French Protests?!?!

I love the French. I love their wine, their commitment to food, their lazy afternoon and late dinners, and the language is beautiful. But the French have a terrible case of entitlement that is hurting their country economically. The job security enjoyed by so many hurts businesses' ability to remain profitable and in business. In Cowboy Capitalism, Olaf Gersemann, a German, details the problems with the European welfare state. The social safety net in place is unsustainable and the French may find themselves in much more unpleasant circumstances than out of a job. The latest episode finds the French casting about for reasons for high unemployment. The final quotation in the article perfectly captures the misplaced blame.

"We are here for our children. We are very worried about what will happen to them," said Philippe Decrulle, an Air France flight attendant at the Paris protest. "My son is 23, and he has no job. That is normal in France."

Of course Mssr. Decrulle is worried about his son. He has every right to be. 23 and no job is a problem. However, it should be clear that the reason no jobs exist is because companies who cannot afford the taxes, benefits, and inability to fire bad workers have gone out of business, taking the jobs with them, thereby creating unemployment. To think that government advocting for less job security is the reason is foolish.

You have to give it to the French though. They are world class protestors!