Nationwide French protest over right to retire at age 60

[nLepwa]

Quote from Scataphagos:

985 EUR for 60% of the population? Sounds like the BEST argument against Socialism.

Despite Capitalism's "unequal sharing of the wealth" (EARNED, of course)... IT STILL PROVIDES THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF LIVING FOR THE MOST PEOPLE... (bitching that "it's not fair that somebody makes more than me" notwithstanding)..

I spent 6 years in school after high school and graduated Summa Cum Laude. My wife spent 11 years in school/training after high school. Don't you think we EARNED the privilege to make more than others who didn't bother to complete such educations? Even more than most?

(BTW... no government subsides nor government-backed loans for either of us.)

I agree with this:

Quote from Jagadish:

Socialism == Preventing race to the bottom
Capitalism == Promoting race to the top

We need both to sustain a great nation.

Beside the country is lead by the "UMP" party since 1995 (first Chirac, then Sarkozy) that is the right-wing party as opposed to the "Parti Socialiste" which is the socialist party.

Your comment about education only hold if education can be accessed by everyone, which is not the case.

I also was lucky enough to be able to go to university. I studied longer (and harder) than most. And I was lucky enough to meet the right persons. And I am lucky to be smart enough to understand financial engineering and make a living out of it, which makes me lucky enough to be a person that earns more money than I can spend.

Now do I deserve that money? Of course I don't.
In another random draw I could have been less lucky and end poor with the same amount of enthusiasm and hard work.

Ninna

 

[CaptainObvious]

Quote from Scataphagos:



Despite Capitalism's "unequal sharing of the wealth" (EARNED, of course)... IT STILL PROVIDES THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF LIVING FOR THE MOST PEOPLE...

And the criminals in government and corporate America are doing their level best to destroy that. They only like the kind of Capitalism where they can gamble with our money and profit, keep it all for themsleves, and socialize any losses. Honest Capitalism died decades ago!

 

[Scataphagos]

Quote from lurefo:

Agree 100%

Let's face it, Europe and the US as we have know them are over regardless of their political or economical choices.

Correctamundo! Unfortunately, neither "we the people" nor our government acknowledge this fact. What we SHOULD be doing is trying to maximize our staying power and longevity rather than wasting all we have to recapture that which can never be.... at least down the path we currently travel. (If we were TRYING to restore America, that might be different. But Odumba's policies... and Bush's too... have us "swirling 'round the bowl of the great economic toilet"... )

 

[Scataphagos]

Quote from nLepwa:

I agree with this:


Beside the country is lead by the "UMP" party since 1995 (first Chirac, then Sarkozy) that is the right-wing party as opposed to the "Parti Socialiste" which is the socialist party.

Your comment about education only hold if education can be accessed by everyone, which is not the case.

I beg to differ. In America, education can be accessed by EVERYONE who qualifies. That is, "everyone who makes the effort". We have lots of kids who either don't go to school or don't do their homework. Education is shoved in front of their faces, but they don't take advantage.

Shoot, with our "affirmative action" policies, even LESSER qualified minorities get preferential treatment.. for jobs, school, EVERY FRICKIN' THING.. but those eligible for such perks (NOT deserved, IMV) don't bother to do even the minimum to qualify... then they the BITCH "somebody has more than me"... POPPYCOCK!

In America, good jobs and wealth are not "bestowed" upon many of us. If we have wealth and success, it's because WE DESERVE IT BECAUSE WE EARNED IT.. or we inherited it because someone in our family earned it. Either is OK with me.

 

[nLepwa]

Quote from Scataphagos:


Despite Capitalism's "unequal sharing of the wealth" (EARNED, of course)... IT STILL PROVIDES THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF LIVING FOR THE MOST PEOPLE...

This is wrong.

Almost all Top 50 cities as far as standard of living is concerned are in countries that implemented a fair amount of "socialist" programs.

The first continental US city (San Francisco) is ranked 32, far behind european "socialist" countries..

The criteria are:
1. Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement, etc)

2. Economic environment (currency exchange regulations, banking services, etc)

3. Socio-cultural environment (censorship, limitations on personal freedom, etc)

4. Health and sanitation (medical supplies and services, infectious diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution, etc)

5. Schools and education (standard and availability of international schools, etc)

6. Public services and transportation (electricity, water, public transport, traffic congestion, etc)

7. Recreation (restaurants, theatres, cinemas, sports and leisure, etc)

8. Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars, etc)

9. Housing (housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services, etc)

10. Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters)


Source: The Mercer Study, http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2010#City_Ranking_Tables

Ninna

 

[Scataphagos]

Quote from nLepwa:

This is wrong.

Almost all Top 50 cities as far as standard of living is concerned are in countries that implemented a fair amount of "socialist" programs.

The first continental US city (San Francisco) is ranked 32, far behind european "socialist" countries..

The criteria are:
1. Political and social environment (political stability, crime, law enforcement, etc)

2. Economic environment (currency exchange regulations, banking services, etc)

3. Socio-cultural environment (censorship, limitations on personal freedom, etc)

4. Health and sanitation (medical supplies and services, infectious diseases, sewage, waste disposal, air pollution, etc)

5. Schools and education (standard and availability of international schools, etc)

6. Public services and transportation (electricity, water, public transport, traffic congestion, etc)

7. Recreation (restaurants, theatres, cinemas, sports and leisure, etc)

8. Consumer goods (availability of food/daily consumption items, cars, etc)

9. Housing (housing, household appliances, furniture, maintenance services, etc)

10. Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters)


Source: The Mercer Study, http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2010#City_Ranking_Tables

Ninna

Are you accounting for "bias" from the rankers?

And frankly, my view is that PEOPLE "DESERVE" EXACTLY WHAT THEY EARN FOR THEMSELVES... NOT 1 NICKEL MORE!

"Government tit-suckers" add little/nothing to society. They are parasites, maintained at great cost to the responsible and productive.

Personally, I'd like to see all of the parasites leave the US and move to Venezuela, Cuba, or even France... where all could be happy.

 

[Debaser82]

Quote from Scataphagos:

Correctamundo! Unfortunately, neither "we the people" nor our government acknowledge this fact. What we SHOULD be doing is trying to maximize our staying power and longevity rather than wasting all we have to recapture that which can never be.... at least down the path we currently travel. (If we were TRYING to restore America, that might be different. But Odumba's policies... and Bush's too... have us "swirling 'round the bowl of the great economic toilet"... )

What exactly is the America you would like to return to?

The one where private gold ownership was forbidden? The one where taxes for the rich at 90%? The one where capital gains taxes were a multiple of where they are today? The one where blacks weren't allowed to sit in front of the bus?

Wouldnt you agree people at times romanticise the past?

 

[Humpy]

Quote from hippie:

Raising the retirement age will only increase the general unemployment.

There is simply not enough jobs to go around in many of the developed countries. More and more of the so called jobs are make-work red-tape jobs that harm rather than help the economy.

My solution
Empty out the asylums for the insane, tell them they are batman/catwoman give them guns and ship them off to Afghanistan.

Alnd also recruit the over 50s for military service, think of the savings to the Health service !!

 

[zdreg]

Quote from lurefo:

Not really. The term "égalité" you are referring to was orignally introduced in the Man Rights Declaration after the revolution to establish that law and justice were to be the same for everyone regardless of one's social background.

Not really the apt. sharing communist bs you're talking about.

Are you sure France tolerates polygamy? link please.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1664241,00.html

 

[my7tvette]

Quote from Debaser82:

What exactly is the America you would like to return to?

The one where private gold ownership was forbidden? The one where taxes for the rich at 90%? The one where capital gains taxes were a multiple of where they are today? The one where blacks weren't allowed to sit in front of the bus?

Wouldnt you agree people at times romanticise the past?

Maybe we should revisit the Industrial Revolution era, where the masses were working 16 hour days/7 day a week for a subsistence wage...Oh damn, I guess we ARE heading back that way, thanks to globalization opening up labor markets around the world, where billions of people are more than happy to work twice as hard as we are, for a fraction of the $$.