailors is an insult to drunken sailors. - Ronald W. Reagan)
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To: Hugin

Money for children started in Germany in the 70's to boost birth rates.
It hasn't worked.
The Germans have become too lazy to breed.


30 posted on 12/28/2006 10:39:34 AM PST by americanbychoice2
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To: arthurus

Muslim (Turkic) women in "breeding age" in Germany are to a good part already second generation and born there.


31 posted on 12/28/2006 10:43:24 AM PST by SolidWood (Sadr lives. Kill him.)
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To: flynmudd
We do also, it's called a child tax credit deduction. Do you hear us non-parents complaining about that tax inequity?
32 posted on 12/28/2006 11:35:10 AM PST by anymouse
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To: flynmudd

"They are having to pay their citizens to procreate? What a crock of sh*t."

I was pregnant and traveling in Europe when I sat next to a german midwife during a short flight.
She noticed my baby bump and asked how much my government was giving me once the baby was born.
I didn't understand the question -why would my government give me money?

She said that at that time (1999) Germany was giving all new mothers $500 and they also received help from a government paid nurse who worked in the mother's home for the first 2 weeks.

Russia is offering cash bonuses and better housing for families who have more than one child.
I've read that Italy is also considering cash bonuses.

People are figuring out that babies are necessary for the future, they just aren't sure how to turn the trend around.

for a long time the message has been that children are a bore and a burden.


33 posted on 12/28/2006 11:42:28 AM PST by Scotswife
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To: anymouse

"We do also, it's called a child tax credit deduction. Do you hear us non-parents complaining about that tax inequity?"


We have 7 kids and benefit handsomely - although we didn't decide "hey!! if we have another one we can get another credit!)
Our tax credit in this country isn't - I think - large enough to encourage people to change their minds and have kids when they previously were not going to.

On the other hand I don't feel guilty taking advantage of the write off because I know when these same kids are old enough to work they are going to carry more than their fair share of the social security burden.
So...they get to keep a little extra money now, and they'll wind up paying out the wazoo later.


34 posted on 12/28/2006 11:46:48 AM PST by Scotswife
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To: anymouse

Yes all the time.


35 posted on 12/28/2006 11:57:15 AM PST by flynmudd (Proud Navy Mom to OSSA Blalock-DDG 61)
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To: RockinRight

Now that is very cool. One of them can say he's a year older than the other.


36 posted on 12/28/2006 1:57:21 PM PST by Mercat
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To: Aetius
Having been in Germany for almost 14 years...it's like sitting on the stage of Saturday Night Live. The antics and games that are played on a daily basis...touted in the media...make Germany almost a Banana Republic.

When you travel within 40 miles of Luxembourg....you will notice few...if any...gas stations. Every German makes a drive over to the Lux border each week...with at least two cans in the back...and fuels up...saving 20 percent over German gas prices. Same story for coffee, booze, and groceries. The Germans? They set up road blocks and custom checks...but everyone takes the precise amount allowed by the EU. Oh, and going into Lux...the plumbers and craftsmen....bring their black-market income with them and deposit into local banks there. There are lots of Germans with $100k accounts...all untaxed...in the Lux-land.

The 19 percent sales tax in German? Starts 1 Jan 2007. Everyone bought every item possible in 2006...so the business sector will stall out in early 2007...with no big-ticket purchases for a number of months. Reaction by the Germans? "Oh my"...and then blame the politicians. The politicians are all losers. After a while...you can readily understand how some mustached Austrian fool could walk in and really take up public support amongst the voters.
37 posted on 12/30/2006 1:10:22 AM PST by pepsionice
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