National Suicide
By Jan Larson (03/27/06)
Events in recent months have shown that France is in the process of committing national suicide.
The latest round of French violence centers on a law that would allow French businesses to fire young workers within the first two years of employment without providing a reason. Current French employment law makes it prohibitively difficult for companies to terminate workers.
The high rate of youth unemployment was cited as a contributing factor to the Muslim riots in France last year. Given that unemployment among French young people stands at 23% with rates much higher for impoverished youth, the law is designed to open the door for greater opportunities for the young and inexperienced.
French youth don’t see it that way. They see the law as stripping away a “right” (permanent employment) to which they are “entitled.” This is, of course, all tied to the French system of cradle-to-grave socialism.
The problem is that in a world economy, neither France nor any other single nation makes the rules and the current rules of the global economy do not allow for non-competitive economies to win. The French economy is stagnant and the French are losing in the game of world economics. No amount of marching, rioting or burning of cars will change that.
One would think that any law that could create more opportunities for youth would be embraced by the young people that stand to benefit, but not in France. French youth are apparently afraid to complete, to work hard and prove their worth before entitlements kick in. The rioting young people are emblematic of a nation that is moving inexorably toward extinction.
Sure, just about everyone would like to have a job for life, work no more than 35 hours per week and enjoy a wide variety of government benefits. The problem is paying for it.
While the capitalistic system in the United States is not without its problems, the capitalistic system is an engine for economic growth and that, in turn, produces a prosperous society as a whole. The French socialistic system does not reward hard work and productivity and, in fact, encourages the best and brightest in France to seek their fortunes elsewhere.
In addition, the onerous business climate does not encourage foreign investment in France. While outsourcing is an issue in the United States, one virtually never hears of U. S. jobs going to France.
As the citizens demand more from government and there are fewer ways for government to meet their demands, the French economy and ultimately the French society must collapse.
The expansion of the French culture around the world commenced in the early 1600s and continued until the end of the 19th century. Following World War II, French imperialism came to an end and today few lands outside of the French border remain under French control and influence.
The French are proud and protective of their culture and many French look upon American capitalism with disdain. This was no better demonstrated than by none other than French President Jacque Chirac at a European Union summit last week when he stormed out of the meeting when a French business executive addressed the summit in English, the “language of business.” Chirac, as do many in France, are simply living in denial of declining relevance of France and the French culture.
Socialism doesn’t work. It has been proven before and the French are proving it again.
Given the long history of French culture, it would behoove the young people of France to look beyond their short-term desire for a life of comfort and entitlement and think of the long-term consequences of their action. France is dying. In another generation or two, it may very well exist only in the history books.
Copyright ©2006 Jan A. Larson All rights reserved.
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