The woman who breastfed a dog, Maja Smrekar, is becoming the synonym for opposition to high pension supplements for allegedly outstanding artistic achievements, as the ruling coalition (the Freedom Movement, the Social Democrats and the Left) has envisaged. This is very clear proof that these are allowances for the elite few, while 99.99 percent of pensioners will receive nothing or very, very little.
The Slovenian poet and theatre actor Tone Kuntner commented on the prize that Smrekar got back in 2018, saying that “this belongs to the world of degenerates”.
As if this were not enough, those from the “world of degenerates” are now planning to give Smrekar, who is becoming their synonym, a monthly allowance for life – of several thousand euros, up to 400 thousand euros in total.
Who is the woman who breastfed a dog?
The sculptor was born in Brežice in 1978, from where the news came in recent days that a close relative of the woman who breastfed a dog had torn down all the posters bearing the photograph of this so-called artist at at least one of the local stands where signatures are being collected for a referendum against the enactment of the law on exceptional pensions.
In 2018, Maja Smrekar won the Prešeren Fund Award for a project where she spent three months researching the relationship between man and dog, looking at issues of parallel evolution and coexistence between the two species. She breastfed a puppy and even impregnated herself with dog cells. The world’s media also covered her and her (to put it mildly) bizarre activities. She titled her project K-9_ typology.
The project was supposed to last three months, during which time she tricked her body into producing milk by systematically pumping her breasts. In doing so, she supposedly explored aspects of the “social and ideological instrumentalisation of the female body and breastfeeding.”
Smrekar did not stop at breastfeeding, however, she also took a fat cell from another dog, Byron, which she used to fertilise one of her eggs – a method similar to artificial insemination, some media reported at the time.
This was at the beginning of 2018, during the government of Marjan Šarec. Now, almost the same government team is continuing with their intentions, they want to give the alleged “culturalist” Smrekar a privileged pension for this degenerate project. This is just one illustrative example, and there are many more like it from this so-called degenerate elite, to use the words of Tone Kuntner.
Under the current law, against which signatures for a referendum are being collected to prevent it from coming into force, those who have largely not even paid contributions to the pension fund would be rewarded, but they will have the highest possible pension – up to 3,300 euros a month.
The money would be distributed by the Ministry of Culture, headed by Asta Vrečko, the coordinator of the Left party (Levica). It should be remembered, however, that the Ministry is not a social institution.
Members of the Commission: Do you know them?
The members of the commission that decided to award Smrekar the highest Slovenian award for achievements in the field of performing arts were: chairman Vojko Vidmar and members Jožica Avbelj, Daliborka Podboj, Marko Japelj, Varja Močnik, Zala Dobovšek and Petra Vidali.
It won’t come out of our pockets. But is that true?
It is almost unbelievable to see the indifference that exists among some citizens. In fact, on the ground, you can even hear some people say that the artists should have the money, because it does not come out of our pockets. Which is very wrong! It does come out of our pockets, because the budget is filled with taxes and contributions. Therefore, it matters how this money is handled.
The far left would also have us believe that we, who are opposed to these privileged pensions for the few, are actually also against the cultural workers. That is not true, many of them have low pensions, but the rewards must be designed in line with the pension reform. Indeed, extraordinary pensions were also awarded by the previous Minister, Vasko Simoniti. However, the criterion was much stricter. It stipulated that the maximum allowance could be 70 percent of the highest pension in the country. The current law will also raise pensions for those who already have very high pensions. In addition, Simoniti distributed pensions to the deserving on the basis of their life’s work, and these were mostly the elderly. The current Golob government, on the other hand, wants to use the law to hand out merit bonuses for just one project. For example: under Simoniti’s law, the (lifetime achievement) allowance went to Niko Grafenauer, but this government will give it to a woman who breastfed a dog (a one-time project).
A referendum costs money, yes, but – it could have been prevented
One of the criticisms we hear today from individuals on the far left is that a referendum costs money. There is talk of five million euros. The fact is, however, that the left has brought this on itself. Indeed, the members of the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), who are currently collecting signatures for the referendum, have asked the coalition not to adopt this law at least three times during the votes in the National Assembly. The National Council then vetoed the proposal. Despite this, the coalition approved the law once again. That is why they are responsible for the referendum and all the associated costs. The costs will mainly be related to the work of the electoral commissions. The money will stay with the people.
We are also hearing that the referendum will be more expensive than the allowances. Even Prime Minister Robert Golob is talking about this. But insiders have calculated that the cost – at an average of 1,500 euros a month – per recipient for 20 years of pension – will be 360,000 euros (12 months x 1,500 euros a month x 20 years of pension). There are already around 200 beneficiaries, with close to ten more a year.
This means an extra 360,000 euros each, i.e. 108 million euros. The final total is therefore measured in tens of millions of euros.
Moja Dolenjska
