Eternal Fraud (France, the dark heart of of crapweaselry)

The American Spectator ^ | April 30, 2004 | Bruce Gain

[quidnunc]

It is common knowledge in France that the U.S. is a society in which the rich get richer and the poor get stomped into the ground. The French government routinely prides itself on its social cohesion largely glued together by a lack of polarization between the very rich and very poor, where there is a very large middle class that pulls together for the common good. Those Anglo-Saxon countries — read: the U.S. as well as England — serve as examples of what happens when laissez-faire economics and liberal capitalism run amuck. Big-money interests dictate social policy and control legal machinations in the U.S., the rhetoric goes.

France's self-described egalitarian society also prides itself on a fair-handed criminal justice system that applies its letter of the law equally, regardless of money interests or social class. But in France, this is where Renault, one of Europe's largest carmakers that once tried and failed to make and sell cars in the U.S., will elect this week a board member whom U.S. federal prosecutors have sought in connection to high-level fraudulent financing and other criminal charges. This is the country where the fraud perpetrator in question, leading French business tycoon François Pinault, who is worth an estimated $5 billion, is promoted and granted even more wealth and political favors after risking substantial prison sentences in the U.S for criminal fraud. This is where the French government did not indict Pinault on fraud and other charges, and where the French government even funded several hundreds of millions of dollars in legal remedies stemming from Pinault's illegal activities under a plea bargain agreement with U.S. federal prosecutors.

The final verdict: France is less left-leaning and panders more to big-money politics than is generally recognized.

-snip-

[Burkeman1]

French Industry is in bed with French government? Say it ain't so!

Of course the exact same thing described in that article doesn't happen here at all?

[Atlantic Friend]

Blimey, I lived in a capitalistic nation and I did not know that ! And me who thought we were the dark heart of socialism, talk about some big disappointment...lol

Hi there, Burkeman, long time no see. How are you ?