2024-09-01 09:47:32
So perhaps the federal government’s money would be better spent on projects in the area instead of pouring billions into attracting Intel and Infineon?
No, for me it is not an either-or, but a both-and.
Given the current budget situation, Finance Minister Lindner would probably say that there is not enough money for both.
It is a question of setting priorities and financing. We must have the courage to create the necessary framework conditions to develop the country further. One problem is the debt brake, which is anchored in the constitution and which Lindner must adhere to. I therefore make a clear demand: the debt brake should be reformed so that it allows for sensible additional spending. However, we must differentiate between necessary investments that have a lasting economic impact and other expenditure, such as increasing social spending. It is a fundamental flaw in the debt brake that it does not take this into sufficient account in such challenging times.
This completely contradicts your party’s line.
My party’s line is that we do not want to leave future generations with a mountain of debt or the interest burdens that come with it. That is an opinion that can be shared. But I also think it is wrong to hand over a dilapidated infrastructure and a desolate education system to our children just because we have not invested enough. Then there are the foreign policy challenges. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The election in the USA. Regardless of whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins, we can already say one thing: the days when the USA financed our security as a strong partner are over.
Many experts also point this out. So why are the Liberals so opposed to reform?
It is not just the FDP that is resisting changes, the Union is also against them so far. The majority that would be needed for this amendment to the Basic Law does not currently exist. And we must not forget: the coalition agreement of 2021 was very balanced between liberal, social and green interests. I was there when it was negotiated, and the transformation that was to be implemented was also financed. The Russian war of aggression torpedoed this, followed by the energy crisis and the sudden rise in inflation. Inflation in particular is toxic for our democracy, it is an expropriation of pensioners, savers and consumers. There was therefore no way around the ECB’s decision to raise interest rates from zero to four percent in a short period of time, with all the burdens this entails on the federal budget.