Peter Boehringer, March 21, 2024, Debt Brake

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/160, pp. 20611-20612. 

Frau President. 

For the umpteenth time the Linke wants to abolish the debt brake, this time disguised as a “reform”. Meant, however, is the cold abolition; Herr Görke was certainly at least honest. Since 2020, we clearly have a great coalition of all old parties for a boundless making of debt. In addition, we know that the tax money will not be sufficient for the government even in 2025. And the SPD’s speaker has confirmed that a great left-green debt coalition thoroughly sympathizes with this “reform”, or with the abolition idea. 

What does the Linke now concretely propose? In the future, a “transition phase” of precisely one year shall increase the possible excess indebtedness, which diametrically contradicts what the Federal Constitutional Court permitted just last November: Very clearly, a setting aside of the debt brake only for the year of a catastrophe itself. Any time exceeding a year was explicitly forbidden by the Federal Constitutional Court. That does not interest the leftist writers of the motion. 

In the motion’s second demand, the single hard guideline of Article 115, namely the structural deficit limit of 0.35 percent of GDP, shall be annulled. That however would be no “reform” of the debt brake, but a material alteration of the Basic Law’s wording, which may not proceed with a simple motion but only with a law to amend the Constitution with a two-thirds majority. The motion is thus also badly written. 

With the third demand, the besides already highly mathematical finding procedure for the debt brake’s business cycle component shall be still further complicated. Who for once takes a rudimentary look at the formulation [Formelwelt], and the arbitrary scope of valuation which will be used for this calculation, knows that a self-indebted government chronically short of money can thereby vastly exceed the permitted limit of indebtedness – even today. The aim of the Linke, to receive still “greater fiscal scope”, as it is in the motion, is thus absurd, since this scope today already is enormous. 

Clearly, the terms in Article 115 of the Basic Law are very spongy. There are therein named arbitrary expectations without clear deduction criteria, free of parameters as a result of unclear entities, certain cyclical norms, gaps in production, estimates of potential and cyclical settlement procedures, all without binding definitions. And the number in the end will determined by technocratic procedures and legal decrees. 

Dear Linke, you should here just simply love the already existing planned economy, instead of wanting to reform it. Precisely that of course already is your vulgarized Keynesian theoretical model of a world. Simply enjoy it as long as you are still permitted to sit here and play with a national economy. 

Many thanks. 

            Johannes Fechner (SPD): Nothing missed there!

 

[trans: tem]

 

Peter Boehringer, November 28, 2023, Budget Crisis

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/139, pp. 17659-17660. 

Frau President. 

We experience historic weeks. Years of law-breaking and false decisions culminate in a budget crisis behind which is hid a crisis of government and also one of reason. The Chancellor’s conclusions from a compelling decision of the Constitutional Court are deviant and illogical. The government cannot in 2023 retroactively assert the continuation of an uncontrollable emergency situation which in 2022 itself had declared to be ended. That doesn’t go.   

It might have been strained as to whether this time it would be based on an energy emergency, or a foreign war, or a newly inflamed Corona rage, or the immediately impending over-heating of the Earth, – we have heard even that from Herr Kindler – or like a storm flood of the previous week in Schleswig-Holstein, it needed to be held out as an emergency basis for 2024. Yesterday evening came the solution: The war of February 2022 and even the Ahrtal flood of 2021 are the culprits for the emergency of 2023. All of this you discover directly after the decision and quite suddenly in November 2023, retroactive to January. At which embarrassing level should we here still be deceived? 

To expect a vote in favor of this reasoning in the Bundestag will similarly be the next breach of the constitution. Neither in 2023 nor 2024 arises an emergency situation in the sense of Article 115 of the Basic Law. One breach of the constitution is not healed by another, Herr Chancellor. And your demonstrative exit from the hall at this sentence in my speech therein alters nothing at all. 

You decided on, – you still adhere to it – in one of your first acts in office as Chancellor together with the new Finance Minister Lindner, the absurd 2021 supplementary budget in January 2022 and therein also the quite clearly unconstitutional accounting system. The special funds’ illegal credits of many billions should be the cash box for the implementation of the red-green goals altering society. The entire policy of the CO₂ hysteria energy guidelines, the mass immigration, the woke transformation of society, the hostility to industry, the Corona lockdowns costing billions, and gifts of weapons to foreign countries, would not have been thinkable without this money. 

Unfortunately, the Constitutional Court has withdrawn from you the financial operations basis just now, dozens of billions too late. For four years already, Germany is governed by financial emergency. There is a whiff of Weimar; from 1930, there was emergency government, mostly supported by emergency decrees. Since 2020, by the Groko and by the Ampel were generally declared “emergency situations”. In this way is the debt brake shredded, the Basic Law circumvented – the people need to know this! 

The Greens chief Ricarda Lang even demands the permanent suspension of the constitutional debt brake. Herr Mützenich has also plainly more than implied it. It is desired to declare a permanent emergency. “We will also need to discuss the suspension for next year, that is a debate which now…is next”, said Frau Lang. The Ampel stands before political, moral and financial bankruptcy. 

The country can be governed according to the constitution only with a fundamental change of course. The self-named democratic middle – the oh so democratic middle! – has with at least three budgets governed beyond the constitution. And the SPD delegation chief here in this place has a few minutes ago designated the Basic Law as a monstrance, as an embarrassing relic! Shame on you, Herr Mützenich! Where is the Constitution Defense when it is needed? Where is it? These are attacks on the free democratic basic order, here from this podium! 

One cannot be permanently pressured by a crisis. The decades-long, lies-of-a-lifetime policy of all the old parties cannot be compensated by debts and tax money. I here in this place in the Bundestag said exactly so at the proclamation of the first emergency situation in March 2020. It still does not go. 

Herr Scholz, from the beginning, your uncovered, deliberately illegal checks have even worsened the German misery. Had this money not been expended, Germany today would be not only financially but generally better, because then a mass of social-political nonsense would not have been able to be financed. And all of you have participated since the Kohl’schen checkbook times! 

The AfD is ready to clear away this debris, yet only when you put away the false decisions and make free the way for a new beginning, for finally a once more rational-, national-led  government. Then, despite the horrendous damages resulting from eight years of borders given up and billions of interest-bearing indebtedness which will burden the budget until 2070, 

            Vice-president Yvonne Magwas: Please come to a conclusion.

exists the opportunity for a rescue of Germany. – My last sentence. – Yet initially required is your exit as a purifying catharsis which, yes as in classical tragedy, is the prerequisite for a healing. 

Many thanks. 

 

[trans: tem]

Peter Boehringer, November 16, 2023, Budget

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/137, pp. 17323-17324. 

Frau President. 

The Federal Constitutional Court has announced a decision not surprising to us. The first of all Ampel budget, that is of 2021-2022, was declared unconstitutional and, what is more, null. I refer to our resolution motion of that time, Drucksache 20/488, and the 60 billion euro additional debt put through by you in 2022 in a 2021 supplementary budget law. There, we foretold not only the decision, but almost exactly the three-part grounds of Karlsruhe, 

            Beatrix von Storch (AfD): Here, here!

not because we had had a crystal ball or excellent jurists, but because the legal situation was then already fully clear. We formulated in a motion then, word for word, the law “trespasses in direct, obvious ways against central, constitutionally anchored fundamentals of the budget law”. 

            Beatrix von Storch (AfD): Oh!

One thus actually can only declare with frank intent that the Ampel government, practically with its first act in office, simply and completely disregarded provisions of the Basic Law. 

The Ampel in 2022 wanted to unconditionally take up the 60 billion euros in a still possible 2021 supplementary credit, even though the year 2021 was already past and even though the expenditures based on a CO₂ ideology had not the least causal relation with Corona. 

It further is very positive that with the decision will now finally be brought to an end an accounting system of debts in special funds outside the debt brake, recognized by us as unconstitutional since its introduction. Herr Post, it is far beyond the 60 billion euros. 

The Finance Minister also now apparently acknowledges this. Yesterday evening, Herr Lindner said in the Budget Committee that the decision re-evaluates state practice. Well, actually not, Herr Lindner. It puts back on a legal footing the illegal state practice exercised by all of you of the old parties, inclusive of the CDU, since 2021. 

Read without reserve here the entire decision. The trick, used by all of you, of the multi-year formation of reserves for use at the pump after the official end of an emergency situation was in retrospect generally unconstitutional, thereby among others the 170 billion euros in credit-financed reserve supply for the WSF [Economic Stability Fund] in fiscal year 2022, and also besides the 26 billion euro formation of reserves in the EKF by the CDU-led government in a 2020 supplementary budget. 

            Beatrix von Storch (AfD): Oops!

Allow me to cite the strong words of a colleague directed then on July 2, 2020 to Finance Minister Scholz: 

“Today you present a second supplementary budget…it violates the Basic Law…the second supplementary budget encroaches upon essential constitutional principles like per annum…truth and clarity…I do not understand why one can make a career in the SPD in Germany only if one presents unconstitutional budgets…” 

He further said: 

I do not understand “why the CDU/CSU Bundestag delegation here becomes the assistants aide of a possible breach of the constitution. I hold that to be a gigantic failure, Herr Rehberg.” 

In parentheses: CDU. End citation. 

That was then exactly so represented by me and in the AfD motions. The citation however stems from today’s FDP delegation chief, Christian Dürr. It’s nice that you have found us! Unfortunately, the FDP in the Ampel immediately forgot its knowledge of that time, Herr Dürr. 

            Beatrix von Storch (AfD): Really quite embarrassing!

The 2024 budget put forward, due to the accounting practice used therein, will from the day of its issuance be constitutionally assailable. I thus ask you all: How long shall continue the abuse of such special funds with booked credits, not legal as measured by Article 115 of the Basic Law? How long do you want to drag this out? Already, it runs for years. 

In the climate and transformation fund, the decision – which is legally uncontested – mathematically and legally leads to that for your most important shadow budget the money will run out already in 2024. My delegation for certain, honestly said, does not find that so tragic, since it deals with almost only ideologically-based misappropriations. Following this decision, the currently presented Ampel budget cannot however now be passed as put forward. 

We demand, as already for long, the almost complete cancellation of all KTF [climate and transformation fund] titles, and we demand a new edition of the 2024 budget process under an accounting for the special funds credits and within the debt brake. 

In a government focused on Germany, no taxes for years would need be increased and – without failed euro rescue, Corona, energy and social ideologies – also no illegal debts be made. Finally make non-ideological policy conforming to the law for the national welfare of Germany! 

Hearty thanks. 

            Gabriele Katzmarek (SPD): Congratulations on your ideological speech!                                Mein Gott! 

 

[trans: tem]

Peter Boehringer, September 22, 2023, EU Finance

AfD Kompakt, September 22, 2023. 

The EU parliamentarians have ever more obviously lost every contact to the situation in their homelands. Already, the Commission’s demand for an increase of the multi-year financing is completely overdrawn and inappropriate. The financing is fixed at seven years, for which the present budget, with over 1.8 trillion euros, is more than sufficiently provided. Nothing which is planned in Brussels might not be financed from this budget. If additional needs arise, the EU plainly must save in other places. 

That the EU Parliament now readies itself to simply raise the contribution named by the Commission without a conclusive needs analysis verifies the aloofness of the Brussels elites who, solely and alone, draw to themselves yet ever more resources so as to build up their power and to further pursue their ideological goals in the areas of climate and migration. The AfD has good reasons for wanting to end the pseudo-democratic behavior in Brussels and Strasbourg. 

 

[trans: tem]

 

Peter Boehringer, August 29, 2023, De-industrialization

AfD Kompakt, August 29, 2023. 

The wave of insolvency which presently rolls through Germany does not fall from Heaven and it is not a purely market event, but the result of an utterly failed policy. It thus borders on whitewashing when some economics experts now speak of an “overdue market settlement” in regards to the “lack of ability to compete of numerous firms”. Since this ability to compete was systematically destroyed by the policy by means of half-witted energy and tax policy, by means of deranged Corona preventive measures, by means of over-regulation and planned economy subventions. Who should believe that presently in Germany new businesses are being formed which replace the defunct firms? The fact is that we in Germany thus need to do everything to stop the advancing de-industrialization, for the Mittelstand’s economic substance will not return once it has been squandered. The political substance needed here is nevertheless found only with the AfD, since the AfD alone is in the position to introduce the political turnaround which is required for the revival of Germany as a business venue. The solution does not lie in support and stabilization measures and not in costly implantations of chip factories out of tax revenues, but in a profound alteration of the general conditions. Only under this prerequisite will there at all again be in the future investing in Germany worthy of the name. 

 

[trans: tem]

Peter Boehringer, August 1, 2023, Constitution Defense

AfD Kompakt, August 1, 2023. 

It is not yet four weeks that we of the AfD national committee needed to warn the President of the BfV [Federal Office for the Defense of the Constitution] of fully unfair election recommendations, neither appropriate nor permitted to his office. At the beginning of July, he already publicly insinuated, “Not alone to the Constitution Defense” does it “belong to reduce the polling results of the AfD”; and “I believe this is a circumstance [of the AfD] which German voters should also have in the back of the mind.” 

And the present, renewed, over-reaching, false statements, in no way substantiated by Haldenwang during the current nominations convention for the European election, are by us in no case acceptable. Haldenwang, with his babble of “extreme right conspiracy theories”, wants to have direct influence, quasi “live”, in an important intra-party process, and again express a warning to citizens against an AfD election. That is plainly not permitted according to Art 21(1) GG [Basic Law], Art 11 EMRK [European Convention on Human Rights] and §16(1) BverfSchG [Federal Constitution Defense Law]. 

That the German government attempts to manipulate, well beforehand, elections in Europe by means of its government defense authorities, is obviously unworthy of a democratic state of law. Haldenwang attempts to one-sidedly influence the sovereigns’ voting behavior. That a Geheimdienst [intelligence service] of this type meddles in the democratic determination process, would seem to be unique among democracies – and is of course illegal. Already in 1977, the Federal Constitutional Court quite unmistakably forbade precisely such conduct (BVerfG, Urt. V. 2.3.1977, Az 2 BvE 1/76). And also the founding legislation, BVerfSchG §16(1), quite clearly ordered: “The BfV is not to be an institution of political formation”. Neither the giving of election recommendations nor commentaries on current democratic processes is a duty of the Geheimdienstes. 

The accusations again raised by Haldenwang concerning so-called “extremist right conspiracy theories”  were already a part of the charges against the AfD of the Constitution Defense report of 2022. The President of the BfV was expressly questioned on this in the Interior Committee of the German Bundestag. And to repeated questions there, Haldenwang could neither explain what his legal definition of a “conspiracy narrative” generally is, nor which such narratives are then generally incompatible with the Constitution. Just as little could he explain which of these narratives are judicable or pose a danger to the FDGO [free, democratic basic order]; no more, permitted expressions of opinion… The long since confirmed suspicion that the BfV is operating primarily a partisan political defamation campaign opposed to the AfD has thereby become a certainty. Its President is not in a position to substantiate, genuinely fact-oriented, objectively comprehensible, his serious accusations. On account of the evidently purely political motivations of the Constitution Defense’s entire work against the AfD, “inter alia Faeser”, in our opinion all categorization and observation measures of the AfD are to be halted. 

 

[trans: tem]

Peter Boehringer, June 21, 2023, Debt Brake

AfD Kompakt, June 21, 2023.

The proceeding in Karlsruhe for the 2021 second supplementary budget is of utmost importance for the future of the debt brake. The Constitutional Court has in hand the presumably last chance to save the debt brake, after this in the last years was systematically circumvented. Especially the trick of parking credit authorizations in reserve in whichever special fund presents a striking violation against the per annum principle and leads to that the debt brake idles throughout the year. The Court is requested to end this practice. The Federal government at this point in time should not budget this 60 billion.

And if the AfD delegation does substantially support the Union’s complaint for the 2021 second supplementary budget, the degree of hypocrisy which the Union manifests in this connection is not to be overlooked. The formation of credit-financed reserves and the alienation of Corona emergency funds obviously violate fundamental, normative fiscal principles, yet the Union-led coalition took in hand exactly these same maneuvers for the 2020 second supplementary budget as well as in the 2021 budget. At that time, the AfD delegation, as the only delegation, attempted to stop these proceedings by means of a normative control procedure (Drucksachen 19/22926, 19/26549). At the time, no Member of the other delegations wanted to join in these motions. It remains to hope that the Union’s intercession for the debt brake also still has standing if it ever again should arrive at responsibility for the government.  

[trans: tem]

 

 

 

Peter Boehringer, October 21, 2022, Shadow Budget and Energy

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/64, pp. 7272-7273.

The government today still says nothing in the last reading of its draft law of how the planned economy, guaranteed to be highly bureaucratic and never to be legally implemented gas price caps should be installed. Who receives money? Which prices prices will be where capped? How will the operative be implemented? All of this in the first months will be regulated by decree. The draft law put forward is simply not ready for a decision.

A test question for you all, whether you have even read the laughably brief business plan contained in a law for the 200 billion euro fund: How much money does it foresee for the announced December payments? Now, I say to you: Here is exactly zero euros. The same for the gas price brake, the electricity price brake and additional support measures: Not a euro. Frau Esdar, one cannot block what is in fact not in the business plan. That simply does not work. There is nothing here to block. We have nothing, in any case not for 2022. And yet the Bundestag shall today agree that 200 billion euros in new debts shall be stowed in reserves in a purposeless, moreover completely undefined shadow budget. It would be absurd to bestow upon the government such a blank check.

The only correct way for such a law would be a 2022 supplementary budget for the really quite small sum which, as the planned December energy payment, will in fact be payed out to people and businesses. The Finance Minister – not present – nevertheless wants to put more than 20 times that in the 2022 budget, which then brings his twelve month balance of new indebtedness to a round 500 billion euros. And the Federal Audit Authority, as exactly for years the AfD, has stated: The accounting trick of the accumulation of reserves is very likely unconstitutional. – We say: It is unconstitutional.

The 200 billion euros is not required for 2022.Your appropriation today in the WSF [economic stabilization fund] serves only to get around the debt brake which at present is by luck still set aside. What at all is that? On this point also, the Union is dishonest; since the Grand Coalition still lead by the Union in 2021 found an additional trick whereby credits only in the year making the credit will accounted for in the debt brake, which in the Corona time was practically set aside and today still is. Luckily these tricks are now finally in Karlsruhe. Return to the law. That goes for all.

Our motion [Drucksache 20/4094] to be voted on today gives to you the opportunity for a careful budgeting of the required monies. Simply vote for it! Then the people and businesses who suffer under the present false policy can be assisted. For a merely symptomatic alleviation with tax money of the world’s dumbest energy policy, the shadow sums are much too high. Required is the causal aversion [ursächliche Abwenden] from the existentially dangerous energy emergency. We say this for months; even before the Ukraine war we have said this. In regards energy themes, finally listen to the rational voice of the AfD.

Hearty thanks.

            Otto Fricke (FDP): I find speeches with lace finish always good!

 

 

[trans: tem]