Apparently, the immigrants in France are rioting againg. I'm unfamiliar with French politics, other than the fact that their government has been bankrupted by their socialist policies. Anyone care to elaborate?

Huh? The French government is not bankrupted in any way. AFAIK the riots are from workless people who are in large part immigrants.(And probably some of them illegal, immigration is a problem in Europe.) But i dont know much.
You on the other hand dont know much about this either, and have given no indication how this is to be related to France being 'socialist'.(Perhaps by some standards, but not really..) So i guess you are just posting this to reassure yourself about your ideas?
PS Forgive my being blunt.

I stated that was all I knew about French politics, and when France's own Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, stated, "The truth is that I am the head of a state that is in a state of bankruptcy due to its financing plan," I don't think it's an unreasonable conclusion.

He also was quoted as saying, "I am the head of a state that has been in chronic deficit for 15 years. I am the head of a state that hasn't voted a balanced budget in 25 years. This cannot last."

And, he's right. It can't last. You cannot pay out more money than you take in. It's a simple fact that many choose to ignore, at their own peril.

The fact that France's social policies have been choking out businesses and stifling economic growth for more than a decade wouldn't have anything to do with this high unemployement you mention, of course. /sarcasm

VOA News - French President Calls Rioting 'Unacceptable'

I'll try to be nicer to your sacred cow, in the future.

The riots are because the police was involved in the death of some youngsters, same story as the last time.

I think it was a car accident this time, police car + scooters.

The immigrants in the suburbs of Paris see themselves as second class citizens.

French always encounters the same problem as the whole country is centred around Paris, and the corporations smell money and build thousands of shitty buildings all around the city.

The government can't keep up building enough schools and build the infrastructure fast enough.

Still people keep on moving there from all over France.

Thanks for providing some actual information. I don't understand why the media keeps mentioning "unemployment, living conditions, and discrimination", but fail to mention the deaths of youths that actually triggered the rioting.

I'm sure those issues are problems, but it would appear to me that the rioters are more angry about the police unintentionally causing deaths, rather than anything else. Not that rioting is a positive solution to any issue.

I've been doing some reading, and France has had some pretty severe corruption problems, in government and private business equally.

On a lighter note, I read a hilarious article about a frustrated American trying to teach his French employees customer service skills. Ah, what a difference culture makes.

Challenging France's Business Traditions - International Herald Tribune

Saying a distaste for sales, marketing and customer service is likely to hurt companies is like saying a nuclear explosion might hurt quality of life.

Cars, Buildings Torched: Rioting in Paris after Teenager Deaths - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News
77 Police Injured: Violence Escalates in Second Night of Paris Riots - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

I'm no expert at playin' checkers, but isn't that what they call a checkmate?

Checkmate is a chess term, fool.

The prime minister of France is a member of the conservative party (just like the president), and well, what can conservatives do best? Cry about everyone is stealing their money etc etc.

But complain about the government getting less money when you lower the tax rate is just plain stupid.

And if you want it that way, every country in the West is bankrupt. living in debt and using incredible large loans. The G8 countries already make up something like 50% of the world's countries total debt.

But as long as you have capital, like a working industry you don't have to fear they would want your money back.


on topic:

Maybe his Party (UMP) should reconsider their speeches. On antoher occasion they (Sarkozy in particular)called the people in the suburbs scum which didn't actually helped getting their respect.

That's what blows my mind. Who (or what) is this money owed to? If G8 countries owe money to each other, couldn't they just imagine a different budget number and proceed with life as usual?

Otherwise, I think the traditional way to settle debt is to kill the person you owe money to, or for them to break the kneecaps of the person that owes them money.

Holy Moses, Captain Obvious dropped in to save the day at the last minute.

Anyway, I'm not buying any of this. I've seen Sicko. Everyone is rich and happy in France because their government gives them everything. Everyone has a nanny paid for by the government even.

Countries get the loans from investement groups, banks and companies.

If industry, infrastructure etc is build, most of the money is payed by these groups. The countries welcome this as they don't have to pay this much, but of course they made a contract so that parts of the industry, infrastructure etc belong to these groups.

You can compare it with stocks.

So for example the greatest part of phone infrastructure in europe belongs to the former public company Deutsche Telekom, I think there is T-Mobile, their mobile branch in the US, so you may know them.

Rasczak, the Problem with these things in the Suburbs of Paris is that many of these are illegal immigrants so they only get some basic help, like medical one. But they don't get money for their kids and so on.

France has been under a conservative government since the 90s so getting the French citizenship is almost impossible for them, even if they are born in France.

Paris the city has 2 Million people living their, wheras the Suburbs have about 8 Million. And about 50% of the houses look like they would collapse any second.

Youngsters don't go to school

And no why would the government pay for anyone. I think you don't understand the nature of taxes. You pay them so the money can be spend for you.

Well geez, I wish I would have known that sooner. Looks like I'll have to stop buying French products again until the ebil French government starts hiring nannys for the illegal immigrants too. Why should just citizens get a free nanny and not someone who snuck into their country illegally. I mean geez whiz. Fascists. Seriously, all they get is free medical? And all they're doing about it is violently rioting every night?

Even illegal immigrants pay some taxes, so of course they should get something.

Damn right! Free medical, a free nanny, 50 Euros a week per child, all the free vacation they can take, and maybe a car too.

So they should still continue paying their 20% value added tax and get nothing in return?

How about letting them work without getting pay? Food, nah, nobody needs food, only fat people eat. It's their choice if they want to eat!

People should stop looking to the government to solve all of their problems and start looking to themselves. But, that's a concept that is completely lost on you.

Read some Hayek or Friedman, and open your eyes.

How do these people solve their problems then?

Weren't you one of the nuts talking about fighting against the government and so on?

But when there people are fighting them, it's bad. I see they don't have enough guns -.-



On top of that, they already paid money to the government, employees of the people. It's their fucking right to demand some return.

To use some terms you might understand:

When you pay for the junk at McDonalds you want your BigMac, and not another TGV.

The conservative parties in France failed miserably in the last 15 years.

Jacques Chirac thought it would be better to build new WMDs instead of building infrastructure in the Banlieues

Didn't you read what I said? They should get everything handed to them. Is there anything you think the government should be giving them?

Apparently they don't need TGVs or WMDs, so how about some schools? There not only illegals living their, but also some poor French.