Germans Reach Deal to Spend Big on Defense, Climate and More • The agreement between centrist parties, led by the likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, was billed as a response to America’s shrinking security guarantees.
Posted by Naurgul@reddit | anime_titties | View on Reddit | 32 comments
Dairosh@reddit
I didn't vote for him and his party, but I fully agree with him this time. Was about time. Every country makes debts to boost infrastructure and other projects. We were sleeping too long on the 0 debts politics. And our military needs an update for ages.
Mundane_Emu8921@reddit
Germany decides to rearm to pull itself out of an industrial depression.
Sounds familiar?
Dairosh@reddit
Our military is sadly a joke, and your president is doing one stunt after another. We can't trust the USA anymore. And especially funny because Musk does the Nazi salute...
Mundane_Emu8921@reddit
Lol.
So you trusted the US before Trump?
That explains a lot actually.
But whatever. Europe is about to find out why America doesn’t have free healthcare. Have fun!
King_Of_Pants@reddit
It's not free for either region. The difference is European money goes towards treating the sick, while US money goes towards debt collection.
Mundane_Emu8921@reddit
Yeah.
Now their money is gonna go to weapons.
That is how budgets work dude.
King_Of_Pants@reddit
No, you don't understand lol.
Their type of healthcare is cheaper than yours.
Factoring in taxes and private spending, Europeans spend ~5-7k per person on average per year. Americans spend ~10k per person.
Europe having free healthcare has nothing to do with saving money on weapons. It's because their system is more efficient.
The USA doesn't have expensive healthcare because of military spending. The USA has expensive healthcare because you have an incredibly bloated insurance system that costs almost as much as the healthcare itself.
When you go to a doctor's office in Europe you're paying for the doctor, the nurses and the receptionist. When you got to a doctor's office in the USA you're paying for the doctor, the nurses, the receptionist, the accountant, the claims officer, the insurance's receptionist, the debt collector and the lawyer.
Mundane_Emu8921@reddit
They spend less because so much of their healthcare is nationally administrated.
Across Europe we already see this trend of semi-privatization of healthcare.
They cut healthcare expenditures, make more care private.
Whenever care is private it becomes more expensive because private providers can charge anything that they want.
Unlike America, Europe can’t print money or conjure up debt out of thin air. The Euro is not a reserve currency.
So Europe can either raise taxes or cut spending.
They will cut spending. Best way to do that is to cut healthcare and education since Europe traded military expenditure for health and education, things that makes people’s lives better.
efficiency is just a vague cope term to assuage fears.
America does have expensive healthcare because we became a national security state, over half of our discretionary spending is for the military.
Government has to pay for a massive and useless military instead of healthcare. So since government doesn’t administer healthcare, we can’t control costs.
Same thing happened with UK. Founder of the NHS resigned from government when they adopted prescription fees in order to pay for rearmament.
nonviolent_blackbelt@reddit
Wrong. Euro is a major reserve currency.
No, that is not the reason.
That's not why either.
Wow, you're lying on all cylinders today.
Mundane_Emu8921@reddit
It isn’t the reserve currency.
Nobody prices oil in Euros.
That is a byproduct of government not taking control of healthcare.
The reason why we never did that is because we spent so much money on our military.
Europe will have the same thing happen to them.
nonviolent_blackbelt@reddit
Look up a list of reserve currencies. You'll find the Euro features quite prominently.
a) That's not a definition of a reserve currency
b) You're wrong: https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price/euro?op=1
I realise you're pretending to be American, but that's not the reason healthcare is expensive in the US. It's not even close.
According to who, RT? That's completely false.
Possibly, if Europe decides to spend 40% of it's GDP on war, like Russia does.
Of course, if Europe does that, it will dwarf Russia's power (including in nukes) so much that it isn't even funny. The 150 billion thing doesn't even get EU to 5%. There's plenty of room to escalate.
King_Of_Pants@reddit
Cool story. European countries have had no issues conjuring debt in the past.
The UK, France and Germany are 2nd, 3rd and 4th in debt behind the USA.
I think you'd be surprised at the numbers if you looked at government costs for healthcare across countries.
The idea that you can't afford healthcare because you spend so much on the military is just a Fox News talking point that has never been grounded in reality.
Right... except in the US budget, healthcare is covered under both discretionary and mandatory spending...
Medicare and healthcare are a larger slice of the budget than the military.
And your overall healthcare costs from a budget perspective aren't that low.
You can't afford healthcare because of failed neo-liberal policies. It has nothing to do with the military or with medical research as many US news outlets try to claim.
Mundane_Emu8921@reddit
Europe has had alot of issues conjuring up debt.
Did you forget about the Eurozone crisis?
It’s not “just cause they are.” It is because America pushed healthcare to be mainly administered by the private sector.
Whenever something is administered by a private market, you can’t control costs.
AzracTheFirst@reddit
Don't expect a Maga to understand basic math or reason.
Dairosh@reddit
Our healthcare isnt free, never was. Or is insurance "free"? Typcial Murican nonsense. And yes, Europe trusted the USA as a partner. Don't worry, that won't happen anytime soon.
The_DementedPicasso@reddit
You do realize that the very Same Person was blocking the very same thing he‘s doing now? He was bashing Habeck for nearly 4 years just to do the exact same thing Habeck wanted to do as soon as he came close to being chancelor. Merz is a lying spineless flag in the wind an he just „kann es einfach nicht“.
nerokae1001@reddit
I voted for Habeck but judging by the political climate. I would rather see Merz than Weidel.
Merz lied lots but that also buy us time to fend off afD propaganda. The timing window has to be used properly otherwise those that voted cdu would go to afD next time.
CDU is doing green politic atm which is not big surprise since the green have imho the most reasonable politic.
The_DementedPicasso@reddit
So we agree that the AfD would have been way weaker if the CDU would not have been doing everything to harm germany to gain power theirselves?
Dairosh@reddit
I agree and I voted for Habeck, but at least they will do something now. That's better than nothing.
TheOneAndOnlyPriate@reddit
They could have blocked him to force merz to reform the debt brake. The benefit to enviromental projects would be equal. But now merz secured the money to act in his term and the next government will have the exact roadblocks again as we had just now before being able to act.
Merz is nothing but an opportunistic sack of ass. Blocking years of netional development for selfish political party games.
Dunkleosteus666@reddit
Yeah oc he is. Still doesnt change that he might be the right chancellor for Germany when we have toddler in Chief on the other side of the pond and Botox Nuke Maniac on other side.
The_DementedPicasso@reddit
The Right chancellor would have been Habeck if people were honest and if politicians would not lie. Lets be real, habeck said 5 years ago what merz is Doing now. Merz and Söder were lying and doing everything they can to harm germany to gain power. Merz hopefully does good but he never will be the right choice or be a good chancellor because he has no profile. He was against everything he stands up for now.
aha5811@reddit
yeah, after vehemently opposing exactly this as reckless spending. blocking every political solution until he can claim it as his success - he doesn't care for this country but only for his ego
Soggy_Association491@reddit
How much exactly is "spend big on defense"? Because Germany are struggling to get Gen Z recruits ‘ready for war’ https://www.ft.com/content/30594f17-6a55-4189-afda-57cdf0176841
Europe have been talking about having a proper military but for years they have never really footed the bill.
Beat_Saber_Music@reddit
And US citizens didn't exactly want to be at war during WW2 or WW1
Those gen z will find themselves in the army in the situation a real war kicks off unless they're willing to go to extreme lengths for pacifist ideals instead of the easier route of just doing your part. I wasn't too enthusiastic about military service at all when it was coming up for me, yet I got used to it once I was doing my mandatory service
PhoenixKingMalekith@reddit
Even there, unless its a land war China, mobilisation in Europe would be minimal outside of the baltic states, Finland and maybe Poland.
There are just so many professional soldiers in Europe
Acrobatic-Till5092@reddit
Germany spending on defense? Tell me another joke!
The punchline is that they will spend the money, and get nothing for it. I still remember the helmet debacle.
Born_Suspect7153@reddit
This is your mind on reddit memes.
Acrobatic-Till5092@reddit
My knowledge of German defence spending comes primarily from Perun's defence economics PowerPoint documentaries. I wasn't particularly aware there were memes about this, although I imagine memes about military procurement are universal.
I mean, the US has a scandal about someone charging $50 for a $2 hammer all the time. Germany isn't unique in this.
Dairosh@reddit
I didn't vote for him and his party, but I fully agree with him this time. Was about time.
empleadoEstatalBot@reddit
Maintainer | Creator | Source Code
Summoning /u/CoverageAnalysisBot
coverageanalysisbot@reddit
Sorry empleadoEstatalBot,
I can't seem to open this link =(
I’m a bot. Read here to learn how it works or message us with any feedback so we can improve the bot for you.