Wir waren's nicht!

[matrixmann]

Die SPD entdeckt den alten Zankapfel "Hartz IV" wieder - und meint jetzt, nach außen hin, die Uhren wieder zurückdrehen zu wollen und das Ganze als eine Art "unangenehmes Intermezzo" abzutun...
Allein schon die Idee, da sie diesen Mist bis vor Kurzem noch wie ihre letzte Bastion verteidigt haben, macht einen stutzig darüber, was wohl der Anlass dazu im Hintergrund ist. Nur seine früheren Wähler zurückzugewinnen, das soll doch einzig nicht der Anlass sein... Dafür liefert das politische Business doch zu viel an Heucheleien und Niederträchtigkeiten. Vor allen Dingen muss man fragen: Wenn nicht mehr Hartz IV, was soll stattdessen als Sozialhilfe kommen?
Irgendwo wittert man da doch den Haken im Spiel...

Comments

[onb2017.livejournal.com]

So they are suggesting to introduce more socialized benefits? Did they cut them off at some point and now using as an election campaign promises? But who ever keeps campaign promises anyway?

[matrixmann]

At the moment, they sound like they want to go back to something that more resembles the old social benefits model. ( = Payments without sanctions and cutting parts of them if you don't cooperate with the demands that the system directs at you individually.)
But all of that is more like thinking about something loudly. Nothing is yet sealed formally.

And just because suggestions never ever reformed something to the better for the people, it raises skepticism "where's the catch?".
Or if there's actual thinking about changing something around.

You know, SPD sucked at two federal elections recently, sucked at the last whole-state elections, who says that this is something they really plan to do - or if it isn't just a measure in order to revalue their damaged image?

[onb2017.livejournal.com]

Interesting. You probably right about some catch if it sounds too good to be true. Keep us updated how it works out because it is kind of a sore topic now when the social benefits are being gradually cut off everywhere.

[matrixmann]

The Hartz IV benefits system is actually an old thing...
This kind of new arrangement of the social benefit became valid by 2005.
The concept was worked out by someone called Peter Hartz (manager at Volkswagen until July 2005), the initiative to reform the benefits system came under a government formed by the SPD and the Green party. It was put in force under chancellor Gerhard Schröder (yep, Schröder from Gazprom).

Core issue of the reforms (it doesn't say IV for nothing... IV is only like the decisive paper for the total new arrangement) back then was the purpose to reduce the official unemployment quota and to cut down the costs of the sprawling old social benefits system at the beginning of the millennium.

In fact, if there are any stories around still about a generous German social benefits system, those tales must be from the time before this. Or these tales must come from Russlanddeutsche (but who also mostly came to Germany in the 90s still - long before the new concept became valid).

This whole thing actually is like a symbol of a deed from the Social Democrats who was so anti-people as it can be which still keeps haunting them here today...

(Severe in a way also because Hartz name also appeared in a corruption scandal in the VW enterprise, involving pleasure trips with prostitutes and such stuff. This scandal actually is the reason why he left the enterprise.)