“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, Peter. It is
clearly insane. These people are liars, either voluntary ones or
involuntary ones, no doubt about it. Hopefully the latter. Like
eight year-olds who have been given the responsibility for hundreds
of billions of their voters’ Euros, and don’t know how to explain
what they’ve done with them.”
"Quite," I said. "And for the third and last
example, how about the European birdbrains' latest trick? As from
the fourth quarter of this year, all European countries can include
prostitution income as 'income from services' in their official GDP
data. Fraud, black market labor and illegal business proceeds can
also be included, under the description 'productive revenues'. And
illegal drug purchases can be estimated and included under the
heading 'individual consumption turnover'. I mean, how pathetic can
you get? The situation remains the same. The debt remains the same.
But 90% of the masses will be fooled because their countries’ debts
will
appear
to be slightly lower—as a percentage of
GDP."
"Lunacy," said Jeremy. No raised voice. No
adjectives. No need.
"I really
do
have to leave soon," he
continued. "And you still have the subject of what you call 'social
economics', I believe?"
A waitress came in with fresh coffee. I
glanced at Jeremy. Had he been sending messages to her or was this
just normal service? He caught my glance, raised his eyebrows and
gave me an enigmatic smile. Who knows? I filled up, I would really
like another smoke,
really, really,
but we've got to be
nearly finished by now.
"Yes, that's what I call it. Most developed
countries have a system whereby a lot of people have to work and
pay higher taxes to support those who don't work—that is, those who
can't, and those who can but don't want to. Now, before I start,
Jeremy, I would like to make it clear that a system which pays a
minimum amount to permit people who
want
to work and who are
healthy enough to do so, to support themselves and their families
until they eventually find work, is a fine, admirable and necessary
system. But
this
is how it goes, and I will take my country
of residence as an example."
"Germany again? Go ahead," said Jeremy.
"In Germany, if you are out of work and have
only a small amount of savings, you are classified as being poor.
The elected clowns have made laws whereby the working population
has to provide everybody else who is poor and out of work with an
apartment, a washing machine, a dryer, a television, a telephone,
furniture, clothes (new clothes), electricity, heating, food,
transport, free health care and—believe me, Jeremy—alcohol and
tobacco. All of these items are included in the official German
calculations as to how much the poor must receive. It is the modern
clown definition of poverty."
"This is poverty in Germany," said Jeremy.
"I see."
"Yes, but there is more. You are poor but
you want to have ten children? No problem. You can have as many as
you want. And irrespective of whether you are German or not, we
will get the working taxpayers, including those who have decided
they can't afford to have ten children, to pay you more money for
each and every one of them, you don't have to finance a thing.
So…go ahead! And…we'll get the taxpayers to pay for an even bigger
apartment for you to house them all in. And even if one or more of
your children get married, you will still receive a monthly child
allowance for them until they're 25. And nobody checks whether you
are spending all of these money gifts on your children either. And
if you are a foreigner, but your children are still living with
their grandparents back in your home country,
the nice German
taxpayers will pay you the same amount of money each month as they
would if your children were living in Germany.
An awful lot of
nationalities have learned how to benefit from this wondrous German
law, the leaders at the moment being the Poles. The Germans are
currently paying for over 41,000 Polish children living in
Poland."
"That does sound incredible. But what
happens if the working taxpayers want to stop paying for all of
these other people? Or at least want to pay them less?"
"They have no choice Jeremy. The birdbrains
have the power. Their laws have caused this; we call it social
security tourism, or poverty tourism. The most recent influx is
from Romania and Bulgaria. An estimated 180,000 per year are
pouring into Germany, where the nice taxpayers provide them with a
luxury life compared to what they would receive from their own
governments. Whole villages hire buses and they turn up, legally,
in Germany where housing and everything else has to be provided for
them. Attempts are made to find jobs for them, but many can't work
for reasons such as they can't even speak the language. As a matter
of fact, many are illiterate, or close to it, in their
own
language. And as for the remainder, many learn quickly how easy it
is to have yourself officially classified as ill."
"But surely the German people can refuse to
pay for this unlimited social security tourism?"
"They can't refuse, Jeremy. As some of the
birdbrains themselves say, we need the masses in order to get
elected, but not in order to rule and make the laws. Ha, ha, flap,
flap. And, Jeremy, the right to live in Germany means that
thousands of young girls, illiterate or not, have become
prostitutes and more are still arriving there by the busload as we
speak (prostitution is legal in Germany and they now have a legal
right to work there). And maybe plenty of not so young ones as
well."
"Fascinating," said Jeremy. His tone was
flat; not an unfriendly flat, just a mildly disinterested flat.
Germany also takes in close to 300,000
political asylum seekers each year. These are people who are
threatened with death, violence or imprisonment in their home
countries.”
“Threatened by other human beings? Well,
well, well, surprise.” Monotone again.
"Yes. And then there is the question of
illegal immigration as well. The birdbrains flap around like
headless chickens, praising the inefficient European border control
system they have implemented, denying that they themselves have any
responsibility for the mess they have created (what's new?), and
affirming that in any case they wouldn't know how to stop it. Quite
the contrary. Illegal immigration into Germany increased by 25%
last year. But this was not their fault, of course. Someone else is
to blame. Oh yes…flap, flap."
"Awesome." Jeremy fiddled with his coffee
cup; again, no emotion that I could note.
"Anyway," I continued, "back to the overall
social security recipients, irrespective of nationality. It is
factually true that a larger percentage of these are obese than is
the case with the workers who are paying for them; and many of them
just sit and watch television all day or spend their time drinking
in a pub. You can find plenty of them there at any hour of the day
or night, and in any city or in any town. It is legal for them to
do that. That is a fact. And there are a lot more facts, some of
which you might find difficult to believe. For example, the working
taxpayers in Germany—thanks to the birdbrains again—give
interest-free loans
to these out-of-work people. Last year,
the amount was €65 million. Naturally, a lot of these loans are not
loans at all. They are never repaid. They are a gift."
"And that is a fact, is it? €65 million?
Interest-free?"
"According to the official statistics of the
German Employment Ministry, Jeremy."
I swilled some of the fresh coffee down my
throat, which had now reached the stage of being able to provide,
if required, a perfect rendition of Rod Stewart singing
Waltzing
Matilda
. Or Rod Stewart singing anything, come to that. It is
just that the legendary
Waltzing Matilda
sticks in my mind
because of its peculiarities—it being, as I am sure know, a
romantic Scottish tune with Australian lyrics which have nothing to
do with dancing or with a young lady by the name of Matilda or any
other name.
"But for many things they don't need a loan,
Jeremy. In selected provinces in Germany last year, many of the
unemployed who were looking for or starting a new job received free
gifts of money for haircuts and new suits and/or overalls. And if
the job is not close to where they live, then the taxpayers finance
the purchase of a car for them and will also pay for car repairs up
to an amount of €2,000 annually. And if they can't drive, the
taxpayers will also contribute to the cost of driving lessons and
other costs involved for them to obtain a driver's license."
"But surely some of the taxpayers can't even
afford a car themselves?"
"That is true, but they have no say in the
matter. Their tax payments contribute to this the same as anybody
else's, the birdbrains make no exceptions."
Jeremy had adopted a slightly glazed look.
"Fascinating." he said. “Farcical.”
"Farcical? There is no end to it Jeremy. How
about this? An unemployed German married an Indonesian woman and
they had a child. They lived off unemployment money and social
benefits for several years, and then the woman left him and
returned to Indonesia, taking her son with her. This year, still
unemployed despite being healthy, the man decided that he wanted
taxpayers' money to visit his son, now ten years old, in Indonesia
for a few weeks. Something they had already done for him the year
before. Not a bad holiday methodology, you might think. And this
time around the authorities refused to pay him the money. And so he
took the authorities to court. And he won!
Jeremy was tugging on his shirt cuffs,
twiddling his cufflinks, adjusting his tie. Becoming nervous.
"Mad," he said, not for the first time.
"Indeed," I said. "But for something
really
farcical, listen to this. Last year in Dortmund, the
birdbrains, and/or their lackeys, were offering unemployed persons
cash gifts of up to €280 per month for three months if they would
do them the favor of taking the jobs that had been found for them.
Even though they are required by law to accept the
jobs.
"
"Even though they are required by law to
accept the jobs," said Jeremy pensively.
"Exactly. In fact I am now waiting for the
birdbrains to introduce a system whereby murderers will receive
taxpayers' money in order not to commit murder, even though the law
requires them not to."
"I must admit there are things which deserve
your kind of cynicism, Peter. Particularly since these weird
practices presumably continue."
"Well…not comprehensively, Jeremy. What I've
described is all factual, but some of the practices have been
subject to certain conditions, some are restricted to certain
cities or provinces, and some have recently been stopped because
the applicable birdbrains eventually recognized their law-making
errors, or someone else did it for them."
"But perhaps you have only mentioned a few
exceptions to the rule, Peter. Perhaps you are exaggerating the
overall picture…"
"Oh no, Jeremy. There are hundreds of
thousands of cases. I have only provided you with a few
illustrations. And because the system," I continued, "is
incompetence personified and full of holes—like most politicians'
systems, as I have previously mentioned—there is massive
fraud."
"Massive fraud? That is your opinion?"
"No Jeremy, that is not my opinion, neither
mine nor anybody else's. The fraud is a fact, and so is the
adjective. There are an average 200,000 convictions each year in
Germany for total or partial social security fraud. But these are
only the people who are caught. Nobody knows how many people are
committing fraud; several estimates put it at well above 1 million.
I even know some personally. Many of these people also earn extra
money by working illegally without paying taxes or social security
contributions while continuing to receive their assistance
money—also tax-free of course—from the tax-paying population. They
contribute nothing to society.
I can quote from many interesting cases.
Recently, Hans-Jürgen L. from Düsseldorf was convicted of drawing
benefits for many years although he had nearly €500,000 in a bank
account in Liechtenstein. A Turkish guy owned three launderettes,
all in his son's name. Another Turkish guy had built himself a
luxury villa back in Turkey. A local guy from Hamburg received
€35,000 over three years although he was the owner of a profitable
whorehouse, and drove a brand new Jaguar to boot. An Islamic priest
in Cologne, who doesn't have the time to go to work but does have
the time to preach death and hellfire to all Christians and Jews,
prefers to live in a house rather than an apartment and is also
supported, together with his family, by the nice German taxpayers.
Who are mainly Christians. And so it goes on. The list is a very,
very, very long one."
"Well, I prefer not to hear any more
examples, Peter, thank you. Let us just say that all of this is
ridiculous and must cost a lot of money."
"It does indeed. Even the costs of the
controls to try and catch some of the swindlers are immense. But no
matter how much the taxpayers pay, it will never be enough. The
pinstripes' imperfect and defective system just cannot be financed.
This in no way represents a problem for the pinstripes of course;
they merely borrow more money in the name of the people to pay for
their ghastly incompetence, flap, flap. And…they keep inventing new
ways to spend even more. For example, men who have become fathers
and who want to play mother can now absent themselves from their
jobs for several months and receive money from the other taxpayers
for doing so. But, as I have said before, all of the schemes these
incompetents create are full of holes. Firstly, this father money
is also paid to well-off men who don't need it. And secondly, many
men use it to enjoy a prolonged holiday from work at the other
taxpayers' expense."