Economy: unemployment in Germany on a 5 year low.

[Barnabas]

Whats the wealth difference between east and west like nowadays?

And how is the city of Bonn now too btw

[Ecthy]

Ample. Both.

[Barnabas]

Do you have gdp per capita numbers for east and west?

I mean, is the east wealthier than Portugal or Greece, around that level, less wealthy?
Ive been reading lately that the east is improving much

ps: I meant if the town had decayed after gov stuff was moved to Berlin.

[BeBMan]

There's still quite some gov stuff there, it's a strange mix now between Bonn and Berlin.

GDP data I can't give from the top of my head, but some months ago I read average wages are still significantly lower in the East.

[Ecthy]

By decree of law, there have to be maintained in Bonn the same amount of department employees as in Berlin. So by law, no department can fully move to Berlin without leaving half its bureaucratic apparatus in Bonn. Una mierda.

The GDR was the economically most successful country of the Soviet Block. Nowadays, it isn't all so obvious anymore. it might be growing quicker today than in the 90s (when it ws shrinking, at least until '92 or '93), but it's not significantly better off than Poland or the Czech Republic, who maintained their economic structures throughout the end of the cold war. I'll look up some figures.

[DanS]

Originally posted by BeBro
Schroeder showed leadership by doing reforms highly unpopular (reforms which btw even todays CDU politicians don't question fundamentally). You just don't like him because of his Iraq pov.

His reforms were too little, way too late. He didn't believe in them. He didn't want to do them. He was too busy kissing the ass of the special interests.

With regard to the war, I had no problem with his position. However, it's not kosher to play the Hitler card against an American president to win an election in Germany.

[BeBMan]

Well, he won, didn't he?

[DanS]

It's just not kosher. For obvious reasons. He'll rot in hell for it.

[BeBMan]

Bah....in the end he was right anyway, he just wasn't very diplomatic in this, though I think the US admin has nothing to complain in that regard...

"Hitler card" = godwinized, and also wrong.

[DanS]

Schroeder wasn't right in the least to instruct/allow his surrogates to equate Bush with Hitler. It's a rock stupid analogy and very offensive besides.

[Ecthy]

OK, it seems East Germany isn't doing so bad after all. GDP per capita (PPP) averaged about €19,500 in 2006 without Berlin, €20,300 with Berlin.

The other Eastern countries are at lower stats, the Czech Republic turns out to be incredibly poor compared to, for example, Poland (€5,400 vs. €11,000). Spain and Greece areabove the East German average with €20,000 and €21,000 respectively. Portugal fares worse, at €17,000.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by DanS
Schroeder wasn't right in the least to instruct/allow his surrogates to equate Bush with Hitler.

1. He didn't instruct her.

2. Ministers are usually allowed to speak to the press.

3. She was not taken over into the next cabinet just because of her words.

[Ecthy]

West German GDP/capita: significantly higher.

[Harovan]

Originally posted by DanS
His reforms were too little, way too late. He didn't believe in them. He didn't want to do them.

I would be interested to hear from you, what reforms really led to the current economical boom in Germany, if not Schröders Agenda 2010. But pretty please leave out the "persuasion" and "leadership" bull. Not words change a country's economy. Concrete measures to improve the basic conditions do.

Who is the current minister of economy and technology in Germany?

What were the circumstances, under which he was chosen?

What can you say about his general competence in economical things? What were his prior references?

What has he, may be with the help of the rest of the government, done (and not merely discussed) to improve the economical situation?

I give you a hint, even though I'm lazy to look up links, and if I find them they'd be most likely in German. Pretty much all independent experts (economical institutes etc.) are in agreement, that the current government has very little to do with the economical boom. There have been quite some articles about this throughout the last year. And pretty much all of them give a portion (not the whole) of the credit to Schröder's reforms.

And while it may be, that Schröder did too little, too late, it's a fact that the current grand coalition did nearly nothing.

[DanS]

Originally posted by BeBro
1. He didn't instruct her.
2. Ministers are usually allowed to speak to the press.
3. She was not taken over into the next cabinet just because of her words.

Schroeder was given ample opportunity to explain it away, to climb down from the remarks, and to give a low-cost apology. He and his government declined to do so, so having you try to explain it away is wholly unsastisfying.