In a personal essay on Zeit Online, a journalist describes how the welfare state enabled her rise. Without social benefits, she writes, she could not have studied or pursued her career. Now she watches with concern as politicians debate cuts to social spending — in favor of a so-called “war budget.”
The author asks what becomes of people who are not lucky enough to be born into a functioning welfare state. She argues that cuts are not just abstract budget figures but could push people into existential hardship. The text is a plea to preserve social security systems, even when economic reason and austerity pressures suggest otherwise.
The journalist recalls the reality of a survival struggle without social support. She warns that the reforms threaten those who need it most. Her essay is a personal commitment to a state that not only saves but also protects.
Source: www.zeit.de
