Drama in Paris

[Times]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/10/21/france.strikes/index.html

Paris, France (CNN) -- Some 200 demonstrators blocked France's Marseille-Provence airport for more than three hours Thursday as strikes and protests continued across the country, trade unions said.

A large rally was scheduled for central Paris in the afternoon as demonstrators stepped up protests against a government proposal to raise the national retirement age from 60 to 62.

Pop star Lady Gaga postponed two Paris shows this weekend because of "the logistical difficulties due to the strikes," her website said.

"Unfortunately, as there is no certainty that the trucks can make it to the Bercy for this weekend's shows, the Lady Gaga performances are now postponed," the statement said.

The French Senate is working its way through roughly 1,000 amendments to the pension reform bill, and a final vote on the bill could be as early as Thursday and as late as Sunday.

The lower house of parliament has already passed it, by a vote of 329 to 233.

If there are substantial differences between the Senate and National Assembly versions, a conference committee will have to iron them out before the final version goes to the president.

France has been reeling from strikes.

Police and protesters clashed Wednesday, and on Tuesday, 428 people were arrested in connection with the protests.

About 1.1 million people have demonstrated across the country, French media quoted police as saying. Unions put the figure at 3.5 million nationwide as the rolling strike goes on for more than a week now.

Students from high schools have been skipping classes to join the strikes. Some students told CNN in Paris that they are worried they won't be able to get jobs if the current generation hangs onto jobs for an extra two years.

Later Wednesday, French authorities unblocked three fuel depots after the president ordered police to break blockades at the sites by strikers.

"We did it because the west of France is threatened by a very severe shortage of fuel. The opening of these three depots was essential and will gradually allow normal activity to resume," Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said.

There are 219 fuel depots in France. In addition to the three, 21 fuel depots have been unblocked between Friday and Tuesday.

The French government contends that the country cannot afford the earlier retirement payments.

"I will implement the pension reform because my duty as head of state is to ensure that French people and their children can count on retirement and that the amount they receive will be maintained," Sarkozy said Wednesday.

The strikers have crippled transportation, and affected schools and fuel supplies.

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Once you are giving away "free money" to the populace, it is extremely difficult to try and take it back.

This is the biggest problem with the 'welfare' mindset; even those who are not collecting their "free money" yet see that "free money" as something to look forward to. Entitlements weaken society, it transforms people into wild animals kept at the zoo, content as long as they are kept fed and clean but if their handlers stop taking care of them, they react.

These welfare recipients turned into caged wild animals retain their aggressive abilities, but lose their ability to survive on their own and forever need someone to take care of them.

--So now the animals are rattling their cages..............

 

[ren]

Can't be all bad if it ran Lady GaGa off

 

[jokersarewild]

If I remember correctly, they plan on raising the retirement age by two years. Sh!t, here they're debating raising it by 5 years and we aren't striking.

It's not "free money" if their system works the ways ours does. If I get Social Security payments when I retire, it's something my tax dollars are supposed to have been going toward throughout the years. At least that's how I understand it.

Either way, the students bring up an interesting point: What sort of effect will it have if you have graduating students who can't get jobs that are held by people who were supposed to have retired already? I'm curious myself.

 

[Times]

The problem is it is a ponzi scheme. The payments work out well for the first people who draw payments because you have more people paying in then is taking out. After a long time people live long enough to be taking out more than they ever paid in and new people retiting and collecting starts to knock off the balance and sooner or later you start paying out more than you are taking in.

Stop and think about all the pyramid scams you have ever heard of and the way those pyramid scams are designed, well that is exactly how these things are designed.

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Whatever happens in the job market that is also not the fault or the responsibility of the Government to "fix". The Government did not make all the babies, the parents did and if they can't find jobs then let the same parents who created them take care of them. Each person should be responsible for himself, not looking for an all powerful Government to step in and live his life for him.

 

[jokersarewild]

It's not about the government "fixing" something as far as jobs go. They're creating a different issue altogether, which is what the students are concerned about.

And yes, the whole thing does sound like a Ponzi Scheme, which is why I'm in favor of having a separate account you pay into as far as SS goes. That way you actually get back what you pay in, with maybe a little extra in interest (assuming such funds are used by the government for whatever, then it should operate the same way a bank does).

 

[Times]

It's not about the government "fixing" something as far as jobs go. They're creating a different issue altogether, which is what the students are concerned about.

Sure it is, the point the kid was making was that if they raise the retirement age two years, then people will stay in those jobs for an extra two years instead of retiring and so less jobs for them.

The Government "fix" is to take people who could work out of the working pool so younger people can have their jobs. Why? Why do older people have to retire? Why should the Government pay anyone any money to retire and make way for younger workers? As medical advances continue to extend our lives, that also means a longer period of time collecting "free money" from the Government and a lower ratio of people paying into the system than taking out of the system.

The only chance the Government has to keep the ponzi scheme going is to raise the retirement age much, much more to bring it more in line with medical advances that let people live longer. As far as the young not finding jobs, well again, that is not the fault of the Government and not their responsibility to fix.

And yes, the whole thing does sound like a Ponzi Scheme, which is why I'm in favor of having a separate account you pay into as far as SS goes. That way you actually get back what you pay in, with maybe a little extra in interest (assuming such funds are used by the government for whatever, then it should operate the same way a bank does).

The problem is the Government has been stealing from the SS fund for many years. The Government is more irresponsible with money than the average individual is. I say there should be seperate accounts, but the Government should not have access to the money to spend it without being able to pay it back.