In the US, there are roughly two schools of thought about tax dollars. One set believes that government should remain small, that public schools should stay underfunded because the only people who deserve a good education are those who can afford it, that the only people who deserve free healthcare are children, and that in general anyone who needs financial help from the government is a criminal, while supporting illegal Asian land wars that set the country in debt from now until the apocalypse. The other set believes that it's the government's job to take care of all of its citizens, even if they can't/won't get a job, that public schools are possibly the single most important resource we have in terms of ensuring a healthy and balanced future, that everyone deserves health care, even if he can't speak English or pay for a doctor, and that illegal Asian land wars, are, well... illegal.There are a couple of points on which these two schools converge, however. It is generally believed that taxpayer money going to repair streets and infrastructure is a good thing, necessary even. Very few die-hard Republicans will shit on the idea of a public library full of books that anyone can read for free. No one thinks that career welfarism is beneficial to society. Everyone ought to have options when it comes to healthcare.
In this crazy upside-down world called Deutschland, however, the priorites are all different. There might not be a huge conflict about the money levied to schools, but then again not everyone is allowed to finish anyway (only with teacher recommendation does a kid continue onto 13th grade--the stupider/poorer/browner kids are advised to leave in 10th grade and begin working a proper job). On that and a couple of other key issues, they leave me baffled.
1. Healthcare/insurance - If you are an Ausländer (foreigner), you are required to have health insurance at all times while living in this country. If you are found without insurance, you may be forced to pay back insurance into the state system, which would have had to cover you in the case of an emergency. Disregard the fact that you have neither requested nor required their assistance--you are going to pay for it whether you needed it or not, gotdammit.
It is illegal for a person to begin work uninsured. It makes no difference whether you're a pencil-pusher or a construction worker. Risk factor is not a factor. On top of that, if you make under €400 a month at your job, your employer is not required to contribute to your insurance, which creates a convenient loophole for any crooked entrepreneur looking to save a few bucks. As a result it is difficult to land an entry-level position in a company who is willing to hire you full time, so you're stuck working two and three part-time jobs just to pay the bills. Meanwhile, Uncle Klaus expects you to pony up the money for your own mandatory health insurance. My partner is a healthy, non-smoking man of normal height and weight with no pre-existing health conditions, and his insurance is €122 ($165) per month. This is a killer for people who can't afford to work three jobs in order to make ends meet. Back home, lots of healthy people skip paying health insurance because they neither need nor can afford it, and can visit a clinic or ER when they do need medical attention. Unfortunately that option is not available here.
2. Public Libraries - Isn't the point of a public library that a) anyone can use them b) for free? At the moment, I'm flat broke, and my library card is expired. The Berlin Public Library system does not know or care that my literacy is failing at an alarming rate due to my inability to pay them €10 to renew my card. FREE FREE FREE. You are not supposed to have to pay for the library, did I mention that the library is supposed to be free? Next they'll be telling me that they butter their bread upside down. Don't make me bring a multi-colored egg to your border.
3. Welfare - These fucking drunk layabouts (God bless 'em) and their fucking ugly dogs (God bless 'em) standing around drinking fucking cheap beers (bless) and talking on their cell phones (bless) and harrassing young women minding their own gotdamn bidness (bless 'em) are getting their RENT PAID plus their GEZ (television tax) and THEN another four hundred euro with which to buy cigarettes and frozen pizza. Here, let me show you what a sample benefits appointment would look like if I worked in the welfare office:
Me: I see here that you are 28 and a high school graduate, is that correct?
Applicant: Yes ma'am (damn right s/he's calling me ma'am)
Me: Do you have any children?
Applicant: No, ma'am.
Me: Do you have any disabilities?
Applicant: No, ma'am.
Me: Are you a veteran?
Applicant: No, ma'am.
Me: Do you speak English as your first language?
Applicant: Yes, ma'am.
Me: Are you a convicted felon?
Applicant: No, ma'am.
Me: Can you read?
Applicant: Yes, ma'am.
Me: Do you know your multiplication tables?
Applicant: Yes, ma'am.
Me: (quiet)
Me: (what the fuck do I do with this kid)
Me: Where have you applied for employment so far?
Applicant: Coffee shops and upscale bistros, ma'am.
Me: (beating him/her over the head with a clipboard) Get out of my office! Out!! Out!! Go line up at the day laborer's, you lazy sack of... (bless 'em)
Now, when I found myself unemployed at the age of 20, I had already contributed thousands of dollars to the social security system and was entitled to $160 per week. That was technically my money. If you're in your 20s or 30s or God forbid even older than that, and you haven't got a job, then the first place to turn is unemployment, not welfare. I can't remember much of what I did while I was unemployed (due to the copious amounts of reefer I smoked) but at least I didn't stand around in front of the mall with my pit bull, in a dirty Metallica t-shirt and tattered cargo pants, drinking at 10 in the morning and verbally abusing passersby.
4. Jaywalking - This is the one crime that nearly every American lets his fellow American get away with. You might hear of a citizen's arrest in the event of assault, theft, or vandalism. The average person might call the cops when they hear screaming next door, see a little kid being carted off by a swarthy man in a trenchcoat, or witness an arson. What is extremely unlikely is that one citizen will scream obscenities at another citizen because that citizen chose to walk against a red light when no cars were coming. Even less likely is that that citizen will wait patiently for all the tumbleweed and crickets to cross the street and for the light to turn green, then catch up with the jaywalker, and chew him out about his civil responsibilities. So impossible as to be unheard of, will a citizen follow and pester a jaywalking citizen for two blocks, actually seizing the jaywalker's arm and advising him to think about the example he is setting for the children, despite the fact that there had been none about.
Contrast that with the repeatedly proven fact that a German will walk past the scene of an attempted murder, an act of vandalism in progress, or blatant theft, and behave as if it were the most normal thing in the world for people to stand in front of train stations, stabbing one another with broken beer bottles.
America - 1
Germany - 0
In terms of jaywalking and libraries, anyway.
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