*snerk* People will elect whoever makes them the rosiest promises. We had exactly that happen after reunification -- the Conservatives under Chancellor Kohl told everyone bringing the former GDR up to West German standards would be a walk in the park and cost peanuts. The opposition said that it wasn't going to be quite that easy, and probably cost a lot more than could be guessed at at the time. They lost by a landslide on both sides.

Now it's 25 years later, the eastern states still haven't caught up all the way, and guess what? We're also still paying a "solidarity contribution" to make those adjustments, and it looks increasingly as if that contribution is going to be permanent. But it's NOT an increase in taxes, oh no ... the Social Democrats said they'd have to raise taxes, but of course the Conservatives used more flowery language and hoodwinked everybody ... *headdesk*