> that moved to the East as well ... There are areas where living
> standards in the East have detioarated certainly: E.g. the comprehensive
> child-care systen has been destroyed completely, with all consequences
> this has for working families. Women are forced out of the production
> process. Prices for housing and transportation have exploded.
But women also don't have to spend endless hours waiting in line for scarce goods, or moonlighting second and third jobs. Now they get to spend endless hours waiting in line for job postings while drawing on their social insurance. Also, the Party-crats housed in ugly modernist buildings have been replaced by Daimler-crats housed in ugly postmodern buildings. Progress, nothing but progress!
Incidentally, any explanation for the Vodaphone buyout? Seems like the whole thing was an excuse for Siemens, Bosch and others to snap up Mannesmann's industrial assets on the fly. What did the Duesseldorfers do to piss off Germany Inc.?
-- Dennis