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Ernst Prost: "Will we ever learn?"


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"Humanity Unites"

In his latest circular CEO Ernst Prost writes about "clearly wrong policies where money counts more than people" 03. April 2020

Dear colleagues,

SARS, Ebola, swine plague, bird flu, BSE mad cow disease, dengue fever, Zika virus, flu epidemic (annually), AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis (constantly) cholera & plague (still) and currently the new Corona virus. As history repeats itself, epidemics and pandemics repeat themselves. If you don't believe it, you only have to read through history books and read what experts in this field have been announcing for years and decades and what they are clearly warning about: Recurring, worldwide outbreaks of diseases, epidemics and pandemics, of any kind, with old or new & mutated pathogens Unpredictable? Unprecedented threat? Unimaginable? No forewarning? A never before seen threat? That's a brazen lie!!! Or at the very least stupidity & ignorance. Not listening, not wanting to believe, not having a clue and not reacting in time and consequently, because some people don't like it and because it costs money to prepare for disasters, although we have many authorities for disaster control. Trivial face masks are missing at the moment ..... Protective clothing for doctors, nurses and care takers .... also beds and respirators, disinfectants, dressing material, gloves and other "high-tech products”. But the most important thing has been missing for a long time, due to clearly wrong policies where money counts more than people, we have far too few staff in hospitals and nursing homes. A disgrace for our country! At least during the cold war Germany had its bunkers full of all the survival equipment it needed, and at the same time young people fulfilled their civil service in hospitals and nursing homes. Unfortunately, this extremely helpful civil service was somewhat thoughtlessly abolished... Nowadays we rely on antibiotics produced in India and if they produce them anymore, we just don't have any... Effective disaster control for the own population looks different.

But what is most lacking is the imagination that even modern man can be struck by a catastrophe, a biblical plague, a crisis of global proportions. What must not be, cannot be. Classical denial policy... we stuck our head in the sand and cradled ourselves for years and decades in supposed security. The hot spots and disasters in this world were, after all, far away. So were the ever-recurring victims of epidemics and the usual starvation deaths... celebrating carnival and skiing in Germany, while in China 50 million people have been kept in the country China, that was far away... The rapidly developing crisis in Italy led to the distribution of calming words in this country in the form of "We have everything under control" press conferences by those responsible. Italy? Well, that was still far away...

A little more than 100 years ago the Spanish flu was allowed to rampage by diligent inactivity and diligent abnegation, until even the most ignorant noticed that people died like flies. It is estimated that up to 50 million people died. Died from the virus, but also died from ignorance and inaction. This is exactly how I see the current pandemic: due to the failure of leaders - as I wrote yesterday - people are dying. It is so banal and at the same time so frightening and perverse. Those who don't want to hear must feel.... Unfortunately, many innocent people must suffer and die first until those who do not want to listen finally do or are forced to act.

But what about an early warning system for the economy? At least when it comes to money do, we act faster and more consistent to avoid the worst and to eradicate the root of the evil? I think we can all answer this question with "yes". Somehow it is not unimportant if we don't want to plunge all of us into misery. What is important is that we not only save the wealthy, but also companies and, first and foremost, jobs on which people depend on, who have to provide for their families with their wages and salaries. I always been a friend of the social market economy and even more so now because I see how market forces work for the benefit of society - with a few inglorious exceptions of crooks and those who earn money from the misery of others. Government, business and social security systems work well together. The efficiency, inventiveness, creativity and diligence of self-employed people, tradesmen, entrepreneurs, craftsmen, workers and employees will ensure that there will be no shortage of anything, at least in Germany.

It is the forces of the often much scolded free market which now ensure that things will continue, that new jobs will be created, that new technologies will make the breakthrough and thus income, security and prosperity for all will be achieved again and the holes ripped in our social security funds will be filled up. With this beneficial and human centered combination, we have mastered the euro crisis, economic crisis, debt crisis, the disastrous financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, but also the terror of 9/11 and its consequences, as well as the oil price crises of 1973 and 1979. We humans will also master this crisis, I am quite sure of that. An economy that is performance oriented, free and social can crash or come under pressure, but it will never remain paralyzed or remain in its misery. There are too many of us: 42 million employees in Germany, all of whom want to get out of this mess and are therefore tackling the current, enormous tasks with a lot of brain, heart and hands. WE are there and participate - not only in Germany, but everywhere where we and our products are to be found! I wish you a successful Friday and a relaxing weekend!

Yours Ernst Prost
LIQUID MOLLY CEO