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Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

I Want a Quiet Revolution’

Author:     INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY KONSTANTIN VON HAMMERSTEIN AND SIMONE KAISER. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY J
Source:     Der Spiegel (Germany)
Publication Date:     5/19/2011
 Link: I Want a Quiet Revolution’
Stephan:   Here is an interview with the first rational politician I have discovered; by which I mean someone who understands that we need a new economic model, one that puts the health and functionality of both the people and the environment first, and then seeks to figure out how to make a profit within those parameters. Compare Kretschmann's views with those of the willfully ignorant political prostitutes who litter our national landscape.

Winfried Kretschmann, 62, is the new governor of Baden-Württemberg and the first-ever leader of a German state from the Green Party. In a SPIEGEL interview, he talks about redefining economic growth, his plans to make industry more environmentally friendly and the future of nuclear power in Germany.
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SPIEGEL: Mr. Kretschmann, you have just become governor of Baden-Württemberg, the first-ever state governor from the Green Party in Germany. Baden-Württemberg has the strongest economic growth of all of Germany’s 16 states, as well as the second-lowest rate of unemployment and the third-healthiest public finances. Can someone who governs a state like that simply sit back and say: Keep up the good work?

Kretschmann: No.

SPIEGEL: Why not?

Kretschmann: Because our prosperity is merely on loan. Our entire economy and lifestyle are incompatible with our economic foundation. We’re facing the challenge of the century. If we want to maintain our prosperity in the long term, we must find a way to reconcile environmental protection and economics. So where better to start than here?

SPIEGEL: The economy of the state of Baden-Württemberg grew by 5.5 percent last year. Is that good or bad?

Kretschmann: This concept of growth is outdated because it doesn’t distinguish between negative and positive effects. […]

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