patrick.net

Heraclitusstudent says

#6 because we want to buy German products made in Germany. This will restore jobs in France. And remember we also want more buying power.

Typical EU 4th Reich Trick. Buy up the Cold War factory in Eastern Europe, leave millions of East Germans unemployed, pay minimal wages, market it as if it's "German Quality" made by well paid Germans with high tech German tools.

Brexit can't be sooner.

Those protesters got balls like our founding fathers almost.

Ironically Americans, at least here in CA, have been submitting to big government like pushovers.

Think you know the real France? Here are a few facts that may shock you:

• The French state has been bankrupt since 2004. A minister finally admitted it in 2013.
• French GDP hasn’t risen above 2% in 50 years. Yes - FIFTY. The average annual GDP growth rate between 1949-2018? 0.78%.
• In 2018, 14% of the population in France live below the poverty line (they earn less than 60% of the median income).
• Worse, more than 50% of French people have an annual income of less than €20,150 a year (about $1,900 US per month).
• The 'official' unemployment rate is 10% - about 3.5 million citizens (in reality, it's much higher).
• The youth unemployment rate is 22%. Yes, you did read that right.
• Astonishing but true: the French government employs 25% of the entire French workforce...and it's impossible to fire them.
• Because the citizens make such little money, they pay no tax. Less than 50% of French pay any income tax at all; only around 14% pay at the rate of 30%, and less than 1% pay at the rate of 45%.
• The government can't deliver services without taxes, so it borrows money. France's debt-GDP is now 100%.

Another revealing statistic: "structural unemployment" is now at 9 -10%. That statistic measures when it is impossible to find people who have the skills and qualifications, to fill available positions. Why? French kids aren't being educated to participate in the workforce. So even if France has a growth spurt (it won’t), they won’t have the labor to fill the new jobs.

So how did this epic disaster happen? And if blame is to be allocated, who bears the most of it?

In other words - why are millions of French citizens on the rampage, right now?

Because there’s a real France, that few ever see.

The France of the gilets jaunes. Or as we might label them, les deplorables.

And they are in a state of fury at a ruling class who not only let the population suffer, while enjoying a life of luxury and wealth, but who also blame ordinary people for their own suffering.


The French Ruling Class

Many still understand France through the lens of Vogue magazine covers: a nation of affluent, happy people who live in elegant homes, with endless holidays, wine and food.

A 24/7 utopia of chic, elegance and style.

Important to note: that France does exist. It is the world of the French ruling class, less than 1% of the population.

This small group of citizens have dominated the business, banking, legal and political scenes for decades.

The ruling class comes from a small group of grandes ecoles, or elite colleges. There are only 3 or 4. The top of the top? L’Ecole d’Administration Nationale (ENA).

Emmanuel Macron’s journey is typical of the ruliing class. He completed a Master's of Public Affairs at Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (called "Sciences Po"), the #2 elite college, before graduating from ENA in 2004, age 27. He then worked as a senior civil servant at the Inspectorate General of Finances (The Treasury), before getting a high paid gig ad an investment banker at Rothschild & Cie Banque.

See how fast Macron worked his way into the senior civil servant position in the Treasury, before flipping into an exclusive investment bank? That is normal in France. It's a never-ending protected cycle of patronage, promotion, favors and cronyism.

Here’s another French word: parachutage. It is normal for young ENA graduates to be "parachuted" into senior civil service positions at a very young age, some as young as 25 years of age, without even interviewing for positions.

Imagine this. You’re an American, working in a French corporation. You're a very talented executive with 20 years experience and stellar performance reviews. Suddenly, your boss’s position becomes available. You apply.

A week later, a 26 year old is sitting in your old boss’s chair. Your new boss has been "parachuted" into the position.

This happened to one of my best friends in France, a bi-lingual MIT/Stanford graduate with 21 years of superb work experience across the world.

The French kid? A graduate of ENA.

ENA has a complete stranglehold on the French state. Only 100 students graduate every year.

Set up by de Gaulle just after WW2, the original concept was sound - to pool students of extreme talent and ability in one place, in order to create a new civil service that could re-build France.

It worked. Very talented patriots flocked to enter ENA and within a decade, the new French civil service had successfully rehabilitated France as a leading nation-state. From 1946 through 1973, France experienced what they describe as their trente glorieuses, nearly 30 years of economic success.

But by 1970, ENA’s meritocracy had become a self-replicating elite caste - and a ticket to the French ruling class. Astonishingly, every French President since de Gaulle has been an ENA graduate, excepting Georges Pompidou, who attended Sciences Po. Eight of the last ten French Prime Ministers have been enarques. All key civil service/government departments are run by enarques. How about business? 84% of the 546 top executives in France’s 40 biggest companies are graduates of a handful of elite colleges. 48% come from ENA and Sciences Po.

Get it? If you want to be part of the French ruling class, graduate from ENA or Sciences Po.

Otherwise, screw you.

Read the whole damn thing.
https://quodverum.com/2018/12/344/france-understanding-the-gilets-jaunes-uprising.html

@Rin, for minor parallels between certain schools and the US Ruling Elite.

The sale of yellow vests limited to avoid a "French contagion"

https://www.jeuneafrique.com/683851/politique/egypte-la-vente-de-gilets-jaunes-limitee-pour-eviter-une-contagion-francaise/

Booger says

The sale of yellow vests limited to avoid a "French contagion"

LOL, that shit is mandatory to have in your car there. So basically there are already at least as many vests "in circulation" as there are cars on the roads.

TwoScoopsOfSpaceForce says

Astonishing but true: the French government employs 25% of the entire French workforce...

Yes, looks like that's true:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_public_sector

For the US, it's 15%.

But I thought big government leftism made economies better? Obama and French Obama said so.

This protest is legit, and a serious threat to the EU, and the ruling elite in general.
wearechange.org has had all their Paris videos de-monetized.
British news agencies have received letters from France telling them not to cover the riots. I was able to watch a live stream from The Sun the other night, then the gag order comes out, and the stream is no longer up.
When there were riots in North Africa and Ukraine youtube had live stream's out their ass. Almost impossible to find any live stream, anywhere of what's actually going on in France.

NuttBoxer says

When there were riots in North Africa and Ukraine youtube had live stream's out their ass. Almost impossible to find any live stream, anywhere of what's actually going on in France.

Just like the illegal alien caravans at the border. Only the same 5 second clips of some overweight Honduran mom running with two children in diapers and literally nothing else.

The best videos came from Mexican citizens with mobile phones recording the entire chaos.

Goran_K says

But I thought big government leftism made economies better? Obama and French Obama said so.

You are poorly informed: the facts:
- What big government did Obama create? He created a private healthcare system and the growth in gov job under Obama was the weakest of any president since the 70s, including Reagan.
- What big government did Macron create? He didn't create the French state, he inherited it. He did a private sector labor reform making it easier to fire people and clearly wants the same for the public sector. He repeatedly made claims that civil servants job security is "no longer adequate" , triggering protests.

Obama: the only president that didn't grow the government:

Heraclitusstudent says

#1 direct democracy: All we need is Joe-6-pack making policy to reach a Nirvana of social harmony. That works great in CA!
#2 less taxes. But remember we want the same benefits!
#3 ... and we want to close the budget deficit. Just because #2 would be too easy otherwise.
#4 regional power: because it's well know that regions in France are always managed like clockwork.
#5 we want more buying power but less efficient food production.
#6 because we want to buy German products made in Germany. This will restore jobs in France. And remember we also want more buying power.
#7 withdrawals of public media subsidy: so private conglomerates can decide what news we watch.
#8 And no Europe. We are big enough to close the deficit and buy German crap without any help.

With respect to #1 and #4, Swiss have shown that it is feasible and works, even in their French part. #2 and #3 at the same time is lunacy of course, as is #5.

TwoScoopsOfSpaceForce says

Think you know the real France? Here are a few facts that may shock you:

• The French state has been bankrupt since 2004. A minister finally admitted it in 2013.
• French GDP hasn’t risen above 2% in 50 years. Yes - FIFTY. The average annual GDP growth rate between 1949-2018? 0.78%.
• In 2018, 14% of the population in France live below the poverty line (they earn less than 60% of the median income).
• Worse, more than 50% of French people have an annual income of less than €20,150 a year (about $1,900 US per month).
• The 'official' unemployment rate is 10% - about 3.5 million citizens (in reality, it's much higher).
• The youth unemployment rate is 22%. Yes, you did read that right.
• Astonishing but true: the French government employs 25% of the entire French workforce...and it's impossible to fire them.
• Because the citizens make such little money, they pay no tax. Less than 50% of French pay any in...

The French seem to survive on income from tourism, VAT, and wine.

Speaking of France, CNBC just reported a shooting in Strasbourg, France. Two killed, Shooter at large. It was near someChristmas celebrations.
As usual, if it's terrorism, it must be a Muslim who dunnit.
Does France do anything right?

Heraclitusstudent says

He created a private healthcare system

"Privatized"

All leftist arguments rely on mistruths and outright lies.

Hey, who lied about Obama being a big government leftist?

Heraclitusstudent says

Obama: the only president that didn't grow the government:

Yep, he didn't grow much of anything else positive either..

Not the economy

Not jobs

Not incomes

But, he did a bang up job DOUBLING the national debt.

Should we give him a cookie for that?

MrMagic says

But, he did a bang up job DOUBLING the national debt.

But somehow he's not "big government" according to lefties.

Heraclitusstudent says

Hey, who lied about Obama being a big government leftist?

Uh you did?

How does someone double the national debt without being big government? That's pretty much one of the definitions of being big government.

Then again, you think "ObamaCare" was a "privatized" solution to health care.

Goran_K says

How does someone double the national debt without being big government? That's pretty much one of the definitions of being big government.

Ok so Reagan had a very big government.
W Bush had a big government.
Obama mostly paid for the continuing war expenses and salvaged the financial system from the damage done under his predecessor.

He's the only pres who reduced the # of gov employees. Fact.

Heraclitusstudent says

Goran_K says

How does someone double the national debt without being big government? That's pretty much one of the definitions of being big government.

Ok so Reagan had a very big government.
W Bush had a big government.
Obama mostly paid for the continuing war expenses and salvaged the financial system from the damage done under his predecessor.

He's the only pres who reduced the # of gov employees. Fact.

Doesn’t matter if the number of employees goes down, what matters is the money and actual control granted to agencies. This is basic logic.

If Obama hires 10% less employees but gives the EPA wider ranges of power to enact his agenda, which grants more “governmental power”?

See why your logic is ridiculously flawed now?

Ah see.... we went from big gov as in big administration to big government as in big deficits, now Goran redefines "government" size one more time to fits his discussion needs.

So Bush adding way more government employees than Obama is not government fat?
So Trump "Strengthening the military" is not making the gov bigger?
Sending the army to the frontier or maintaining a fence on the frontier are not a new intrusions of the government?
Trump adding tariffs is not regulation? (and a tax?)

If we want to make up shit, how about the louder the president's mouth, the bigger the government? I'd say that would make Trump's gov pretty big.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES9091000001

So what happened from 1964 to 1969 or so? And 1950 -1952?

Sending the army to the frontier or maintaining a fence on the frontier are not a new intrusions of the government?

Actually, protecting the country from invasion is one of the legit purposes of government.

So is preventing private actors from destroying the shared environment.

Heraclitusstudent says

big administration to big government

Yeah lets pretend those aren't the same thing so you have a sliver of an argument left.

Booger says

Good. Spineless globalist were ready to hand over the EU to Sharia. I'm glad Europe grew some backbone otherwise we'd probably be forced to save them in some yet unseen war.

I heard the Macron vote was called for by a fringe party, and doesn't have the legs.

On another note, I wore a yellow vest to work today to support the French people. Viva la France!

https://www.infowars.com/french-generals-accuse-macron-of-treason-over-un-migration-pact/.

FRENCH GENERALS ACCUSE MACRON OF “TREASON” OVER UN MIGRATION PACT

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6504471/France-sick-man-Europe-says-Polish-minister.html

France is now the sick man of Europe': Polish minister says Yellow Vest movement and Christmas Market terror attack make the country 'a drag on Europe'

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1062382/portugal-protest-yellow-vest-france-macron-paris-riot

Yellow Vest protest spreads to Portugal

Booger says

This is exactly how CA feels about illegals. That's how government treats people here.

Who knew high taxes and open borders would make people angry?

Kudos to Macron for turning France into Venezuela in faster time than it took Venezuela to do it.

Wasn't France one of the Great Socialist Paradises that everybody pointed to as a shining icon of comradeship?