German Leader Worries Welfare Reform Will Spark Revolution

Youth unemployment a crisis

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned on Tuesday that failure to win the battle against youth unemployment could tear Europe apart, and dropping the continent's welfare model in favor of tougher U.S. standards would spark a revolution.

Germany, along with France, Spain and Italy, backed urgent action to rescue a generation of young Europeans who fear they will not find jobs, with youth unemployment in the EU standing at nearly one in four, more than twice the adult rate.

"We need to be more successful in our fight against youth unemployment, otherwise we will lose the battle for Europe's unity," Germany's Schaeuble said.

Comments

[Lowmetal]

Read After the Welfare State. Welfare lead to Fascism once and will again.

[Mark22]

German welfare is $500/month, plus housing and health care assistance. US welfare is $800/month, but there are lots of supplementary programs, like food stamps, Medicaid, housing assistance, the occasional Obamaphone, etc. That isn't even counting the massive US disability insurance system. Germany probably couldn't afford US-style welfare.