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Tax funded productive sector (Tax funded productive sector)

Anonymous

April 26, 2023

Tax funded productive sector (Tax funded productive sector)

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It’s November 14th in 2040. We are in full preparation of the Memorial Celebrations of 20 years, since the third and most devastating corona wave came along in Germany and undermined the social cohesion and peace in the country. Some hard and violent years followed, but it’s good to look back on the past 15 years, when step by step we got to where we are now. YES, there was some more technological development, but it was by far not what saved us and brought the turn. Too limited are the necessary ressources, to unevenly distributed. The globalised economy didn't get back to where it was before 2021, just because ressources were short of supply.
It takes some years of hard learning, but around 2026 the debate turned more towards the economic structures: money, growth, inequality... Common welfare instead of profit making becoming common ground for all political parties. After years of Sstagnation and Degrowth, which had devastating effects, it was clear, that economy needed to be organised differently, such that it was more stable and more just for everybody. “The market” is not considered the most efficient tool for distribution any more. This myth is pushed off the Throne everything got easy. New regulations were possible: JUST and Longterm oriented distribution of ressources, unconditional basic income for everybody, serious taxing of profits and Heritages (paying taxes is considered as noble and social!), circular economomy has been developedped at an increadible speed and ingenuity... YES, the shopping orgies in the 20ies – offline and online – are long past. I'm using the same mobile for 10 years now – just as the one I had at the beginning of the century – just that the current one is a little smartphone, fixed, updated and modernised regular, but with no use of ressources or costs. How did we survive in the 20ies? (Well, quite some didn't... Coronavirus...) Health has become a great value. In the old days I could not afford to get massages or other health treatments (unless I was already very sick and the insurance payed) – today this is part of every day life. We are supposed to take care of our physical and mental health, of our social wellbeing. Must people work in the social-health sector, or the environment-health sector. So important is education and culture. Production has gone down to a stable and sustainable low level, what is needed counts, and reducing the use of ressources is the main goal. Production is not profitable anymore. The sector is partially tax funded. The subsidies are justified, in order to keep a steady and reliable supply of necessary goods and so to keep machines and knowledge up-to-date and nearby. When I compare life today with that of 2020 I very much prefer today: calmer, healthier, more soliarity, better Educated people. It’s soooo good to know, that there is a way to live well on this earth without destroying the nature of any further.

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Oh yes, luckily everything turned out well again. Back then, my dear granddaughter, things looked bad in Germany and the world. The only really nice thing in 2025 was your birth. Oh, how happy we were. And we are still happy for you and your brother and your two cousins, who were born a little later. But you wanted to know what it was like back then. Back then, we had to vote at short notice in Germany, there were quarrels within the old government. And then the shock - because the elections didn't turn out as originally expected. There was a lot of trouble within the parties, one party was so divided that it disbanded. What a stroke of luck for humanity and especially for Germany. Yes, I know you shake your head at so much stupidity today, but people were actually dissatisfied and therefore backed the wrong horse. Back then, there was a war between Russia and Ukraine. Fortunately for all of us, a ceasefire was initially achieved with the help of Europe. The President of the United States at the time, who had no idea about politics, almost triggered the Third World War. But then Europe came together and formed a strong unit, which didn't impress the president very much. You shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but in this case it was the best thing that could have happened to the world, because this man suffered a heart attack and died before he could do any worse. At last something changed for the better in the world and in Germany, too, tax money was no longer wasted. I could tell you stories about the nonsensical things cities and municipalities did with tax money. But you wouldn't believe that. It's also too far-fetched. But now, look how nice the cities look, lots of greenery and little car traffic in the city centers. Isn't it also nice that everyone can borrow a very small e-car instead of an e-scooter to get around town? And it can even be folded up, like mini folding bikes used to be. But you don't even know them anymore. This tiny e-car doesn't go fast, so you can drive it without a license. The car industry, which was almost at the end of its tether back then, has changed tack. And look at these wheelchairs that follow patients around. That's a delight. Now even sick and old people can walk a few steps and then sit down again. And in your school everything is digital, no more 1000 copies, although you had books, but I still think it's great that the books have remained in paper form. It's also wonderful that the daily newspapers still exist. It's incredibly nice that you were taught at school how important it is to get information in a serious way. And it's great that social media is only available from the age of 18. And people now take a closer look and don't spread as much crap as they did 15 years ago. But the best thing of all is that wars and unrest in the world are a thing of the past. Instead of rattling sabres, people talk to each other, instead of just having their cell phones in front of their eyes (and that was actually the case. Some people couldn't be without their cell phones for an hour), people talk and discuss and play.
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