A Fiscal Scold, Merkel Softens Tone at Home --- BERLIN — A German government that has for years preached austerity as the sole path to prosperity, both at home and abroad, is poised to break open its pocketbook. -- Among the measures being demanded are a minimum wage — the country’s first — of $11.50 an hour, equal pensions in the east and the west, equal pay for men and women, higher child care payments, a tax increase for the wealthy, and sharply increased funding for infrastructure, education and energy. -- There is little change for the moment in Germany’s attitude toward its neighbors. While Greece, Italy, Spain and even France are hacking away at long-cherished parts of their social safety net to meet the demands of Berlin and their international creditors, Ms. Merkel, a conservative, and her unyielding finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble, are resisting any sort of redistribution of funds within the euro zone. -- “The Germans say to themselves, ‘We are a family, and the other Europeans are distant relatives,’ ” said Jürgen W. Falter, a professor of political science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. “In a family, you stand together; distant relatives, you help when you can.” - More, NYTimes