Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has made a promise that he will hopefully break. He recently tweeted, which is also part of his mantra “You’ll never walk alone”: “We won’t leave anyone alone with the higher costs.”
Really nobody?
It is also the task of government politicians to have a calming effect on the population in times of crisis so that they do not panic. Nevertheless, one can hope that Scholz does not seriously intend to relieve all citizens – from low earners to multimillionaires – financially.
The German population is not a homogeneous mass, the crisis is not affecting everyone equally. If you have an annual gross income of 25,000 euros, a multiplied gas bill and rising food prices are a drama.
However, if you earn four times as much, the cost increases will probably only be annoying at first. This is also understandable: who would want to spend more money without getting something out of it? However, avoiding trouble should not be the central benchmark for the traffic light coalition when it comes to relief.
The third relief package that is currently being developed is not a reward intended to satisfy citizens – but an emergency net. The question must therefore be: Who can we expect to shoulder the rising costs on their own? This distinction is important: whoever makes everyone equal in an impending social crisis is acting unjustly.
Interestingly, in his summer press conference, Scholz already gave numbers when asked where his focus was: In addition to low earners, he was also moved by those “who do great and important work for 2800, 3200 euros gross, for four… sometimes more money”. . 4000 euros gross per month? Is that perhaps the limit – for example for a single person – above which he should no longer be supported? This question must be negotiated socially.
It is an uncomfortable debate that urgently needs to be had. Scholz should start and say honestly: We won’t be able to help everyone.
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