Green Germany looks more black to me

Black as night when you turn off the light.

The Green obsession with doing without is in full nighttime bloom.

Germany passes law to make energy savings compulsory – Germany’s lower house of parliament on Thursday passed a bill to make saving energy compulsory in all economic sectors, a move intended to help fight climate change and curb use of imported fossil fuels.

The Energy Efficiency Act, introduced by the Greens-led economy ministry, includes regulation for energy savings in public buildings, industry and fast-growing data centres across Germany, with the goal of a 26.5% cut by 2030 from 2008.

Spurred by fears that persistently low Russian gas supplies could lead to shortages, the German government introduced some initial energy-saving measures last year, including banning heating for private swimming pools and encouraging people to work from home.

Attract workers to Germany?

Great idea!

But I saw a report last night about who’s already going to be put on the list: Unwed and unemployed mothers living off the German welfare system, for example.

We’re from the government and we’re here to help! Some call it “Social Democracy.”

Germany is moving forward with a plan to ease its citizenship rules as it seeks to attract workers – Applicants will IN MOST CASES be required to prove that they can support themselves and their family without receiving state benefits. The new legislation will specify that “antisemitic, racist or other inhumanly motivated actions” rule out naturalization.

This law may end up going to the highest court of the land…

Germany Unveils Draft Bill To Legalize Cannabis.

Under the draft bill, adults aged 18 and above will be allowed to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis for personal use and cultivate a maximum of three plants. However, the consumption of cannabis in the “immediate vicinity” of individuals under 18, within a 200-meter radius of schools, children’s and youth facilities, playgrounds, publicly accessible sports facilities, and pedestrian zones between 7 am and 8 pm, will remain prohibited. It’s important to note that fines and criminal charges will continue to be imposed for specific unlawful activities.

It’s not a slowdown…

It’s more like a Vollbremsung. That’s German for full braking or emergency stop.

Germany’s highest court just cancelled the Green’s latest rush-rush trick, I mean plan to save the planet at German taxpayers’ expense.

Germany’s Green Slowdown – While voters may still broadly support net zero goals, they’re not necessarily on board with the escalating costs of the transition.

… Today, it’s the Greens’ proposed ban on new gas boilers in homes that’s causing trouble. Against a backdrop of sliding poll ratings, the party’s partners in the coalition forced a dilution of the plan last month in a package that also included a massive road-building program.

In another blow to the policy — dubbed Habeck’s Heating Hammer by the opposition — Germany’s constitutional court has made a highly unusual intervention in the legislative process and ordered the government to give parliament more time to scrutinize the plan.

We Germans Don’t Have Babies Anymore

And now we don’t have workers anymore (some speculate there may be a connection here).

But we’ve passed another way cool law. Now the unskilled migrants who came here illegally can stay. Unfortunately, the skilled migrants we would now like to have aren’t interested in coming to Germany because of our taxation bureaucracy, etc. A well-functioning system, don’t you think? Or have we forgotten to fix anything else? No need to thank us. We’re from the government and we’re here to help.

German parliament reforms skilled work immigration law – The German parliament has passed legislation to open up new opportunities for job seekers from countries outside the EU and for many refugees who are already in the country. Conservative lawmakers are up in arms.

Great Idea!

Pass a law that mandates gas storage facilities be filled by winter.

Only, what are you going to fill these storage facilties with? If Vladimir Putin turns off the gas, I mean. Oktoberfest beer?

Germany approves law mandating full gas storage before winter – The Bundestag lower house on Friday approved legislation requiring Germany’s privately-operated gas storage facilities to be full at the start of the next winter, to try to avert shortages in the event of a halt in Russian gas imports.

German Of The Day: “Es geht auch anders”

That means: There are other solutions. There are better alternatives.

And suddenly, inexplicably, despite the GROWING NUMBER of coronavirus infections, most German pandemic restrictions will now no longer be necessary. Makes one wonder if they were necessary in the first place. Hmmm.

German lawmakers vote to abolish most pandemic restrictions – Lawmakers in Germany have voted to abolish most of the country’s coronavirus pandemic restrictions despite a surge in infections, with almost 300,000 new daily cases reported

But How Is This Possible?

Germany has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world. And if you manage to get a gun illegally, shooting people is also highly illegal here.

It just doesn’t make any sense. I know! Make the German gun control and shooting people laws even more illegal! Let’s see which political party is the first to demand this, shall we?

German police are searching for a gunman who shot and killed a man and a woman in Espelkamp, a small northern town near the city of Bielefeld.

Police have not hinted at any motive for the shooting, but they say there is no threat to the public…

The popular German tabloid Bild, quoting unnamed sources, says police are now negotiating with the gunman to get him to surrender.

What Can We Ban Today?

It’s been twenty-four hours at least. Our fingers are getting itchy.

Motorcycles

I know, riding your motorcycle on Sundays!

Noise in Germany keeps a strict schedule. Every night after 10 p.m. and on Sundays, Germans are required by a medley of federal, state and local laws to keep schtum. That means no spin cycles, no vacuuming, no power tools and no mowing the lawn.

As the world went into lockdown this spring, a drop in noise levels was recorded across the globe. But in most of Germany, it wasn’t much quieter than an average Sunday, when socializing is done sotto voce and the peal of church bells is about as loud as it gets.

“Many villagers have stopped using their gardens on sunny weekends.”

German Of The Day: Bußgeld

That means fine. As in money. As in Corona money.

Fine

Most of Germany imposes $59 fine for mask-wearing breaches – German Chancellor Angela Merkel says most of her country’s states have agreed to impose a minimum fine of 50 euros ($59) for breaching mask-wearing rules as coronavirus infections rise again

Hmmm. In theory, Germany is a federal Government and this should be left up to state governments to decide but the times, as we can see, they are a changin’.

In decentralized Germany, imposing and loosening virus-related restrictions is a matter for the 16 state governments, so a patchwork of rules has emerged in recent months. Some areas have imposed no punishment for people who don’t wear masks as required in public transport, shops and elsewhere while others have imposed high fines.