Posted on 03/20/2006 10:03:23 PM PST by goldstategop
Throughout much of last week, hundreds of thousands of students in France were angrily protesting.
They have been joined by the major French labor unions, which are threatening a general strike.
And what is this all about?
It is all about a new law in France that allows a company to fire a person under the age of 26, without cause, within two years of being hired.
Wow. Imagine that. You might get fired from your first job.
As it happens, the whole point of the law was to encourage companies to hire young people. The unemployment rate among young people in France is 23 percent. And in many suburbs, it is double that. Meanwhile, French companies are understandably loath to hire 22-year-olds when they cannot fire them except "for cause," which under union rules means something like committing mass murder in the workplace.
What these massive demonstrations reveal is the narcissism, laziness and irresponsibility inculcated by socialist societies.
Enough generations of socialist policies have now passed for us to judge their effects. They are bleak. Socialism undermines the character of a nation and of its citizens. In simpler words, socialism makes people worse.
These young people in France really believe that they should be able to be hired at their tender ages and that a company must not be allowed to fire them from their first day at work (except "for cause," which, as we are learning in America, is increasingly difficult to establish). In America, most of us would call the French young people's attitudes "spoiled."
Socialism teaches its citizens to expect everything, even if they contribute nothing.
Socialism teaches its citizens that they have a plethora of rights and few corresponding obligations -- except to be taxed.
And that is why the citizens of less socialist -- and more religious -- America give more charity per capita and per income than do citizens of socialist countries. That is why Americans volunteer time for the needy so much more than citizens of socialist countries do. That is why citizens of conservative states in America give more charity than citizens of liberal states do. The more Left one identifies oneself on the political spectrum, the more that person is likely to believe that the state, not fellow citizens, should take care of the poor and the needy.
Under socialism, one is not only liberated from having to take care of oneself; one is also liberated from having to take care of others. The state will take care of me and of everybody else.
The same holds true for foreign affairs. Why did the conservative government of Spain support the American war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq and send troops there, while the Spanish socialists withdrew Spanish troops as soon as they were voted into office? Because the idea of risking one's life to bring freedom to others -- or to risk one's life for another nation for just about any reason -- is alien to the socialist mindset.
Similarly, in the great litmus test of moral acuity -- the Middle East -- socialist countries and parties virtually all line up behind the Palestinians. They do so either out of moral confusion or out of cowardice -- it takes a lot more courage to support Israel than to support the Palestinians and the whole Muslim world.
The socialist idea sounded altruistic to those who began it, and it sounds altruistic to the naive who believe in it today. In practice, however, it creates self-centered individuals and a narcissistic society. So while it may have begun as a way to help others, it has come to mean a way of evading responsibility for oneself and for others.
That is why France is so frightened of the utterly rational idea that a young person should have a two-year trial period at work before being granted a lifetime job. Such an innovation in France would mean that young people would have to work hard and earn the right to lifetime employment. But if socialism means anything, it means that one shouldn't have to earn anything. One merely has to breathe.
As much as America has been adversely affected by socialist thought, it is still inconceivable that in America hundreds of thousands of students would shut down their schools in order to gain the right not to be fired by the first company that hires them. But every time America's socialists, the Democrats, prevail in an election, we move in that direction. No matter how pure their motives, the Left makes America and its citizens less noble people, just like the spoiled French students.
And yes, I'm grateful that Tony Blair stood by our side in the WOT. I don't consider him a full fledged Socialist, just a politician who happens to cavort with them.
Private and communal farming (1623)
All this while no supply was heard of, neither knew they when they might expect any. So they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery. At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advice of the chiefest amongst them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other thing to go on in the general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number, for that end, only for present use (but made no division for inheritance) and ranged all boys and youth under some family. This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression.
The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato's and other ancients applauded by some of later times; and that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God. For this community (so far as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For the young men, that were most able and fit for labor and service, did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could; this was thought injustice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalized in labors and victuals, clothes etc., with the meaner and younger sort, thought it some indignity and disrespect unto them. And for men's wives to be commanded to do service for other men, as dressing their meat, washing their clothes, etc., they deemed it a kind of slavery, neither could many husbands well brook it. Upon the point all being to have alike, and all to do alike, they thought themselves in the like condition, and one as good as another; and so, if it did not cut off those relations that God hath set amongst men, yet it did at least much diminish and take off the mutual respects that should be preserved amongst them. And would have been worse if they had been men of another condition. Let none object this is men's corruption, and nothing to the course itself. I answer, seeing all men have this corruption in them, God in His wisdom saw another course fitter for them.
Yes they reap what they have sown. Their citizens are Pavlovian (sp?) in response to any "Anglo" type solution.
This means "as soon as they start work they cannot be fired", not "their first day at work is the decision period". The author used a rather ambiguous form.
As for the UK: it is certainly less socialist than the basketcases of western europe. Plus it has a military tradition which makes a real difference. But taxes keep going inexorably up and up to feed the giant moloch of the NHS, so it doesn't look good. Hopefully the dreadful example of France will stop that twat Gordon Brown from tanking the country.
That was an ungracious reply to Cbart. You made the error, not he. Lighten up.
I have no reason to disbelieve this and my gut tells me it is probably true, but I sure wish Prager had cited a source for this assertion. I would love to beat my liberal friends over the head with it when they scream that we conservatives have no "compassion".
And his error was pretty obviously a simple typo, for which CBart's comment started the ungraciousness. It is there any apologies should start, IMO.
No matter how pure their motives, t The Left makes America and its citizens less noble people, just like the spoiled French students.
Can't be stated too many times, and also true for liberals.
One more point. Isn't these same narcissitic lazy people that the Democrats and the world keept insisting are wise allies who America should respect and emmulate and whose counsel we should follow?
I wouldn't count on these lazy pukes to help with a church social much less fight any real enemies.
"Hell, you don't have to look that far for evidence of the failure of liberalism. Look at San Francisco, or Washington D.C., or Detroit, or the entire freaking state of California...cesspools created by the "fungus" of liberalism."
You can probably see this coarsening in any state:
Locally, a college student co-worker with allergies goes to the university hospital for his prescriptions. Waits hours and experiences the bar scene from star wars, as the flood of humanity who also have to wait, shout things like, "give me my f*ckin' meds!" when their "free" prescriptions aren't filled immediately.
And you're paying for it.
Speaking of narcissitic - ever notice (how could we miss it?) that most Hollyweirdos are Dems and Socialists. This sorta links the whole thing up...
Socialism is founded on the notion there is "only one pie" (zero sum game)
Capitalism is founded on the idea we can make more pies. (inginuity triumphs)
Placemark for later read.
Its more scary how many folks here on Free Republic don't even get it and fall into the cheap allure of economic populism which is just socialism in poor disguise.
Or as the late Sen. Wellstone put it "Progressivism through populism".
EXACTLY!
You are so perceptive! It's no wonder that everyone in this country is unhappy. We have real problems and those in power are not always doing their jobs well.
Of course, no sane person I know really wants to throw out the office holders and get in this bunch of hate spewing idiots in their place.
That'd be like going from the frying pan into the fire. Their idea is ta hang everybody when things go wrong.
Let's keep the "fools" we know and force 'em to work smarter...OK? Hell they're supposed to work for us.
Let's not let Bush off the hook on Immigration...we got 30 million of those people here illegally...ruining everything...the hell with building better fences...let's throw those criminals out!
We gotta stop all this hating and fingerpointing now.
"Socialism is founded on the notion there is "only one pie" (zero sum game)"
I suggest that Socialism was founded on the notion that the easiest way to win power is to appeal to the worst tendencies of a nation's least common denominator.
As far as I an concerned, there is no "hate" involved. We need to have our laws enforced and we need to hold politicos, who seem to flaunt the law for political profit, responsible. That is our duty as American citizens.
I do have a problem though with those who view any criticism of their favorite political parasites as some kind of hate frenzy. I think that kind of political celebrity groupie nonsense is destroying our republic.
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