[!@#$%!]

so here's a followup ive been thinking about:

to want more & more vacation while the country is going to shit seems to me like decadence-- i understand enjoying while you can but when things get difficult you have to adapt or your competitor will have your inner organs for lunch.


unemployment in france has been at 8% since forever.

however, one must admit, the poverty rate is much lower than in more so-called "vibrant" countries like germany or the uk or the u.s and the gap between the rich and the poor is lesser too.

so i guess-- it depends on what you want out of your economy. i'm not opposed to a higher standard of living as long as it doesnt destroy you-- look at what the "higher standard of living" gave the US: gas-guzzling SUVs and higher carbon emissions.

but anyway, the problem is that with the global economy other countries are going to be able to produce things cheaper and faster and adapt more creatively, so you can't hope that you'll be on the top of the world forever. seems to me that with the excellent education in france the jobs should come from technology, research, aerospace, etc-- and in part they do, but unless people with talent are given the chance to start businesses in their own country there's going to be a brain drain.

the only alternative way that i can see is if france was able to export its social protections to other countries... so that everyone is competing on a level (and more benevolent) playing field. however, without power and influence, that doesn't happen.

not sure how this works internally within the european union, as im quite ignorant of european union policies and politics, but it seems that while some countries have been growing quite fast (ireland, spain), and some seem to always have (germany) france hasn't in quite a while.