He tries to be a regular guy, he just really can't because everybody knows his face. He's been known to occasionally show up waiting in line at a local burger joint, for example. Don't get me wrong--I'm not saying he's a regular guy. But he tries to live like a normal person to at least some degree.
Die haben halt keine Schufa. Dank Schufa müssen wir keine Kreditkarten haben um uns irgendwann einen Baukredit leisten zu können. Das hat schon seinen Vorteil!
We tend to complain a lot about them. But compared to the US (and I don’t know any other system than US and Germany) it’s far better.
If you don’t take any loans your score gets better and better. If you take out a big loan it is at first negative, but after paying it off it may be even positive.
My mother never took out a load in her life and has almost a perfect score.
In the US you get rewarded for making credit card dept and paying off interest. That is actually a stupid way to handle money. In Germany you get rewarded if you save first and then spend your money.
The problems lie in the details. If you move to a poor neighbourhood your score drops. That is utterly stupid!
I’m extremely torn about this. First of all, I’ve been saying for a long time, that the biggest problem with the American health system is the costs of everything, and not the lack of insurance. Bring the costs down, and insurance is either not needed, or should be able to be procured much more cheaply, so this move will help with that, which is a good thing.
Second, patents are in place for a reason. If you invent something, you have the right to sell it, at least for a period of time, without it being ripped off by someone else. Patents are used all the time, all around the world, and are typically protected. This is a form of theft, and I think a possible slippery slope, as it sets a precedent going forward. And yes, I’m aware that they are doing this with drugs funded by the taxpayers. If they want to do this, it should be a stipulation when the company gets the government funding, and not done after the fact.
Doing research that is significantly funded by the government, but then you get to keep sole control of it and abuse that position to harm subjects of the government that made ‘your’ patent even exist is a problem. I’m absolutely ok with the government threatening to take that control back. If you don’t want that threat, then entirely fund it yourself. If you don’t want the government to actually execute the threat than charge reasonable prices. You still get your control and your profits, you just can’t be a dick about it.
*Funded by the citizens, is a clearer way to make that point. If the citizens subsidized any significant portion of that drug’s development, the company behind it should get “royalties” for the subsidized portion, and the drug should go on a government-controlled-price list. Don’t like it? No treasury shovel-outs for you.
news
Top
This magazine is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.