Here is the story at Reuters. What do you think?
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Citizens in Germany, one of the most sought-after destinations for refugees, should be allowed to host asylum seekers in their homes to ease the pressure on the government to provide adequate housing for them, a politician said on Friday.
Martin Patzelt, a lawmaker and member of the Christian Democratic Union, said households should be permitted to provide free lodging to refugees, leaving only the cost of living and healthcare to the government.
He said the measure would save Germany a considerable amount of money housing refugees, and provide an alternative to crowded temporary shelters, hotels and unused gyms.
Germany, the European Union’s biggest economy, is one of the world’s top destinations for people fleeing oppression and war.
It had 65,700 new asylum claims in the first half of the year, the largest number among industrialized nations, mainly due to a rise in applications by Syrians, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Here is my view:
I think they should do it. I think if the responsibility of the whole refugee program were placed back in the hands of those willing to put their own money (and comfort) on the line, we would all find out very quickly what the capacity is for a community or country to “welcome” refugees. In fact, if I were in charge I would require the whole US resettlement program to be run with private charity, with private sponsors (as it was prior to Ted and Joe and Jimmy creating the program we have today in 1980 which has only one incentive—bring in more!).
Of course Patzelt is talking about citizens taking in refugees in addition to the German government housing others. I don’t follow the economic news much, but wasn’t some of the volatility in the US stock market this week a result of some shaky German economic news—could the massive welfare Germany is providing migrants be pulling the country down?
In my plan, the number of sponsors would dictate the capacity for caring for the country—Germany or ours.