• glorkon@lemmy.world
    87·
    4 months ago

    I’m German.

    I used to be poor as fuck, didn’t have a job, had lots of medical issues due to being very overweight, was depressed and dysfunctional, also a stoner on top of all that. That was basically how I lived from 2000 to 2009.

    But the state paid my rent and gave me some money so I would at least not become homeless. And then, a guy at the “Jobcenter” said hey, wanna have a two-year state sponsored job training? It’s 18k Euros, but the German state will pay for it. All you gotta do is see a doctor every month and have him certify to us that you’re off drugs.

    I said fuck yeah, let’s do it. Last chance to get my life back on track.

    Fast forward to today… I’m married, have a well paid job as a software architect, earned enough money I could probably live independently for over two years, have a handsome ETF portfolio.

    In America, I would have been fucked. If you’re poor in Germany, there’s always a way out if you just get your shit together.

    • Strider@lemmy.world
      7·
      4 months ago

      Gratuliere, freut mich. Solche Geschichten hört man viel zu selten.

      Nur den Mythos der Sozialschmarotzer der immer gerne genutzt wird.

      • glorkon@lemmy.world
        4·
        4 months ago

        Danke dir. Ich hatte natürlich sehr viel Glück, dass sie im Jahr 2008 gerade Geld im Topf für sowas hatten - und dass ich einiges an IT-Vorkenntnissen hatte. Sonst wäre der Jobcentertyp nicht auf die Idee gekommen, mir das zu bewilligen. Aber ich bin dem heute noch extremst dankbar für die Chance.

    • Tencho@lemmy.world
      5·
      4 months ago

      Heart warming. Are they this kind to immigrants? I’ve been thinking about heading that direction for a few years. People keep telling me EU is in decline. But they still seem nicer than the Americas

      • TheJesusaurus@sh.itjust.works
        10·
        4 months ago

        People are kind, a state can’t be kind, it just is.

        I’m sure Germans are generally kind of folks but by and large states do not extend social welfare benefits to non-citizens.

      • glorkon@lemmy.world
        4·
        4 months ago

        Well, I’m not quite sure which requirements there are for immigration to Germany, and which conditions there are on getting welfare once you got here. They obviously would like to avoid having people immigrating into the welfare system.

        And of course, Germany isn’t the land where milk and honey flow either, many people struggle too. I had a bit of luck for sure. But I very much feel Germany is a much more forgiving place to live. That’s why I would never move to the US under any circumstances, even for a tripled paycheck.

  • lonefighter@sh.itjust.works
    41·
    4 months ago

    Reading this while working a shift that will put me at 85 hours of work this week. Will be able to buy groceries this month and pay for the surgery my cat needs. Also, am tired AF.

        • lonefighter@sh.itjust.works
          5·
          4 months ago

          Kitty will be ok, thank you. Just needs teethies taken care of. If we’re lucky not pulled, just anesthesia and deep cleaned, so not really surgery, but still expensive as hell. If not lucky, teeth pulled and painkillers, so more like surgery. He goes in tomorrow, both of us will be very unhappy.

      • lonefighter@sh.itjust.works
        6·
        3 months ago

        Update, if anyone is interested. Kitty is ok, but things ended up being worse than the vet realized. Externally everything looked good except needing a cleaning and the vet thought maybe a tooth might need extracted, but when they did X-rays 4 of his teeth were being resorbed by his body and the roots were basically gone, so they needed to be pulled. Poor guy is doing good, very unhappy about his current life situation and will be medicated and in a cone for the next 2 weeks, but I’m glad it’s taken care of and he’s home.

      • lonefighter@sh.itjust.works
        4·
        4 months ago

        Vet bills are the worst, but my cats don’t have the option to do anything about their situation or choose to work different jobs or change things about their life so it feels wrong to decline medical care and potentially make them suffer when they don’t get a say in the matter. I can make that choice for myself and my own medical care, but it feels cruel to make that choice for them, you know? They’re stuck in whatever life I give them, so I try to make it better than mine.

        I hope your cat is ok!

  • Th3D3k0y@lemmy.worldEnglish
    35·
    4 months ago

    I think this is slightly unfair. I think if we Americans work hard we probably still won’t be able to afford basic necessities

  • Ilixtze@lemmy.mlEnglish
    7·
    4 months ago

    If you are a complete psycho and absolutely bloodthirsty, you have a bright career in the military. And if you are not the military can turn you into the desired psycho!

  • Formfiller@lemmy.world
    5·
    4 months ago

    But you’ll only be able to afford them in the limited time that you’re deemed useful and subservient by the ruling oligarch pedofile cabal.

  • Jumi@lemmy.world
    4·
    4 months ago

    1 Millions kids of 14 Million live in poverty in Germany.

    All those replying are unable to comprehend the context between my comment and what is actually written in the post.

  • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
    3·
    4 months ago

    What country “guarantees” basic necessities to all their people? Food? Housing? Clothes?

    • elbiter@lemmy.world
      9·
      4 months ago

      Education, healthcare…

      And yes, the state can put the means to provide affordable housing and even affordable food, but billionaires will tell you that’s a commie thing.

      (Well, not billionaires themselves but their paid puppets)