I’m in a damn good mood today. This is due to the business section of the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”, my home newspaper. Today’s headlines: “Several purchase offers for Galeria.” “Uniper plans to repay the federal government.” “Germany is number three again” (of the world’s strongest economic nations). “Record profit for Commerzbank.” “Frosta reports jump in profits.” “Good business at Douglas.” “Airbus is leaving its US rival Boeing behind” (Germany holds almost eleven percent of Airbus).
And then the awesome news on the front page of the newspaper: “Microsoft is building a data center worth billions of euros in the region.” Namely at Bergheim, where people will have to go through the transition from lignite to a new, climate-friendly future in the coming years and lose their jobs in the process. I could see the construction site from my desk if my office was on a hill.
All of this describes the opposite of the whining that has been constantly bombarding us all for months. Lobbyists in particular have managed to gain control of opinion through the press and social media and talk the country into the ground. From the farmers’ associations to the craftsmen to the railway workers.
As if all of this wasn’t already sufficiently exaggerated, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner are now also joining in the collective swansong. Yesterday the federal government lowered the growth forecast for 2024 from 1.3 to 0.2 percent (which means nothing more than a snapshot; in the end it could also be 0.5 percent or more). Lindner said: “I find this downright embarrassing and socially dangerous.” Habeck agrees: The economic outlook is “dramatically bad.”
Absurd words and quite madness. As if the ministers had absolutely nothing to do with our economy.
Stop whining! Of course, Habeck and Lindner also secretly see it that way. Your statements are primarily pre-election campaign noise. They are concerned with the right path to an activating economic policy. Both claim to know him, but are diametrically opposed. Habeck wants to loosen the debt brake and stimulate the economy with billions in investments. Lindner wants to go down in history as a saver – like the boy who, with red cheeks, dumps his bulging money box in front of the savings bank employee on World Savings Day.
We Germans have to quickly get back into courage mode. The country has a lot to catch up on, no question. Above all, the bureaucracy needs to be streamlined, but even in the best economic phases it was far too tough. We also need more attractive electricity prices, which could be achieved quickly if the rigorous austerity policy did not prevent the traffic light from reducing electricity taxes.
And we need government investment. Every economy needs investment, in good times and bad. A federal budget is not the same as a private budget; saving is not a virtue. The liberals, the lobbyists for medium-sized businesses, should know this best – but they like to claim the opposite on talk shows: “You know it yourself from home, dear viewers…”. Anyone who, as an entrepreneur – and that is a state to a large extent – only skimps and doesn’t invest in weak times will go under.
There is a lot of good news, but it is hardly getting through anymore. The index from the Center for European Economic Research (ZEW), which describes German economic expectations, rose surprisingly significantly in February. We should see Microsoft’s billion-dollar investment as a signal of departure. If the digital giant from Redmond (without the lure of subsidies) believes in our country and its strong companies, we should have done so for a long time. Politics is largely psychology. Let’s switch to confidence mode. “Hope inspires thoughts. Dear hope!” is wise advice from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
