When Sarkozy was first elected, I worries that he would try to dismantle the standard of living that social democrats had achieved for France’s citizens. My fears were well founded as that’s exactly what he is doing, but unlike Americans, who seem content to either sit on their hands or buy into Republican brainwashing and blame the wrong people, the French are expressing their outrage.
The battle over a planned overhaul of France’s pension system has intensified as rolling strikes cut the fuel pipeline to Paris airports and shut down most of the country’s oil refineries.
In an attempt to pummel the government into backing down on its controversial plans to raise the retirement age, a broad alliance of unions, leftwing political parties and students are pressing ahead with a series of nationwide protests.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to join the nationwide protests on Saturday, just days ahead of the final government vote on the reforms on Wednesday. Unions are also promising a major strike on Tuesday in a final attempt to stop the legislation.
The protestors were to march from the Place de la Republique to the Bastille in Paris.
The country has already endured four straight days of strikes, squeezing fuel supplies, grounding flights, cutting rail services and closing schools and other key facilities… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Common Dreams>
Even in the 1960s, US demonstrators were not so disruptive. There was violence, but it was almost always police attacking demonstrators. But then, we had passion that seems to be missing today.
If Democrats maintain majorities, I think they will become more responsive to progressive needs. They no longer have an incentive to support business as usual for corporate criminals, because that constituency has shifted entirely to the Republican camp and is spending hand over fist to put Democrats out of office. Only a handful of extreme DINOs are getting corporate support these days. But if Republicans take over the government, we’d better be ready to imitate the French to stop Wall Street from strip mining us.
Hats off to the people of France!
10 Responses to “What America Needs to Learn from France”
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Well, they can’t win a war for shit, but damn, these people can protest! Viva France! 😆
Amen to that, Lisa!
If the media doesn’t cover it, it doesn’t exist and the last thing the corporate media wants is to show that people would think that the status quo of corporations and the rich having it good isn’t the way things should be.
Welcome Jimbo! 🙂
An excellent point. I have seen almost zero coverage of this on the tube.
TC, this has been a regular topic of discussion on the blogtalkradio show with Oso, Manny, Beach, Krell, Jack Jodell… we are talking about how the passion is needed and demonstration is too. I wish I could get you to join us! Call in on Sat evenings at 6pm EST (3pm your time) onto the show! If you do want to it’s (213) 816-0357…
Good post. Just what’s needed. 🙂
Gwen, I was unaware of this, but when my schedule permits, I shall certainly try. Thanks!
People had better start organizing now. Those activist networks will need to be in place if we see sweeping Republican victories in November.
I agree. I’m a little to old and mangy to head for the hills, but if it ever comes to that, I’ll be here to do just that as long as I am able.
I’m glad they finally found something to protest. Here in America the people are so diverse that you rarely find one cause everyone agrees on. I don’t know if tearing your country apart over retirement age is the answer. And there is the issue how how to pay for the deficit. I don’t know a lot about french politics but I do know that I don’t like being shoved into one insulted lump. That is bigotry. To lump us all together and give us the same failings. I hope you can come to grips with your bigotry someday.
Murky, what bigotry? I certainly recognize that there are individual Republicans to whom my insult does not apply, but the party as a whole now governs exclusively for the benefit of criminal corporations and the richest 1%. I share your concern about the defecit and see that as a good reason to keep the Republican Party on the sidelined, because 84% of the current national debt was accrued in their watch.