WASHINGTON -- When German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder precipitated early elections in Germany, the decision to seek electoral guidance appeared appealing. Since then, the choices on Sept. 18 have been remarkable mainly for their paucity and obscurity. Unless the parties and their candidates are able to crystallize their options more, Germany will have been deprived of the opportunity to do better.
German policy and its economy have been troubled for some time. So it comes as little surprise that all parties promise to do better. Candidates have declared their opposition to unemployment and their support for growth. But little is said about the measures needed for change to occur.
Taxes are talked about a lot. Discussions include the idea of confiscating income from everyone who earns more than 1 million euro, since the revenue from these 12,500 people would reduce some deficits and offend only a few voters. Other populists would supertax anyone with annual incomes above 60,000 euro. The conservatives just want to raise the consumption tax.