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"Because they are human beings" is a naive answer. My parents have worked 45 years as teachers in Romania, and now they get the equivalent of 300$ monthly comb

"Because they are human beings" is a naive answer. My parents have worked 45 years as teachers in Romania, and now they get the equivalent of 300$ monthly combined in pension money. Romania is also not such a cheap country as you'd think. Now, seeing as how even non-refugee migrants from typical holiday countries in North Africa get lots more money than that per month in the German welfare system, we have two options for thinking about the situation: 1) Conclude that my parents are not human beings, so it is right that they should receive less money than the migrants in richer countries 2) My parents should also be entitled to the same money, and Europe should feel responsible for them, too Which one do you pick?

barpet 10y ago
According to these people your parents are at fault :-). They should have either 1) worked in the German factories in Romania and get +200$ more 2) immigrate to Germany to work in the German factories and earn +2000$ more 3) immigrate to Germany and raise you as a German My point is. Romania should not feel responsible and should not do as Germany dictates. Romania is trying hard to overcome its corrupt post-communist past but they have a lot of problems to deal with in the first place.
- nostromo123 10y ago
  "Romania should not feel responsible and should not do as Germany dictates." Yes, I agree, and that should be the case for the rest of Europe. The problem is, when the rest of Europe does not do what Merkel wants (=accept tons of refugees without any security checks or plan how to deal with them), they are accused of "inhumanity" and "lack of solidarity" ;-)
petriw 10y ago
Germany is free to spend their own money how they see fit. For example, by sending money to Romania via the EU budget. Perhaps Germany should instead focus on the pensioners in their country who have worked hard for 45 years and now live on the minimum pension.
- barpet 10y ago
  Wow...are you implying Romania is just leeching off of the EU (Germany?) ? You are seriously thinking that Germany is the good guy here helping ungrateful Romania ? Germany has benefitted way more from Romania than Romania has ever benefitted from German's (EU's) money. Not only the german companies disrupted the economy of Romania (and other weak players), not only they imposed an enormous brain drain there but also have never ever paid as much money as they have take out of Romania (and others) during WW2.
- nostromo123 10y ago
  "Perhaps Germany should instead focus on the pensioners in their country who have worked hard for 45 years and now live on the minimum pension." Yeah, I agree -- that's exactly what should be done! :-) A great part of the Germans' anger at the way politics is dealing with the refugee crisis is the fact that, for decades, they were told that there was no money for schools / infrastructure / pensions / child rearing / etc. Now, suddenly, there's BILLIONS of € available for people who have never (and probably will never) paid into the social state money pot. It's totally understandable that this creates resentment, even without taking into account the other issues surrounding the situation (culture clash, religious beliefs seen as a "higher law", slowly creeping no-go areas -- which don't exist, according to the government :P, etc.).

barpet 10y ago

According to these people your parents are at fault :-). They should have either 1) worked in the German factories in Romania and get +200$ more 2) immigrate to Germany to work in the German factories and earn +2000$ more 3) immigrate to Germany and raise you as a German My point is. Romania should not feel responsible and should not do as Germany dictates. Romania is trying hard to overcome its corrupt post-communist past but they have a lot of problems to deal with in the first place.

nostromo123 10y ago
"Romania should not feel responsible and should not do as Germany dictates." Yes, I agree, and that should be the case for the rest of Europe. The problem is, when the rest of Europe does not do what Merkel wants (=accept tons of refugees without any security checks or plan how to deal with them), they are accused of "inhumanity" and "lack of solidarity" ;-)

petriw 10y ago

Germany is free to spend their own money how they see fit. For example, by sending money to Romania via the EU budget. Perhaps Germany should instead focus on the pensioners in their country who have worked hard for 45 years and now live on the minimum pension.

barpet 10y ago
Wow...are you implying Romania is just leeching off of the EU (Germany?) ? You are seriously thinking that Germany is the good guy here helping ungrateful Romania ? Germany has benefitted way more from Romania than Romania has ever benefitted from German's (EU's) money. Not only the german companies disrupted the economy of Romania (and other weak players), not only they imposed an enormous brain drain there but also have never ever paid as much money as they have take out of Romania (and others) during WW2.
nostromo123 10y ago
"Perhaps Germany should instead focus on the pensioners in their country who have worked hard for 45 years and now live on the minimum pension." Yeah, I agree -- that's exactly what should be done! :-) A great part of the Germans' anger at the way politics is dealing with the refugee crisis is the fact that, for decades, they were told that there was no money for schools / infrastructure / pensions / child rearing / etc. Now, suddenly, there's BILLIONS of € available for people who have never (and probably will never) paid into the social state money pot. It's totally understandable that this creates resentment, even without taking into account the other issues surrounding the situation (culture clash, religious beliefs seen as a "higher law", slowly creeping no-go areas -- which don't exist, according to the government :P, etc.).