Social benefits discussion revisited

Nearly one month ago I wrote a posting on our societal approach towards poverty, addressing the discussion of social benefits in German newspapers, especially a philosophical discussion in German feuilletons. Already some German right wing politicians were attacking the social consensus on welfare that had developed in Europe during decades.

Now, the German constitutional court recently delivered a judgement on the basis for calculating the social benefits. The judges reasoned that this basis is intransparent and does not take all the cost that incur in everyday life into consideration. This was not a judgement calling for a rise of social benefits, but for an overhaul of the basis for calculation. Theoretically even cuts would be possible as a reaction to the ruling, but in some areas the court deemed it obvious that benefits were too low. This especially applies to the rates for children. So far the needs of children have been calculated as a 60% of adult needs, which is obviously nonsense.

Furthering children and ensuring that they have the possibility to obtain an appropriate education can be very costly. Paying for private tutors, schoolbooks, private lessons for the piano or dancing lessons can easily add up to a monthly sum much superior to what an adult needs in the same period. And this does not even include spendings for clothes. Especially young children and teens need a lot of clothes simply due to the fact that they are growing rapidly.

But instead of triggering a discussion of how we can ensure that the poorest of our society can meet their needs and how to avoid that children growing up in poverty will automatically fail to advance in our educational system, the liberal party immediately started a discussion about the worth of labour in the German society. The discussion was spearheaded by the German foreing secretary and vice-chancellor Guido Westerwelle. After 100 days travelling across the globe and showing a reasonable diplomatic performance many Germans had already forgotten that the leader of the German liberal party was not only capable of a diplomatic demeanor but was also one of the loudest demagogues of the country. Now he has reentered the domestic political stage with a bang.

According to Westerwelle, Germany is approaching socialism and "late roman decadence" because people who do not work are leading lives in "wealth", earning more money than people who are working. Well, there is some truth in his claims. Some people work 8 to 10 hour shifts to earn a wage barely surpassing social benefit levels, but decadence is hardly the word for people struggling to get along with about 380 euros per month. Especially in times in which bankers, whose irresponsible gambling cost society a fortune, lose their jobs well endowed with a "golden parachute" or are even looking forward to record bonuses at the end of 2010. Westerwelle is demanding that the weak should be protected from the resourceful and sluggish. According to him, everybody is talking about the recipients of tax money while forgetting about those who pay taxes. 

What he does not realize is that the current asymmetry between social benefits and low wages might as well be a consequence of the increasing pressure on wages and the wage sacrifices of German workers and not following from immorally high social benefits. We do need a discussion about the worth of labour in our society, but from a completely different angle than Westerwelle is suggesting.