I should be studying the newspaper for a job interview next week.  The front page is all about internal leadership fights of Germany's Republicans. Then, there's this interesting front-page forecast story about how independent small operators are taking over business from the big chains. (!)

Like public transport and national health insurance, it strikes me that this is one of those ways that differences here stand out from the U.S.  There are counterparts to Home Depot and Lowes - mega stores for construction - but there's nothing like WalMart, carrying absolutely everything at a discount price.  

 

Admittedly, we sometimes miss a "one-stop" shopping place -- and consumer goods are generally more expensive here -- but I'm sure the German economy is stronger for not having a completely deregulated "free" market.  (From my experience in West Virginia, if the market gets much "freeer," we'll all be slaves.) 

Observing Germany's more regulated economy, however, there seem to be more "Made In Germany" goods on every shelf.  Food choices are, admittedly, more limited -- we don't see half a dozen competing brands of peanut butter -- but, when you buy it, you know the food probably came from somewhere in the region.  Same with appliances.  Comparatively little seems to have been made in China, Malaysia, or even Poland.  (That said, there is still anger in Eastern Germany about factories having been scavenged by wealthy western companies which then moved their industrial operations abroad.) Still, I suspect the government has some hand in the fact that I can't spend less than $600 for a store-bought washing machine and the choices are Siemens, Bosch, AEG -- all German firms.