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One in Five Germans Wants the Berlin Wall Back
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| JM |
Here is a neat story that makes me second guess the ever so popular and advanced Germany, as well as the "Unity" of the European Union.
Really good read. Post comments. Looks like east Germany is still not up to par with "western" standards... :(
One in Five Germans Wants the Berlin Wall Back
Wed Sep 8,11:06 AM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Alexandra Hudson
BERLIN (Reuters) - Fourteen years and a trillion euros after reunification one in five Germans would like to see the barrier that split the country during the Cold War put back, a survey found Wednesday.
AP Photo
A poll by the Forsa institute found a quarter of western Germans wishing the 15 million east Germans were cut off again by the Berlin Wall, living in a different state, while 12 percent of eastern Germans wanted out of the united Germany.
Many westerners said they were disgruntled because they have had to foot the bill for reunification -- 24 percent said they had suffered financially as a result.
In the formerly communist east, which has twice the unemployment as in the west and where wages are still below western levels, one-third said they were no better off financially because of unification and the end of communism.
The lingering divisions have erupted in recent months as Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government attempts to reduce unemployment and welfare benefits, touching a nerve in the east.
Westerners are sometimes disparaged as arrogant know-it-all "Wessies" while easterners are at times referred to as 'Jammer Ossies' (whinging easterners) in the west.
The Forsa survey, based on interviews with 1,002 easterners and 1,005 westerners, highlighted a feeling in the west that easterners are ungrateful for the financial support they have received since 1990 and they should do more to help themselves.
Thirty-seven percent of west Germans said the 80 billion euros ($96.28 billion) the government pumps into the east each year was too much. But almost a third of east Germans thought it too little, Forsa said.
Two top diplomats recently said they were alarmed at the poisoned atmosphere. Former West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and former East German Foreign Minister Markus Meckel said they feared the east-west gap was growing.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...rmany_wall_dc_2 |
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| St_Andrew |
that is so stupid imo.
- The "east germanies" certainly get better off unificated.
- Germany and Europe as a whole will make much better off in the long run if we stay unified.
German need to do some serious referoms indeed, but "east germany" really has the potential. |
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| GODLESSCOMMIE |
| awwww the good old days |
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| ShadoWolf |
| quote: | Originally posted by GODLESSCOMMIE
awwww the good old days |
yay for oppression and state sponsered murder!
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: |
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| Konijn Island |
it's just an example of people reacting to an economic squeeze; when the money's tight, the jobs are gone, and the benefits reduced there is a tendency -- one often led and exploited by political opportunists -- to blame symbols of one's troubles rather than the root cause...
in this week's Nation there is an article describing a similar tendency among working class Americans who vote republican. Beneath their anti-liberal rhetoric lies a palpable concern --and indeed a fear-- about issues like the economy, education and national security that manifests itself in socially and politically regressive ways. |
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| igottaknow |
| actually they can't have the berlin wall back because its been moved to West Bank :stongue: :stongue: :stongue: |
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| malek |
| i read somewhere that it will take somewhere between 40 and 50 years for both Germanies to fully integrate... and lots of $$$$$$:eyespop: :eyespop: :eyespop: |
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| DR86 |
| quote: | Originally posted by malek
i read somewhere that it will take somewhere between 40 and 50 years for both Germanies to fully integrate... and lots of $$$$$$:eyespop: :eyespop: :eyespop: |
cute pic there habibi:D |
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| smokeape |
Hell, I'd even vote for a wall along the Mason-Dixon!
:D
[[[smoke]]] |
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| JM |
| quote: | Originally posted by smokeape
Hell, I'd even vote for a wall along the Mason-Dixon!
:D
[[[smoke]]] |
care to elaborate a bit more?
>JM< |
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| DR86 |
| quote: | Originally posted by JM
care to elaborate a bit more?
>JM< |
The mason-dixon line is what seperates northern USA from southern USA. |
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| igottaknow |
| quote: | Originally posted by DR86
The mason-dixon line is what seperates northern USA from southern USA. |
south of mason-dixon line is where the dumb red necks live. hey thats a good idea to build a wall to keep them down there. :stongue: |
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