Really, France? Really?

That’s all I have to say…

This nonsense is coming to the US w/ the explosion in public sector unions. Unions comprise almost at 40% of the public workforce vs. only 7% in the private sector (12.4% of total workforce). The growth in public sector unions shows no sign of stopping either. I see so many conflicts of interest here that any other entity would get railed for. Unions can amass very well to get the votes necessary for a particular candidate. W/ that candidate in office, they can essentially vote themselves pay raises and other benefits at the expense of everyone else. Its getting worse as unions are now getting to the point where they can pull on the economic levers. At least with the private sector, a unionized company had the chance to die and thus give an opportunity to allow something better to emerge. Its a very different story with public unions, which almost never go away until the whole system collapses. I realize this is extremely generalized and I acknowledge that many other entities are guilty of other ills. Also, I don’t think all unions are bad, but when you mix them w/ politics and not allow them to go boom or bust naturally it becomes very dangerous.

Just think how empty the Louvre is going to be with terrorist threats and strikes. I might be able to stand at the velvet rope and actually look at the Mona Lisa. Might have to ride a bicycle there from Spain or something…

How is this CFA related? Should be posted in back office

What I said was clearly not CFA related, but arguments about the roles of unions is pretty standard fare for General Discussion. Now back in the good ole days when we had “AnalystForum Off-Topic” …

Q: what is a french terrorist? A: someone who makes bearnaise sauce w/ margarine.

I leave for awhile and come back and there’s Food Network humor on AF. Sigh.

JoeyDVivre Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I leave for awhile and come back and there’s Food > Network humor on AF. Sigh. like france has anything else to be proud of? hairy-pit chicks, increasing unemployment, immigration problems, rumored Bruni departure… hit em where it hurts

I’m the type of person that generally sides with unions and thinks that SS is a great piece of legislation which has had a net positive on society both economically and socially. But seeing high school kids protesting postponing the retirement age (which of course is not true; people can retire whenever they want as long if they have the funds) does give me pause. There is a point where an entitlement system can get out of hand, and while I don’t think we’re there yet in the US, I do think it is a problem that needs to be considered.

welcome back joey

jpm351 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > welcome back joey Ditto to this, welcome back!

LBriscoe Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I’m the type of person that generally sides with > unions and thinks that SS is a great piece of > legislation which has had a net positive on > society both economically and socially. But > seeing high school kids protesting postponing the > retirement age (which of course is not true; > people can retire whenever they want as long if > they have the funds) does give me pause. There is > a point where an entitlement system can get out of > hand, and while I don’t think we’re there yet in > the US, I do think it is a problem that needs to > be considered. I heard the high school students say that by extending the retirement age, there will be less positions to fill in an already tough job market.

former trader Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > I heard the high school students say that by > extending the retirement age, there will be less > positions to fill in an already tough job market. I guess that’s true in the short run. Obviously over time, it just means the economy will be bigger and will consequently support more jobs overall.

Can anyone tell me how France is still a country?

My parents are in France. They said the strikes arent effecting them too much. The only this is that taxis stop to try and find petrol much more frequently. As for the terror alerts. I think part of that may be hype by our government to try and dissuade people from spending abroad. Keep dollars here and pump GDP baby.

Typical ignorant anglo-saxon french-bashing…again. Of course France has its problems, but I actually see in France a functioning democracy. There is a real tradition of social dialogue in France. It can bring a bit of chaos, but it also means that an elected party can’t do all that it wants until the next election. So they are against what the government is doing. Government doesn’t want to listen ? They’ll block the streets, because they are organised enough to do that. In the USA the common citizen is happy to let himself slaughtered by the establishment. It doesn’t occur to him that things can be different and that he actually has a choice to say no. Now before you all flame me, I am for all possible reforms in France and I think Sarkozy is doing a good job and I am not a socialist. But I respect the way these people stand up and say no.

French people are le tired

I’m not against the idea of social protest. I’m against the idea of protests that are supporting unproductive causes.

people will do anything for ‘free’ stuff…including ruining everything

Viceroy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Typical ignorant anglo-saxon > french-bashing…again. > > Of course France has its problems, but I actually > see in France a functioning democracy. > > There is a real tradition of social dialogue in > France. It can bring a bit of chaos, but it also > means that an elected party can’t do all that it > wants until the next election. > > So they are against what the government is doing. > Government doesn’t want to listen ? They’ll block > the streets, because they are organised enough to > do that. > > In the USA the common citizen is happy to let > himself slaughtered by the establishment. It > doesn’t occur to him that things can be different > and that he actually has a choice to say no. > > Now before you all flame me, I am for all possible > reforms in France and I think Sarkozy is doing a > good job and I am not a socialist. But I respect > the way these people stand up and say no. I have no problem with people standing up and saying no. Just when people say no and haven’t a clue as to what they are supporting or the real consequences of their actions.