General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: How has the shutdown affected you so far? [View all]DFW
(54,512 posts)The Germans will be looking for a six figure sum in Euros from me for my 2012 income tax, but I paid off the house and cars when we bought them, so as not to be beholden to currency fluctuations. It emptied my piggy bank every time, but personal debt terrifies me, and I refuse to saddle my family with it in case I get run over by a truck (or if Mother Nature decides to finish the job she almost completed 9 years ago). They STILL haven't told me what I owe them for 2011. Can you imagine? I keep the Euros for that sitting in the German account for when they ask for it, but the dollars I'll need to free up for 2012 will be a frightening six figure amount.
But no matter what, the "Beamten" system they have in place is the same basic structure that allowed the Nazis to efficiently relieve Jews of their belongings and their lives, so while I give a recurrence of that whole scenario less than a 1% chance, the kind of people and the kind of system that allowed it in the first place are still there, so I keep just about ALL my savings and investments back home in the USA.