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Gauck: solidarity the greatest Christmas gift
Published: 25 Dec 12 08:55 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20121225-46963.html
President Joachim Gauck has called for more solidarity in society, saying in his Christmas speech that Germany must become more caring and generous if it is to prosper.
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He said it was in the interests of the country to embed caring for one another into its policies.
"Who finds no caring and gives none, cannot grow, cannot blossom," he added.
And referring to a recent visit he made to a refugee home in Brandenburg, Gauck said, "We will never be able to take in all those people who come. But we will grant asylum with open hearts to those who are persecuted - and will greet migrants who are needed by our country with good will."
Freiburg Archbishop and head of the German Catholic Church Robert Zollitsch warned of social splits within Germany. "The poor remain behind and the wealth is increasingly in the hands of the few," he told Monday's Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper.
He said the idea of increasing tax on the rich to fund socially important projects should no longer be a taboo.
Head of Germany's Protestant Church Nikolaus Schneider also stressed that those on the edges of society should be the focus at this time of year.
"The Christmas message challenges us to raise our voices for these people and to search for social justice," he said in Hannover. He gave this a political twist by calling for Germany to show increased solidarity with Greece and other European countries suffering during the euro crisis.
"Europe is more than an economic zone," he said. "Europe is a project of peace."
DAPD/The Local/hc
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Your comments about this article:
With the rogues we now have in the Bundestag, it may be our last happy one!
Even the President in his yearly Christmas address, seems to have lost all contact with the common community. An upper-class, which is ready to spend taxpayers money all over the world, to help governments which are neither democratic or honest, cannot itself be trusted.
I wonder what these dreamers in Berlin would do, if they had to live from 500 Euros a month, just as many of their own ethnic group must. Germany is certainly better off than many other countries, but 90% of the people have little from the wealth, about which so much is said. Often migrants enjoy a better standard of living and health care than is given to the poorer Germans. This is one reason why right-wing radicals are still able to find so much support!
Good luck to everybody in the New Year, let us hope the 13 on the end does not turn out to be an omen.
Yes tax the rich more. But I fear the idea of taxing the rich is to hit the middle classes and those with a job harder whilst leaving the super elites alone to cream off the top with government help and protect corrupt toxic banks at the expense of the 99% of the population.
In any case. Merry Christmas everyone and whether religious or not it is good to have one day of the year to enjoy stress free with our families. They may decide to tax that soon also.
Merry Christmas to all , hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable time.
You seem to hate Germany and the Germans so much, judging by your comments on threads you post on, that you must be one sad and lonely muppet living a very painful life in the fatherland.
You hit the nail on the head with this bit:
Yes tax the rich more. But I fear the idea of taxing the rich is to hit the middle classes and those with a job harder whilst leaving the super elites alone to cream off the top with government help and protect corrupt toxic banks at the expense of the 99% of the population.
Naive individuals like Deutschguy fall for it every time though. They ignore inconvenient truths like this:
http://www.reuters.com/subjects/income-inequality/washington
http://youtu.be/GhP9pSZZYb4
I'm a foreigner and I got no idea what's he talking about... Could it be something else?
Obama has lowered taxes on 95% of Americans. It's the GOP who is all or nothing on eliminating the Bush tax cuts, which have cost the Treasury billions in needed revenue.
And remember, it was Bush who gave out the first TARP bailout to banks. And he lowered taxes on the wealthy AT THE SAME TIME