Won’t buy you what it used to.
Remember when the (place your favorite currency here) used to be worth something? I guess it’s the euro’s turn now. Hey, what goes up must come down, right? There must be something going on in the euro zone these days or something.
Die Gemeinschaftswährung sank am Mittwoch erstmals sei Mitte Januar unter die Marke von 1,30 Dollar. Am späten Nachmittag wurde der Euro bei 1,2988 Dollar gehandelt.
Or should I call it AAA?
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,801973,00.html
Being that Standard & Poor´s threatened downgrade of 15 out of 17 euro-zone countries (including Germany ITSELF) is “completely exaggerated,” “out of the clear blue sky” and an irresponsible threat that simply “can´t be a coincidence,” it must be another one of those sinister American conspiracies again (yawn).
Personally, I also believe that the Americans were the ones behind the US of A´s recent downgrade, too. But maybe that´s just me.
“Manchmal fällt es schwer, den Eindruck zu widerlegen, dass einige amerikanische Ratingagenturen und Fondsmanager gegen die Eurozone arbeiten.”
I´ll go with Merkozy. I mean just because he´s wearing the pants doesn´t mean that he´s wearing the pants, if you know what I´m saying (she always wears pants too).
“Read my lips,” she said: “No euro bonds. And stop fidgeting when I speak to you.” http://www.zeit.de/wirtschaft/2011-12/schuldenkrise-merkel-sarkozy
“Germany and France are not going to pay the debts of other nations without being able to control the debt issues of other nations,” Sarkozy said–backtracking on France’s earlier position on both euro bond and greater ECB intervention in the crisis—as Merkel looked attentively on. “And we restate our previous position of confidence in an independent ECB, without any comment on (its actions) either positively, or negatively.”
For a better dream world, I should say.
You know, for a better dream world without nuclear energy? Germany utility RWE plans to cut costs – and 8000 jobs – as it trys to come to grips with Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear power by 2022 – and then continue to import it´s nuclear power from France and others instead.
These 8000 jobs will just be the start of it, of course. But aller Anfang ist schwer, as the Germans say: The first step is the hardest. It will get a lot easier firing folks once “the movement” gains movement, I mean progresses.
Women and children first! No offense there, Nicolas.
It looks like Germany and France may have had enough of broke weeny Europeans (other than themselves) already and now appear to be planning a secret and very “exlusive stability pact” just for the crème de la crème of ze Europe. You know, for that handful of European countries that can still pay their debts, maybe. But don’t tell anybody yet. This is still a secret, like I said.
Deutschland und Frankreich sind nicht mehr gewillt, auf eine Einigung aller EU-Länder zu warten. Notfalls wären sie bereit, mit einigen Ländern voranzugehen und so innerhalb der Währungszone eine Art Klub der Super-Europäer zu gründen, deren Mitglieder sich strengen Sparauflagen unterwerfen.
We’re the Greens. You know, green like money (well it’s green back home)? And that’s what it’s going to cost you too, having voted for us like you did – and yet will (the Greens have become a Volkspartei or major party since Fukushima, remember?).
We only want to help you and we are only doing this for your own good, but in order to ecologically retrofit the German nation it will unfortunately be necessary for our subjects everywhere, green or not, to pay quite heavily through the nose.
It’s all about Umverteilung (redistribution – of other people’s money), as usual. And here at our party convention in Kiel we have come up with just a few of the ways with which this will soon be done:
The toll for trucks will be increased.
The company car privilege will be phased out.
Ecological taxation will be increased, loopholes will be closed.
The tax advantage for married couples will be phased out.
Reduced rate exceptions for the value added tax will be eliminated.
The top tax rate will be increased to 49% (beginning with 80,000 euros gross).
The flat rate withholding tax will be replaced with a progressive tax.
A capital levy on “the rich” will be introduced.
A capital tax will be introduced (replacing the capital levy on “the rich” after ten years).
A “financial market transaction tax” will be introduced.
Like we said, these are just a few modest suggestions for Vorspeise (an appetizer). Just wait until we are actually in power.
Qualität hat ihren Preis (everything comes at a price).
Viva la revolución verde!
What, me worry?
The German debt agency was forced to retain almost half of a sale of 6 billion euros due to a shortage of bids by investors, sparking fears that Europe’s debt crisis is now even starting to threaten Berlin.
The German government is still resisting calls (from France and elsewhere) to allow the ECB to act more decisively.
“It is a complete and utter disaster,” one financial expert dude in London said. “And everybody has hurt feelings,” I replied. “And that’s the main thing.”
It’s starting to get ugly, folks, in other words. Uh, are we having a panic yet?
“The debt crisis is burrowing ever deeper, like a worm, and is now reaching Germany.”
I got your role model for you right here. Do as we say, folks. Not as we do.
So far the German government has based its budget forecasts solely on the presumption of strong economic development.
Europe’s largest economy, may slow to a near standstill next year as the region’s debt crisis saps demand for exports.
You know that scene in Austin Powers when Dr. Evil says an evil funny and he and his evil cronies start laughing loudly in a sinister fashion and just laugh and laugh and laugh and then finally stop laughing because, well, you just can’t keep on laughing like that forever, no matter how evil the joke?
Well it’s the same thing with German Schadenfreude about being fein raus (off the hook) and everybody else out there doing the suffering, economically speaking. You can only enjoy that Schadenfreude for so long, folks. So like export a few more good chuckles out of this while you can.
“The global economic recession triggered by the international financial crisis will be long-term.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron just can’t wait to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin today. Honest.
They really like each other. Really. Despite the clashing views on the euro and the suspicion and the reproaches and the German bashing and the Schadenfreude and those behind the scenes upbraids and the secret plans and those numerous ugly encounters on the football field (some call it soccer) we have all had to watch because we just can’t look away.
Geez. Why can’t everybody be more down-to-earth and even-keeled and well-liked like us Americans?
“We are sick of you criticizing us.”
Observing Hermann 