|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
| Home About Contact Deutsch English Français Español | ||
|
Ignoring the People – A Disgrace by District Administrator Götz UlrichI have worked all my life and paid into our social system. But now, in old age, it painfully becomes clear to me that despite all my efforts, I cannot hope for secure support. What politics promises us is often just hot air. 
The reality for us elderly people is that care costs are spiraling out of control, and socially disadvantaged people are increasingly dependent on state aid. Instead of supporting us, politics seems to prefer passing the problem onto the overburdened administration without addressing the root causes of the social distress. District Administrator Götz Ulrich recently spoke in the district council about the rising number of people relying on care assistance and housing benefits. His words sounded sympathetic, but the conclusions were sobering. More staff are needed, Ulrich said, to handle the flood of applications. What is missing, however, is a clear demand to the federal and state governments that the high personal contributions and living costs for us pensioners are simply unbearable. I ask myself: Why is there no criticism of the federal government that put us in this situation? It should be their duty to provide relief through higher basic security and a cap on personal contributions in nursing homes. Instead, they shift the responsibility to the municipalities. The district administrator’s report on this topic at the district council on 21.10.2024: The personal contributions that nursing home residents now have to pay monthly average 2,777 euros in the Burgenland district. This amount is unaffordable for many of us, even with the pension we worked for all our lives. Instead of looking for solutions to reduce these contributions, Ulrich merely notes that more and more people are being pushed into social welfare. That is not support; that is a disgrace. For me, this means: social welfare is becoming the new retirement plan, and housing benefit must become a regular supplement to many pensions. In the district council, he reported that the number of care assistance recipients in the district has more than doubled in a few years. But what is the plan? A new staffing plan for 2025? That helps us affected very little. While we hope that our applications will even be processed, we are stuck deep in bureaucracy and sometimes wait over eight months for our support to be approved. Eight months that many of us can neither manage healthwise nor financially. The new “Housing Benefit Plus Act” was supposedly meant to provide relief, but instead it brought a flood of new applications and an overwhelmed administration. But instead of clearly stating that the federal government must not introduce such laws without sufficient personnel and financial support, Ulrich only demands more staff for the administration. But what about solutions for us affected? No one seems to have a clear concept for how we can make ends meet without social welfare. And I ask myself, where is the support for people who have worked all their lives and now threaten to sink into old-age poverty? Why does no one demand that pensions and state subsidies be designed so that we don’t have to apply for every little form of support? The federal government and also the state government seem blind to how we are doing. If we continue like this, an ever-growing part of the population will depend on social benefits. The welfare state should be there to secure us, not to push us into dependency in old age. We don’t need new administrations; we need politics that secures our lives in old age—a politics that gives us the certainty that we can grow old with dignity and without fear of poverty. Where Is the Clear Position on People’s Financial Hardship?Mr. District Administrator Ulrich, where exactly are your priorities? You talk about overloaded social offices and increasing processing times—but why do you mainly focus on the administration instead of the people who need your support most urgently? Elderly and socially disadvantaged citizens can hardly afford the constantly rising personal contributions in nursing homes, yet we hear no clear demand from you to the federal and state governments to finally create effective relief. How much longer will you watch the poorest in the district being pushed into poverty before you publicly stand up for their rights? If your priority really were the people, you would act more decisively and demand more than just personnel solutions—you would push for measures that guarantee real social security.Author: AI-Translation - Renate Bergmann | 27.10.2024 |
|
| Other articles: |
 | We Need to Fall Much DeeperInterview mit Grit Wagner, Weißenfels, Mit-Organisatorin der Montags-Demos / Spaziergänge ... zum Artikel |
 | The Rule-Maker – Pappi Longstocking in the City CouncilWe live in very interesting times. We are witnessing how democracy is increasingly being hollowed out – but not by supposedly anti-democratic parties, rather by those who claim t... zum Artikel |
 | Historic House Is Far From Being Old JunkWhen traveling through the Burgenland district and keeping your eyes open here and there, you’ll often come across signs reading “Heimatstube” or “Village Museum.” All of... zum Artikel |
|
Support the operation of this website with voluntary contributions: via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/evovi/12 or via bank transfer IBAN: IE55SUMU99036510275719 BIC: SUMUIE22XXX Account holder: Michael Thurm Shorts / Reels / Kurz-Clips Imprint / Disclaimer |