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No AI, No AI translated by Eduard Wagner
If you look back over the two years, you can only conclude that they were probably the most eventful in a long time. But what will the year 2024 bring us? More military conflicts, or are we thinking better of it? One should devote much more attention to the concerns and ideas of individual citizens and perhaps keep one's own lust for power and greed in check. If you look back over the two years, you can only conclude that they were probably the most eventful in a long time. But what will the year 2024 bring us? More military conflicts, or are we thinking better of it? One should devote much more attention to the concerns and ideas of individual citizens and perhaps keep one's own lust for power and greed in check. Turning point or not? Order via: [email protected]
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
Indhold
Ukraine war
Advertising
Deaths with Covid
Climate change
Compulsory vaccination
300 hp and more
Quality of technical equipment
Throwaway society
International food
Dependencies on foreign countries
Corruption
General Administration
Weapons
Migration
Official secret
Politician
NATO's eastward expansion
Energy
Repair costs
Lungs of the World
Advertising
Parking space management
Drift to the left or right
Levy for vacant dwellings
NATO accession
Life in Russia
Shortage of doctors
Guns in the U.S.
0-Covid policy in China
Reconstruction Ukraine
The principle of unanimity in the EU
Austria's accession to NATO
Keyword Zeitenwende
Chat messages
Gender debate
Burkini in the bathroom
North Korea – nuclear power?
Horse-drawn carriage ban in Vienna
License fee
E-cars and gasoline engines
Social media
Drunk driving
Energy cost compensation
Recruitment of soldiers
Abortion laws
Masks are compulsory in retail
Russia / Belarus
Suspension of compulsory vaccination
Long-term care reform
Neutrality debate
Next theater of war?
Covid, hepatitis, monkeypox, ...
Monkeypox – and then what
Minorities
Firearms
Conversation with aggressor
Hacker attack in Carinthia
Grain against sanctions
Tank tourism
Breach of contract
Burkini Discussion
Today's politics
Non-essential sager
Surveillance by the EU
Two types of asylum policy
Church and politics
Phone call with the warmonger
Millions for senior citizens' associations
Headscarf ban overturned
Viktor Orbán's policies
CO2 tax
Managers and contracts
Citizenship easy to achieve
Cycle paths in Vienna
Court proceedings on politicians
Grocery
Advertising in print media
Internal combustion engines
Price increase for district heating
New wave already in summer
Charging cable uniform
Wheat supplies from Ukraine
Attack on democracy
Oligarchs and the EU
Three genders
Nuclear energy and the Internet
Transparency is a perennial issue
Poverty and the middle class
Resignations in the ÖVP
Wind turbines for power generation
Money-Back Package
1,000 euros against inflation in Vienna
Green Energy
Speed limits
Prohibited weapons
IS terror in Vienna
Asylum seekers to Rwanda
Masks back again
Ukraine's accession to the EU
100 million refugees
28 billion and then what?
Dublin Agreement
Trust in politics
Gas from Russia
Wind turbines
Extradition of Julian Assange
Obesity in adolescents
Six genders on registration forms
Conference, but no one comes
Water scarcity
Cannabis debate
Discount grilled meat
Wallner's retreat
Fiasco in the fall
Putin's wealth
Department Store Austria
Ukraine and Moldova join the EU
Public carrying of firearms
Ban on advertising abortions
Abortion abolished – What else
Mayor from Kiev calls
Flights cancelled
Danube Island Festival and Covid
Sanctions against gas
AMA Seal of Approval
G7 summit and EU
Opinion polls
Russia's default
Death threats against doctor
End for combustion engines with 2035
Inflation
Start of holidays and fuel prices
Schmid and U-Committee
NATO's eastward expansion
President of Austria takes the train
Sexual assault
Let's make new dependencies
Lukashenko and the Nazis
Terrorist attacks in Europe
Border guard
Trump and politics
Billion patients
Corruption investigations
Climate Council
Green energy from the EU
And once again China
Basket money for the oil industry
Denial of reality
CO2 emissions
Irony about uranium buying
Family allowance for Ukrainian refugees
Electricity price cap
Danube Island Festival and Špilberk
Rwanda or deportation
Energy prices on the rise
Advertising on the public broadcaster
Trump and the consequences
Waste of energy
Grain deliveries
Mr. Schmid
Federal Presidential Election
Government crises everywhere
Finally reactions
Women's football and fees
U-Committees
Liquefied natural gas plant in the port of Klaipeda
No price cap on electricity
Lukashenko and the trade union
Fire in wheat fields of Ukraine
Price cap yes or no
Wage negotiations in autumn
EU taxpayers' money misused
Pensioners can work
Fees for television
Chamartín in winter
Key interest rate and debt
100 km/h speed limit on motorways
Rethinking in Denmark
Energy saving
165 kilos of residual waste per person
Grain deliveries
Judicial cries for help
Quarantine off
Alternative energies and snow cannons
North Korea and other despots
USA and the climate crisis
China, Taiwan and the USA
100 km/h speed limit on motorways
Profits from gas, electricity and oil
Fuel price too cheap
Democracy and its excesses
Suicide of a female doctor
WKStA and its results
Crown witness acquitted
António Guterres and energy companies
Higher energy prices in September
UN chief Guterres
Biden's climate and social package
Soldier wear and tear of the attacker
Suicide of a politician
Abolition of cash
Today's rulers
92% more for district heating
COFAG necessary
Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Ruler Kim Jong-un
Temperature in public buildings
Secret documents and Trump
Skimming off profits
Fuel price and CO2 levy
Deportation unlawful
Coercive penalty for no-show
Groceteria
Federal Presidential Elections
Shelling of the largest nuclear power plant
Own way Denmark
Rising inflation
Thinking provincial governors
Pensions and wages
Asylum policy
Darya Dugina
Merit Order Principle
Websites Vienna
U.S. and China
Summer Talk
Throwing money to the wind
Politicians' salaries
Putin sympathizers
Supporters of Putin
Changes to the merit order principle
Gas combustion in Russia
Wien-Energie insolvent?
UNESCO Peace Prize
10 billion and more
Changes to the merit order principle
Don't save money in Vienna
Debacle in Vienna
Mikhail Gorbachev
Recommendation for the 4th stitch
Visa facilitation
Biden vs. Trump
Ministers vs. Mayors
Insolvency Wien Energie?
Democratic consciousness
Electricity price brake
Climate bonus for asylum seekers and detainees
Inflation in Turkey
Electricity price brake
Nord Stream 1
OMV boss Gerhard Roiss
Nobody does anything
Photovoltaic system at the airport
Flaring of gas in Russia
OMV Special Audit
Cap on gas from Russia
25 cents against the flood of plastic
Retaliatory strikes
Official power saving
Climate bonus for persons entitled to asylum
EU countries agree on electricity emergency plan
Wood as an energy source
Radiant heaters for outdoor dining areas
President of the Commission on the EU
Car racing and release from liability
Change of direction in Sweden
Road race yes or no
Demonstration on inflation
EU funding for Hungary
President Modi and Putin
Cannabis legal or not?
Partial mobilization of the armed forces
More than 56,000 asylum applications from January to the end of August
Partial mobilization of 300,000 troops
Will the war end this year?
A penchant for survival
Shift to the right in Europe
State elections and vote of the sovereign
Mahsa Amini and the Religious State
Drug at tax expense
Hungary, Poland and now Italy
Next day in the Committee of Inquiry
Sabotage at OMV refinery
CO2 pricing starts on Saturday
Meeting of Environment Ministers in the EU
Climate activists are right to demonstrate?
Sabotage and its benefits
Bitcoins and virtual currencies
The asylum policy of the EU (EUROPEAN UNION) has failed
Iran and the Faith
Complaint for abuse and no one responds
Reduction of oil production volumes
Limited nuclear strike by Russia
Sabotage and underground warfare
Federal Presidential Election
Criticism of EU (EUROPEAN UNION) on migration
Bombing of the whole of Ukraine
New car purchases with a 16% increase
Savings on budget 2023 in demand
Air defense weapons for Ukraine
Budget increase for the Austrian Armed Forces
Wave of migration and the federal government
Citizenship for Austrian-born citizen
Kamikaze drones and Russia
Ministers of the Interior and tents
Schmid and leniency status
Causa gas prices – purchase and cap
President of the Swiss Confederation and domestic politics
Russia and "dirty bombs"
A new autocrat named Xi Jinping
Mr. Schmid and his truth
Gas from the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
OMV's profit
Grain from Russia and Ukraine
Climate activists or offenders
Halloween and a new terror
Questioning of Mr. Schmid with restrictions
Russia, sanctions, energy and grain
UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh
Morality and ethics in politics and society
Midterm elections in America
Resignation of an editor-in-chief
Russia's withdrawal from Kherson
Universities and more money
Climate activists and their actions
Wave of layoffs in the IT sector
The Charter of Human Rights is getting on in years
Bombs on Poland
Is energy a staple food?
EU (EUROPEAN UNION) Emergency Regulation on authorization procedures
Results of the climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh
What remains of Sharm El-Sheikh
Chat messages and their consequences
Trump and Bolsonaro – equal rulers
Russia a terrorist state
Joint purchasing and gas price cap
Public service medium ORF – radio and television
Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and their strike
Decline of Xi Jinping
Cryptocurrency industry in turmoil
2976.6% inflation
Ruler Kim Jong-un, a new nuclear power?
Are they shrinking or growing in Austria and the EU?
Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Verdicts on murder trial Leonie
Christmas party at the expense of customers
Oil price cap on imports from Russia
Wage negotiations for railway employees
Financial hole in public broadcasting (ORF)
Drone strikes: Putin convenes Security Council
Free living in EU (EUROPEAN UNION) and Austria
Enlargement of the Schengen area
Suspicion of corruption in the EU
Are there overweight monkeys?
Salary negotiations and the demands
Dispute over the rule of law in Hungary
Globalization, supply chains and perhaps dependencies
Fence at the external borders and refugee policy
Free riders in the face of inflation
Farmers or "agricultural workers"
Trump and a trial?
Official secrecy and its amendment
Putin's plans for next year
Volodimir Zelensky in the USA
Refugee policy in the EU (EUROPEAN UNION) and in America
Reduce energy consumption
Pandemic over?
Cold spell in the USA
Billions in energy subsidies for the economy
Gas price at lowest level since the beginning of the war
Kosovo – Serbia – World War 2
Official secrecy in the European Union?
Decency, Morality and Ethics in Politics
That was 2022
Climate adhesives receive salary for actions
Corona imports from China
Young people rioting against the state
Republicans and their democracy
Brazil and civil war?
Putin and the Orthodox Church
Floods in California
Politics and its plans
Top secretion and how presidents deal with it
Golden Piano in the People's Parliament – Parliament
World Economic Summit in Davos
No electricity for electric cars
Russia and Nazism
Tank deliveries from America and Germany?
Pension systems on the verge of collapse
Main battle tanks for Ukraine
Visit to Bulgaria
Sweden – Erdogan – NATO (North Atlantic Defense Alliance)
Lack of skilled workers and refugees
Death of a black African in the U.S.
U.S. military strike against Iran
Fences around the European Union?
Increase in retirement age
President of the Swiss Confederation in Ukraine
Terror trial and its verdicts
Battle of Stalingrad
Spy balloons or not
Deaths in avalanches
Quakes in Turkey and Syria
Increased income, expenditure and inflation
Quakes in Turkey and Syria
Asylum and migration policy in the European Union
Next wave of refugees from Turkey and Syria?
President Sandu and Russia's influence
Positional warfare or conflict resolution after all
Federal Chancellor and European Union
OSCE meeting in Vienna
Security Conference in Munich
Arms deliveries to Ukraine
17 years to go and then what?
State of the Union Address
Neutrality, up-to-date or not
Kidnapping in Ukraine
China Peace Initiative
Peace demonstration in Berlin
4-day week
International advertising in Africa
Thou shalt not kill
Child abduction in Ukraine
Iran and the harassment of women
Strike wave in France
Exemptions for EU member states?
Stemming the flow of refugees
New technology for the disposal of CO2
No "end" for combustion engines?
Half social benefits for refugees
Seizure of power in China
Putin before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)?
Nuclear power and alternative energies
Democracy with an expiration date?
Decency and character required?
Kneeling before Mammon "Money"
Bonus payment without scruples
President Xi Jinping and Putin
Dmitry Medvedev and other aggressors in Russia
E-fuels: the solution for our climate
Democracy and its rulers
Trust in politics
British and American main battle tanks in Ukraine
Theatre in politics
E-fuels can be a useful part of the solution
Average salary increases of 12.3 percent and that's not enough
12 years old and it's all over
Lawsuit against former U.S. President Donald Trump is as a result of a hush money payment
Ukrainian President present in the Austrian Parliament
International Criminal Court in The Hague
Guilty or not
Taiwan's President in the U.S.
No alternative for Finland and NATO
Circumvention of sanctions?
Patriarch Kirill I
The EU and the pharmaceutical industry
State of emergency in Italy
Intelligent "human" being
Jupiter Mission der ESA (European Space Agency)
Nuclear power plant phase-out from the FRG
Integration of foreigners
EU trade agreements with Latin American countries
Objectivity and journalism
Shooting money into the air
Howitzers carted through Austria
Lyrics of the national anthem
Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen and what else?
Generation retired or not
Elections in a federal state
Guilty or not?
Full success of self-destruction
Asylum, Immigration and Immigration
How far is the understanding of politics?
Asylum centers at the EU's external borders
Does there have to be a gender delusion?
Drone warfare or partisan tactics
Gun violence among "children"
Coronation of a king
Reappraisal of the Corona measures
Fortress Europe
Inflation, demand and advertising
End of the 2nd World War 78 years ago
Corona vaccine for 340 years
78 years later
Free market economy or planned economy
Continue autocracy, or maybe democracy
Elections in Turkey
Obligations to supply arms
F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine
31 trillion and maybe even more
Gender nonsense from above
Asylum debate without end
Release of smugglers
Positional warfare in the SPÖ
Is this the beginning of the end?
DeSantis
Communism – Autocracy – Democracy
Reward for Russia's special operation
Banknotes for the population
Election results and Turks in Vienna
Power of Siberia 2
Viktor Orbán against 11 Sanctions package
The elderly and their hunger for power
Bible with pornographic and offensive content
Post, but don't post content
Pipeline stop at the end of 2024
Rupture of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine
There is now a party chairman
Conference in Luxembourg and what results
Terrorist attack or not?
Violations of the law and the presidency
Shift to the right and left as the future
The taxpayer must "pay the price"
Are smugglers murderers?
Is former president’s immune?
Call for help from Africa
Success for DSN (Directorate of State Security and Intelligence)
Phasing out fossil fuels
Lack of money in the EU coffers
Seeing a global economy
Tired of life or the ultimate kick
Mini-submarine broke up while diving
Wagner troops in front of Moscow
Which is worse, Fukushima or Chernobyl?
Unrest in France
Neutrality or perhaps a duty to cooperate?
European Sky Shield necessary or not?
$400 billion for reconstruction
Useful idiots outside Russia
Contrary statements by a chairman
ECJ (European Court of Justice) and case law
Tunisia and the European Community
Meeting of Austria, Serbia and Hungary
Blackmail or not?
NATO Summit
Renaturation now official
Millions of diesel cars are now threatened with extinction
Financial injection for Tunisia
Blockade of wheat supplies from Ukraine
Only provocations or preparation for world war
Donor conference in Italy
Is our planet burning?
Shortage of specialists not only in Austria
Waiting for Putin at the Africa Summit in St. Petersburg
Drones on Moscow
Federal Chancellor and Warnings
Not guilty – what else?
Airspace barrier over Niger
Barge as asylum accommodation
Conference on the Amazon rainforest after 14 years
WHO (World Health Organization) and prices for cigarettes?
Moon, Mars and what else?
How much profit left?
ORF fees in advance?
Millions for athletes, but no money for young talent
Evangelical Christians in America and Trump
Cannabis release in the FRG
Image cultivation with a moon landing or just an object of prestige?
Has Prigozhin been disposed of?
Hate postings and fake news in the EU
Provocation at bank interest rate summit
Spectacle around former president
More money for North Africa and more refugees
Skilled workers and refugees
17 years in prison for "Proud Boys" leader
Solar winds and climate change on Earth
Grain agreement still to come?
100 km/h speed limit on motorways
School grades good, but let's get rid of them
Depleted uranium ammunition for U.S. tanks
Blood money for Russia
Elections or just a sham vote
Advertising with taxpayers' money
Kim Jong-un and the lust for power
Speech by the President of the European Union
Sky Shield – the European missile and air defense system
Corona financing agency Cofag also distributed taxpayers' money for brothels
Meeting Putin and Kim Jong Un
Wave of refugees in Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany
China and e-cars
Visit of the President of the Commission to Italy
Brussels and a Transport Committee
Ceasefire agreed in Nagorno-Karabakh
In 13 out of 100 apartments, no one is registered
European solar panel manufacturers are sounding the alarm
Obligation of asylum seekers to work
And there you create a new office again
High inflation and throwaway society
Forced Labor and Forced Taxpayers
Rededication to make even more profit
Kerosene is CO2 neutral?
MEP Andreas Mölzer and other members of the Freedom Party met the Taliban "foreign minister" in Kabul
Climate Ministry fixes 25-cent deposit on bottles and cans
Conflict between Germany and Italy
Democracy and ex-President Trump
40,000 victims: Large-scale trial for investment fraud started in Carinthia
Endless debates about the refugee crisis in the Union.
Unnecessary debates
High season for populists
Is a former president a dictator?
McCarthy's ouster and the US Republicans
Fatal attack by an American Staffordshire terrier on a 60-year-old jogger
Slovenia: Krsko nuclear power plant to be shut down as a preventive measure
Too few armed conflicts?
100 years later
Rebellion of our Earth
Closure by Israel
Robert Fico likely to become head of government in Slovakia
War critics are not welcome in Russia
International law not applicable?
Integration and dual citizenship
Price of gas rises by 50 percent within a week
Terror back again or was it never gone?
Aid to the Population of the Gaza Strip
US President Joe Biden plans to ask the US Congress on Friday for a comprehensive aid package for Ukraine and Israel, among others.
Arrogance and terrorism
Erdogan and NATO (North Atlantic Défense Alliance)
Split fungi also in Austria?
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his statements
Another 385,000 soldiers as cannon fodder
2 states in the Middle East – a pipe dream?
Statements by the President of the Jewish Community of Israel
Storm on airport in Dagestan
279 Israeli settlements. Only about half of them are approved by the Israeli government.
Wars and are there results?
Germany and Emirates pledge 200 million dollars for climate damage
New parties in the German parliament?
30 billion funds for climate damage
Restructuring proceedings on one's own responsibility
Markus Söder and Gendering
75 years of human rights
Crisis in Ukraine
EU and AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Rwanda already costs 280 million
COP 28 climate summit and outcomes?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed in Washington for a continuation of US military aid
Victory or just wear and tear of materials and people
Is Viktor Orbán a blackmailer?
Power Expand or Bloodlust?
"Tsar" Putin and the consequences
Negotiations, Support and Weapons
Victory in the Greatest Democracy
The pro-Iranian Houthi militia in Yemen wants to continue its attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea
14 people killed in shooting rampage in Prague
UN Security Council meets
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reality
Attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021
Is Trump a better citizen?
So that was the year 2023
Foreword
Far be it from me to attack anyone here or to judge anyone. Rather, it is my view of things, as I interpret it below. It may well be that one or the other thinks that this would be a radical view of things. But sometimes it seems to me that you bury your head in the sand. Not reacting, will solve itself. I believe this thread runs through the entire body of writing. As I said, this is not paternalism of anyone, but my opinion on various things at home and abroad.
April 2022
Is it possible that too much power has been given to a person or is it perhaps the case that a single man can do as he pleases? You have already seen in the course of the last 2 decades how it developed and you have let it do as it pleased. In addition, he was courted by importing raw materials in large quantities. Apparently, nothing has been learned from history. It has often happened that individuals have used power and others have had to suffer for it. I am thinking, among other things, of the 2nd World War or perhaps of the times of the Roman Empire, where people knew how to help themselves by liquidating the despot named Caesar. But that doesn't mean that you eliminate such a person. But in this context, I have to ask myself why we have well-endowed intelligence services that react accordingly. For example, you know how to deal with opponents, and we saw that not so long ago, for example, when a person was killed in an embassy or a dissident disappears in prison for life. It may well be that such actions backfire, but what is the alternative. We are now seeing this in Ukraine, where tens of thousands of people are being massacred and the world is more or less watching as a man wants to crown himself "tsar". In this context, I also cannot imagine that if the whole thing is carried out effectively, anyone else will be tempted to follow in the footsteps of this despot. As I said, this is by no means meant to be a call to eliminate a human being, because it is not up to anyone to carry it out. The basic evil, in my opinion, is that you give too much power to a person, which has proven to be a mistake time and time again in history. Of course, this president should not lack money, so he has to look for further influence and what is easier than to secure power and expand it. Only the whole thing has an expiration date and such people, as the past shows us, usually do not have a high life expectancy, let alone a natural death. It is only during the lifetime of such people that the people have to suffer from it, and I do not see that.
May 2022
It always amazes me when you say in an advertisement that stands for a retail chain that there is more Tyrol in it. In my opinion, it is all well and good to refer to one of the nine provinces of Austria, but as I said, our country is made up of more provinces. After all, the FRG does not only consist of Bavaria. If you look into this, you can see that you had sold a retail chain abroad and now it comes to such statements.
It doesn't make sense to me how it can happen that it is not possible to create exact data on Covid diseases or the resulting deaths. Isn't it the case that the first thing you do when you enter an ordination is asked for an e-card? Of course, this also applies to all other health services. Of course, the social security number is noted on this card and thus, at least in the whole of Austria, there is an indexed number that only exists once. So you have a single number that, in my opinion, can be easily linked. It's clear that the criteria that entail death should be clearly defined, but then I have meaningful data. This material is certainly one that can be used for appropriate evaluations, as well as it should be the basis for political decisions.
It always amazes me how long it takes for there to be a movement in society and I don't just mean my homeland, but I do believe that this is an international problem. For years, people have sat back and imported energy from abroad. Yes, the price was probably right, but the whole thing also had the disadvantage of immense dependence on these exporting countries. We are now feeling this accordingly and do not know how to get out of this cycle. Okay, there are alternative energies in the meantime, but it's all going too slowly. When I then learn from the media that 2 thirds of our entire Austrian gas needs are consumed in Vienna and Lower Austria, I have to ask myself why there are so many houses with roofs. In my opinion, these roofs can be used very well for solar panels and, in addition, this does not necessarily disturb the appearance of the environment. In addition, it can be noted that the energy generated can be used in the same building, which in turn would minimize some line construction to and from the building. Yes, the idea of wind turbines is certainly a good one, but it does not necessarily contribute to the appearance of the environment. If you talk about reducing CO2 in this context, then the objectives with periods of more than 10 years are very long. The approaches in this area are good, but in my opinion, this is taking far too long. What natural disasters still have to happen before you finally realize that we are running out of time, it's not five to twelve, it's already twelve o'clock.
It should be said in advance that I have been vaccinated 3 times. Why? For me, it's not necessarily about my own person, but rather about the fact that I'm always among people. I can get infected as well as infect others. In addition, I see it as my civic duty to protect my environment if I am really ill. I live in this country and therefore have rights and obligations. I see it as one of these duties that I got vaccinated. Apparently, I am one of the few who share my view, otherwise there would have been no need for a political discussion as to whether or not to introduce compulsory vaccination. Certainly has two sides to the point of view. On the one hand, I am certainly against the encroachment on my privacy by legal barriers, but, as I said, the discussion about this could have been avoided if one had fulfilled one's duties as a citizen. It's clear that even after two years of pandemic, we don't know how to deal with it, it has been far too little researched for that. It is only with this dilemma that we will certainly have to live longer. It is also clear that there are side effects with these vaccinations, but I would rather have the risk of suffering from a side effect than hanging on a ventilator for weeks and then perhaps dying. Especially since the percentages of illness from a side effect are lower than falling ill with Covid.
It may well be that I am of advanced age and therefore may have antiquated views in this regard, but some things in the production of motor vehicles and other technical devices always amaze me. In principle, I think the idea of e-cars is good, although it comes to my mind that the plans for them have been in the "drawer" of the car industry for a long time. The reason for this could be that they wanted to use the resources of oil until they are exhausted. However, the only disadvantage of the whole thing is that this is not necessarily beneficial to our climate, which is reflected again and again in various disasters. Another point I have to mention is that the car industry produces vehicles with excessive engine power. 100 hp is not enough, at least 150 and even more are needed. I remember my first car had 34 hp and that was enough. Yes, more horsepower is an advantage when overtaking, but where am I supposed to drive such a vehicle with more engine power, when there are already speed limits in almost every country. Yes, and then no one can persuade me that the consumption is low, with an engine power of less than 100 hp this would certainly be less, which also benefits the environment. Okay, I have a car with 200 hp, maybe a maximum of 130 km/h and pollute the environment. It's clear and I don't want to blame the industry or society, but apparently a car with a lot of power and a lot of technical bells and whistles is a status symbol that the two groups mentioned take into account. What kind of status symbol was it then, as there were no cars yet?
If you buy any technical device today, whether it's a computer or a household appliance, you have to consider how long it will last. In the past, a batch had been produced in larger quantities and some devices had been taken out of this production and put through their paces. After that, a verification label was stuck on the whole batch. Apparently, this no longer exists today. There is production in tens of thousands of pieces, perhaps still in Asia, and the entire production goes to the dealer without testing. It may be that putting a production through its paces is costly, but the end customer remembers the manufacturer, where he knows whether he has tested or not. Because if he sees that this device had worked perfectly for years, he will be happy to access this producer again and will be more willing to pay a reasonable price for it.
Is it the case today that you always have to have the latest device, otherwise you won't be up to date? I can remember something where a laptop was bought new in the appropriate store and after opening it, you had to find that the keyboard was defective. So we stood at this dealer, who received this device without hesitation and handed us a new laptop for it. When I asked what would happen to the broken device, I was told that it would be disposed of at the retailer's headquarters. Yes, what does that mean? Since this is hazardous waste, it should also be disposed of accordingly. Well, yes, so again a bit more hazardous waste somewhere in Africa. What is completely incomprehensible to me, however, is that food is treated even worse. It's not just about the disposal of food in the household, but in my opinion much more about the trade, which thinks at the end of business that the food in question will not be for sale the next day. In my opinion, if this is the fault, it is divided between both sides, i.e. retailers and customers. Some think it won't be for sale the next day, others just want nice goods. Yes, but in the end, the customer pays the price for tens of millions of tons of food ending up in the mill. Can we afford that, because the producer rarely takes back goods?
I am always amazed when I hear or read how food is transported across Europe. It starts with meat, living or dead, and continues with potatoes and the like. We are certainly a stable agricultural country where this does not have to be done. We have enough agriculture that is happy if they could see their products in the trade in their environment. Such food does not necessarily have to be carted through half of Europe. Above all, in my opinion, there is a second aspect, namely that of the cost-benefit calculation for the producer, especially at such low prices, because transport is not exactly cheap and in addition it harms our environment when more and more trucks are on the road with food, which is also available domestically.
Decades ago, it was assumed that domestic production was too expensive, and therefore cheaper production facilities were sought. These were also found in the former Eastern Bloc countries and were therefore relocated there. Well, that went well for a few years, but then it was probably the too high costs that hit it again and so you had to look for even cheaper production facilities. They were also found in Asia and production was moved there. What was not considered, however, was the fact that they made themselves dependent on this production. It's just that Asia isn't just around the corner. In the meantime, a chip is built into almost every technical device or car and they became more and more expensive, until the time when the production facilities also lacked the raw materials for the production of such chips or became fewer and fewer. The whole thing was all before the pandemic. Then came Covid and, in addition, a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal and therefore fueled all this even more. Now we are in 2022 with an additional aggressor who thinks his neighboring state is part of Russia. If I now assume that we will cover a large part of our energy needs abroad, in addition to waiting for deliveries of technical components from Asia, I do not see the future as rosy. Of course, this also has an impact on inflation, which has risen dramatically worldwide and, in my opinion, is far from reaching its ceiling. Does that mean that we are where we were in the 30s of the last century? Only the omens are slightly different from back then. Surely a man came to power who thought he would have to overturn the entire world order with a war. Yes, well or not, we have the same scenario now. We have a power-hungry ruler who thinks that state sovereignty is only something that is written in the books and therefore does not have to abide by it. Furthermore, there is a pandemic that we are far from having under control and, on top of that, galloping inflation. A good mix for another world war. It may be that this view is perhaps too pessimistic, but we should look the facts in the eye.
In my opinion, corruption is a rather broad term, but it makes a big difference. It is already clear in our country that this word is used very easily and, above all, quickly. This species can be found all over the world, sometimes more and sometimes less. Doesn't this start in a small circle, where you are not even aware of it. Can't even an invitation to a dinner, for example, be a kind of corruption, because in most cases I expect something from my counterpart, whether these are material or non-material values. In other words, the whole thing starts on a small scale and, of course, goes all the way into politics and beyond. What bothers me in this context, however, is that it is very easy to use this word without any legal basis for it. But what would not be to be interpreted is that I approve of this, both in terms of the invitation to dinner, nor the "arrangements" in wider circles. Because there is much more to it than you might think. If it is a small courtesy that one expects from such an approach, it may well develop into far greater damage for those in positions of responsibility. What I mean by this is that by accepting the favor, there is a great deal of damage to society. In doing so, I do not necessarily include posts, which should under certain circumstances include a prerequisite qualification. What I mean by this is that it is not only party affiliation that counts, but much more the vita of the corresponding candidate should be taken into account. It may well be that there is a parliamentary committee of inquiry, but we also have a functioning judiciary. It lays down what is meant by corruption and how it is punished. In my opinion, the Committee of Inquiry only serves to establish moral misconduct, but isn't that an obsolete model, morality? In such positions, it seems that people are not aware of what they are doing with corruption and any associated squabbling at the expense of the citizen.
I do not know how it is structured in other countries, so I can only quote from what it is like in my country. First of all, it should be noted that the scheme has already been adopted from the time of the emperor and has "built up" even more. This may mean that about one-fifth of GDP goes to this area. Now, however, it is said again and again that this administration should be there for the citizen, but is it really so? At times, and here I can look back on several decades of experience, it seems to me that the official is right and the citizen is wrong. Shouldn't it be the case that you could also be right. Furthermore, it also seems to me that the procedure in order to obtain something is artificially extended more and more with hurdles and possibly forms and procedures. We live in the age of the computer, where many things could actually be done in a matter of seconds. But yes, there is the buzzword "digitization". After all, we are already "transparent people", where data about us is stored in a wide variety of places. But yes, that's where the word comes up again in this context: data protection. It's clear that it certainly shouldn't be softened, but you should also remember that you can network data from various offices and, as I said, that's certainly no longer a problem today. Perhaps then some registered letters to modesty will be omitted. At the moment, I am noticing that the administrative apparatus is being inflated more and more. It is true that time does not stand still and that there are always innovations that must also be taken into account. Such changes are only added precisely because they are necessary at the moment and do not take the trouble to see whether this has not already been done in a different form in the past. It may be that this involves a lot of work, but of course the new system is also time-consuming. However, the whole thing has the advantage that this is not bloated too much and can therefore be found more easily.
It's interesting how many weapons there are and, above all, how many are still being produced. Somewhere it is understandable to me when I look into the early history of mankind, where people more or less lived from hunting and also produced appropriate weapons. But if I now assume that the world can be destroyed many times over with the weapon potential that is available right now, it runs cold down my spine. There is also a danger, and we are seeing this right now, that these weapons will be used, and I am not necessarily talking about nuclear weapons, because then this planet will be over. It is also interesting to see how tens of millions are invested in the production of such products and forget, for example, about the poor population, such as in Africa. We prefer to put the money into researching new weapons, endangering each other and sending our electronic waste to the "trash can" of Africa. If I now observe this closely, I think there are 2 scenarios. The first is that we continue in the same way and that there are more likely to be uprisings by poorer sections of the population in the short term, which then lead to a world war, and the second would be that we shorten the whole thing by trying out all the weapons right away, because why do we have them? Yes, but as I said, then it would be over with planet Earth. The human species, and of course I have to count myself among them, apparently only shows power with new and many weapons. In my opinion, animals are more intelligent than any human being. At least they only kill when they need it for their lives, but humans have a different view of things. He shows his power with a lot of money and weapons and has the urge to use these weapons as well. How crazy is that? But well, I also belong to this kind of living being. The money we are investing in research into new weapons would probably be better invested if we invested it in waste avoidance and thus relieved Africa, for example, of hazardous waste and electronic waste.
I know that this is an emotional issue, but I would still like to mention a few things here. Perhaps it will give one or the other a different way of looking at things. When my parents were expelled from the former Yugoslavia at the end of the 2nd World War under armed force and the threat of death, they ended up in Vienna. The background was that they were Danube Swabians and therefore their mother tongue was also German. They were received in 1944 with the words: Why can you German so well? What do you want here? Sneak home. Well, there was certainly a difference between the year 1944, when everything was bombed, and today's Austria. But I also can't imagine that a migrant today would be given such questions or instructions. At that time, my parents had not received a single "schilling" from the Austrian state, let alone adequate accommodation. They lived for some time in a refugee shelter, where at least 30 people stayed in one room, until they were able to afford a rented apartment on their own. They hadn't made it to wealth over the years, but they had made it to good prosperity. What does it look like today? Our borders are more or less open, which I certainly think is the right thing to do, but there are, among others, the European Union and politicians who believe that we can do it. Some discuss how to divide the refugees among Europe and come to no conclusion, and others practice filling out asylum applications and the corresponding flood of forms that are associated with them. Okay, the nature of migrants is not much different than it is now. Both were expelled from their homeland, some of them by force of arms, in my parents' case it was partisans who wanted to exterminate the German-speaking minority from the north as well as from the south. The only difference is that my parents had to work for everything and did not receive any support from their new home country. Today's refugees receive shelter, food and a little pocket money. What it all costs. I wonder how a citizen of the respective European country comes to support this wave of migration with tax money. Yes, it is always said that there are almost only rich countries in Europe and we can handle it. Is that so? We could actually use the taxes elsewhere where it would probably be more necessary. It is true that if we did not have immigration, the European population would dwindle and therefore a certain amount of immigration would be necessary. There is only one thing I do not understand in this context, why naturalization procedures are dragging on for so long. If I throw a replica to the year 1944 again, my parents were received with said statements and within a very short time they had a roof over their heads and also their own income through work. In this context, I have another report in a recognized German daily newspaper in mind, which really shocked me at the time. It was about the fact that in one of the two great powers (USA and Russia) some billionaires had come together, who provided the refugees from Africa with five-digit amounts of cash. The background was that they could use this money to pay their smugglers from Africa to Europe. These people who had provided this money did so for the reason that they could damage the European Union economically with a large number of migrants. The two great powers do not need a strong Europe geographically. But the calculation didn't seem to work out, at least that's how it seems to me. What is the European Union doing? It discusses how to secure the borders and whether this would be a national or international issue. In addition, a lot of money is made available for this movement, which, as I said, is taxpayers' money. I can only imagine that we, as Europeans, would not be received in the same way in the countries of origin of these refugees, let alone be able to take advantage of such benefits. It is true that we need a certain influx, as our society is shrinking, but this could also be done much less bureaucratically and with less cost and time. If, for example, I reduce the support for migrants to a minimum, and I am not talking about no support, as my parents had experienced, but to one or two months. If no work and roof over the head was found, then the person would have to leave the country again, because how does the citizen come to support the person for months and years. It may sound harsh, but I can imagine that some people are considering emigrating to the EU.
If I can say in a letter to the editor today that official secrecy is outdated, then I can only agree with that. As far as I know, this was created in the time of the emperor and is therefore not applicable today. Of course, there are data and facts that should not necessarily be made available to the citizen, but when I think of redacted files that have been forwarded in the past, I wonder why? After all, they were not made available to the citizens, but to parliamentarians who were elected by the people. Do you want to deceive the population and their representatives, or is there something to cover up? I think so, even if I sometimes doubt it, that the people can handle it.
In my opinion, this profession is one of the most thankless jobs you can do in a state. No matter what you do or speak, there will always be people who don't agree with it. That's right, we live in a democracy where everyone can express their opinion, and that's a good thing, because I don't want to live in an authoritarian state where you have to weigh every word. But if this gets out of hand, where threats and attacks are aimed at the person in question, I wonder what kind of people they are who get carried away with such actions. Did such people not understand democracy, where there is freedom of expression and not attacks on people? I would recommend them to live in a dictatorship for some time and maybe see the difference. Have those people run out of arguments and therefore have to resort to such means?
It is true that NATO has pushed ahead with eastward expansion in recent years, but what is the alternative? Wait until an aggressor comes on the scene and thinks he has to liberate his neighboring state from Nazis here and now. What would it look like how NATO would have stayed with its original states? I do believe that the concern of European states to be occupied by these despots will then be much higher. We can see what such a "war" does in the non-aligned states of Sweden and Finland, which very quickly revised their attitude towards NATO and are now considering membership. I believe that the basic evil lies elsewhere. After the end of the 2nd World War, it was thought that more had to be put into rearmament. Huge amounts of money have been spent on it. And now? Now there is an arsenal of weapons where you could destroy the earth umpteen times over, but there would be on this beautiful planet and in my opinion, it is, even more important problems, which would be far more urgent than putting even more money into the weapons potential and their research. Above all, the whole thing has a very serious side aspect. Man, and this goes all the way to our origin, always has the intention of trying out what he has found or invented. The only difference to a Neanderthal is that he tested it for his life, today's man is out to test the whole thing for its destructive power. You can see that in the concrete "war of aggression", where you even go so far as to threaten a nuclear strike. What, then, is the reaction of the other states? Well, maybe then you can fire a "small" nuclear bomb at the attacking country. In this context, it is also interesting to see how states such as Iran or North Korea come up with such technologies to produce nuclear weapons? Doesn't a great power have a hand in this? But yes, it's certainly about strengthening or pushing one's own arms industry. But if this is done too excessively by the recipient countries, well, then we impose embargoes on such countries. But who is the victim? Not the despot, who thinks it must arm itself to protect itself from possible attacks, but rather the people. Only this, and this is what history has shown us, will not be put up with by the people forever. Don't you learn anything from the past? It is not necessarily true in democracies, but rather in authoritarian states, such rulers enrich themselves from what the state collects in taxes. Such despots buy sinfully expensive real estate, yachts and the like, the population is allowed to get by with what they have earned through work and that is only a fraction of what rulers appropriate. How long does something like this go well?
It may well be that we are dependent on energy imports. It was certainly a mistake of the past, but that can't be changed now. Now we should see how we can get replacement supplies for oil and gas, which will certainly not be easy, since other states have the same problem. There is only one thing I don't understand, why does the price of energy have to be based on the most expensive price, i.e. gas. Advertising suggests that electricity is produced from hydropower and renewable energy, and despite all this, the price of electricity is increased even further. Where is the logic in this? This electricity, if I can believe this statement, is produced exclusively in this way. Perhaps it is because the state has a significant stake in such companies. On the one hand, he benefits from higher dividends, on the other hand, from increased tax revenues, which in turn have to be eaten by the consumer. This is contrary to my basic understanding of business. It is already clear that the switch from fossil raw materials to environmentally friendly energy generation does not happen from one day to the next, but why does the customer have to pay more and more?
The idea of a repair bonus, which Austria has introduced, is already something sensible, only the handling "lacks". It is a good idea to avoid a lot of hazardous waste, but where are the companies that carry out such work? There is already a development that did not begin yesterday, but has been going on for years and decades. On the part of the manufacturers or production, when something breaks, it has always been assumed that they will buy a new device. Is probably attributable to the fact that a corresponding profit should come out of every new production. In addition, in some cases, after production, it was not necessary to check the production for errors, which of course entails additional costs. Furthermore, I had to realize that in some devices, such as smartphones and laptops, the chassis are made from one piece. This means that replacing a battery can only be done with a lot of work. In the past, you just provided two hinges for it and you had the battery in your hand. Today it's all in one chassis and you have to open umpteen screws until you get to the battery. This means nothing other than that you have to dispose of the device yourself if it is not already sent to the service partner for hazardous waste. But where does such garbage end up, in the landfill in Africa.
It's interesting how some rulers disregard everything. A vital primeval forest is being cut down just for the sake of profit, regardless of losses not only in their own country, but all over the world. Are such people not aware of what they are doing in the face of climate change?
It's clear to me that you need advertising to sell products, but lately I've noticed that the whole thing is getting out of hand. When I look at our advertisements on domestic radio and television, for example, it seems to me that they rely more on advertising than information from all over the world. Now, however, it is the case that every participant who enjoys Austrian radio and television also has to pay a fee for it. That's right, too. It's only when I compare the Federal Republic of Germany with us, for example, that it seems to me that there is more information there from all over the world. In our country, it seems that such broadcasts are reduced in time in favour of advertising. It can happen that an advertising slogan is broadcast umpteen times on one evening, although you have already understood it after the first time, especially since the expressiveness of the one is not very high. Is the duty of a public broadcaster to provide information really complied with? On the other hand, you always see new people on radio and television, where I already ask myself some questions about it. The coverage suffers, but as I said, that's my opinion.
Well, now we have a nationwide parking vignette for the whole of Vienna for a short time. But since the beginning, I have not been aware of the meaningfulness of this. If you have more parking space and you will find a parking space earlier. I don't think so. Rather, it is now the case that you now have to search even longer to find a suitable parking space. I understand that if you use the public road network, it costs something, but if the vehicle owner does not already pay enough through various taxes and duties, you just have to take money out of his pocket, just so that he can park near his home. Furthermore, I can also imagine that this cannot necessarily be very profitable for the operator, i.e. the municipality of Vienna, when I think about how many staff are behind it.
How far away are our current politicians from the people, whether they are right, left or center? On the part of those in power, one is only fixated on accumulating more money or striving for more and more power. As a result, however, the opinion of the people is ignored or perhaps no longer heard at all. The population is getting worse and worse from various crises and politicians are almost unaware of this. If I start from the 30 years of the last century, this is a good ground for left-wing or right-wing tendencies. But this had the consequence of a world war. Is this also flourishing for us now? If I now look at all forms of government, only one has actually lasted for thousands of years, and that is democracy. It may be that this one also has its faults, but why is it the form of governance that has outlived all the others? Is it freedom of expression, or perhaps the prosperity that has come from this way of governing? If there are then a wide variety of tendencies that pull in one direction or the other, it may already be noted that those people in our democracy are not doing so badly after all. Why, then, do they follow left and right directions, have they forgotten history? How long has a Greater Germany existed and how long can a communist structure exist? But yes, there are always people in history who can move entire peoples with their rhetoric, just as it was in the past and is also evident in the present. Should such people not be shown in time that they are going in the wrong direction? Because, as the saying goes, power comes from the people. As I said, democracy is not necessarily the best either, but it has proven itself over thousands of years, can the same be said of a dictatorship or communism?
When I walk through my city, I am always fascinated by how many apartments are empty. However, this applies not only to the private sector, but also to the sector of cooperatives, condominiums and municipal housing. I don't have the logic to do this, because the operating costs, for example, even if the premises are empty, have to be paid. However, these cannot be transferred to the other tenants, but the respective owner of the property has to pay for it. In this context, however, I don't know whether this pays off for the owner. Okay yes, it may certainly be an investment property, but are the monthly expenses for an unused apartment in relation to what might come out of an increase in the value of the property. The way I see it in my city, more and more are being built at the expense of grassland. Then you have to discuss green spaces, where they should be created, because in summer the whole thing gets too hot. Well, yes, something concreted over is covered with trees again and it is believed that it would be beneficial to our climate. In the center of cities you have vacant apartments and on the edge one new settlement after the other shoots out of the ground. I can already imagine that revitalizing or renovating an existing rental property will be cheaper than building something new. Could also have a corresponding impact on the infrastructure as well as on the cost of rent.
If Finland and Sweden are seeking to apply for membership of NATO, I fully understand that. Especially in the case of Finland, which has a common border of 1300 km with Russia, there can always be "incidents". One can expect a lot from such a ruler in terms of chemical, biological and nuclear attacks on other countries. But if the common border of about 2000 km borders on states that belong to a military alliance, I can already imagine that this intimidates such a person. With this military assistance pact, this aggressor would suddenly face 32 states. It may well be that he will not necessarily stand idly by, but Finland, for example, would feel safer with this, because this ruler cannot be trusted. Whether he feels threatened or not, I dare to doubt. I don't think this will lead to escalation, at least not at the military level. He believes that he would have other means of exerting pressure, if I only think of oil and gas. The calculation will not work out only for him, since the Western states are united in their face to this, which fascinates me, because who would have thought that this would have been possible about half a year ago. In addition, Russia is dependent on foreign currency, because how could it finance this war? But if it really comes to a scenario where Western troops meet Russian troops, then the whole thing will be done anyway and we would have the next world war. Only then would you have to test all the weapons, because why do you have them? But then the Earth era would also be over and that really can't be in the interest of humanity.