What have you done? Thousands of years of building and rebuilding, creating and recreating so you could let it crumble to dust. A million years of sensitive men dying for their dreams, for what? So you can swim, and dance, and play...
Posted on 05/06/2012 8:14:35 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
French President Nicholas Sarkozy conceded defeat today in the presidential elections to Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, making him the first incumbent president to lose an election in France since 1981.
Hollande, who was leading 51.7 percent to 48.3 percent in the exit polls, will be France’s first socialist president since Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995.
“I’ve tried to do my best to protect the French people from the unprecedented crisis that has shaken the world,” said Sarkozy, whose defeat makes him the eighth leader of a Eurozone country to be replaced or swept from office in just over a year.
But Hollande’s victory was a clear rejection of Sarkozy’s attempts to get the debt crisis under control through an austerity program.
“Austerity can no longer be the only option for Europe,” Hollande said today in his acceptance speech in reference to Sarkozy’s policies to cut government spending.
Under Sarkozy, France’s unemployment rate rose to 10 percent. Hollande wants to put France on a different economic track, promising to raise taxes on France’s wealthiest and stimulate economic growth. During his campaign, Hollande promised to deliver more jobs for policemen and 60,000 jobs in the education sector without increasing France’s total number of civil servants.
“May 6 gave us a new start for Europe, a new hope for the world,” Hollande said today in his acceptance speech.
Hollande used one of President Obama’s favorite campaign terms several times in his speech, noting that “change” is a “heavy mandate,” but it is his “mission and duty.”
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Look at this cognitive dissonance: [ Hollande wants to put France on a different economic track, promising to raise taxes on France’s wealthiest and stimulate economic growth. ] Raising taxes on the wealthiest & in general is the fastest way to DESTROY economic growth.
Now if they really want to stimulate economic growth they would LOWER taxes or abolish them outright.
I am hoping he takes all of Western Europe with him, not just France. Socialism needs to have a new flaming, screaming failure to remind people why it’s a bad idea.
well unkus, we’ve got plenty Americans now also buying properties abroad as their “bug out” retreat.
I know people who are doing just that in Panama, Argentina and Chile.
I was explaining to my daughter about how it was now down to Obama and Romney. She said “Dad - what was the name of that country? Costa Rica?”
She’s 14.
Sadly, we are in the same boat as France. Any President that cuts benefits to the government teat crowd will probably face a defeat by the same margin.
This is the reality we face. Any conservative who wins will face the same problem. It won’t take 5% cuts to invoke the same response we see in Wisconsin. 15% cuts would result in even more angst. I think anything more than a 5% cut would result in crushing mid-terms for the GOP.
That’s the way I see it. It’s not optimistic, but I invite anyone who thinks differently to tell me where I am wrong. Our current reality is that we need to cut probably 40% of the Federal government budget and cut regulations to stand a chance of returning to long-term prosperity. Anyone who cuts that much will be a one term proposition and they will lose ground in congress.
The longer we go without long term austerity measures by government the weaker the dollar becomes and the higher inflation will go. It’s a catch-22. The cuts will take many administrations to be effective. All the progressives have to do is convince the mushy middle that the pain is not needed and we are back to square one. Just like France.
I was explaining to my daughter about how it was now down to Obama and Romney. She said “Dad - what was the name of that country? Costa Rica?”
She’s 14.
You are to be commended.
1. Cut Regulations
2. Set economic policies that maximize growth (i.e.no dividend and savings taxes, Corporate Tax is 10%).
3. By EO close Agencies such as the EPA, Energy, Agriculture etc. because we cannot afford them.
4. Stop all federal funding to non essential organizations like Sierra Club, ACORN (whatever it is called now).
Once the economy is growing and unemployment (U6) is down to 10%
put in place new SS limits (i.e. cannot collect until 70yrs old for those born after 19__). Recommend Tort Reform.
That would be a start. The real cuts must come in entitlements to balance our books and have any chance at getting out from underneath our debt. SSI at 70 won’t be popular, but it would make sense.
Cutting agencies will negatively impact unions and our own Hollande will come along to promise the leeches a payday. One apathetic election for the GOP and it’s a repeat of France. Cutting government funds to progressive groups would also motivate them in the mid-terms and the next election.
One term is likely because the progressives will promise their constituency that they will reverse the cuts.
“A New Hope”. Wasn’t that the one where a dumbass Jedi stranded through his own stupidity bet the farm on an insufferable little kid in a pod race? I love politics...
No, not that. He supported us in Iraq and Afghanistan, and sent French troops to fight jihadists in Africa.
He was not perfect, but look at his predecessors and his successor.
Remember. This is France, where the only color they know is “white” the only word under the letter “S” is “surrender”, and where the socialists drink wine and eat quiche and brie.
What are the chances for the pharmaceutical industry to come up with a cure or medication for stupidity such as socialism, communism, liberalism etc.
That is a good slogan. Do you really want four more years of Obama’s rope-a-dope-hope
“and where the socialists drink wine and eat quiche and brie.”
our socialists would say that’s too much cholesterol and alcohol and ought to be banned.
This is going to be hilarious! At least, to those of us who are hunkered down with guns, ammo, big dogs, fertile land, and precious metals.
As long as they don't come here. Canada is a good place for them to take their surrender-monkey socialist voting habits.
O Lord, not another Leftist leader with a messiah complex...
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