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View Full Version : AP: French strike to save 'birthright' of privileges




Cowlesy
10-21-2010, 09:24 AM
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iKaweJDKQowQPSYGbrjxUt43R3JQ?docId=528bfa0f2 dec4bf8a9c7132848ebfc0d


French strike to save 'birthright' of privileges
(AP) – 18 hours ago

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Battling for benefits is a tradition in the Gilly family, passed from generation to generation — as it is for families across the country. And that goes some way toward explaining why the protests against plans to raise France's retirement age have shown such determination and ferocity.

For Gilly and many other Frenchmen and women, social benefits such as long vacations, state-subsidized health care and early retirement are more than just luxuries: They're seen as a birthright — an essential part of the identity of today's France.

The protest against a government plan to raise the retirement age to 62 has special meaning for five members of the Eric Gilly clan who are demonstrating in the streets of Marseille.

"We want to stop working at 60 because it's something our parents, our grandparents and even our great-grandparents fought for," says Gilly, 50, a union representative at Saint-Pierre Cemetery, the largest in this bustling Mediterranean port city.

"And over the years ... you can see that we're losing everything they fought for. And that's unacceptable."


More @ the link here (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iKaweJDKQowQPSYGbrjxUt43R3JQ?docId=528bfa0f2 dec4bf8a9c7132848ebfc0d)

I'm not sure what these people are thinking. It opens a lot of questions for me. I think the 20th century really was the golden age where you could actually get to a date and retire and stop working.

Before then? People, it seemed from reading my family history, simply just worked and worked and worked and hopefully save enough so that you didn't have to work anymore. There was no expectation of some magical force like Government coming to make your life easier. Now it seems like you get to a certain age, and the responsibiilty for your well-being transfers to these redistributionist entity.

France had a very bloody and violent revolution, and I hope it doesn't come to that again.

Epic
10-21-2010, 09:41 AM
"Battling for [other people's money] is a tradition in the Gilly family...."

klamath
10-21-2010, 09:45 AM
This is the attitude I just don't get at all. People where does the money come from? When France goes broke I suspose they want the Germans to bail their state out like Greece. I don't think the german people will be too happy about that.

2young2vote
10-21-2010, 09:47 AM
If they get a job at 20 then they only have to work for 42 years....Honestly, that doesn't seem too bad when you consider they probably all work like government workers.

Monarchist
10-21-2010, 09:54 AM
Typical Frenchman. No wonder they were consistently stomped on by the industrious Germans. It's pretty pathetic when, in all your history, the only time your country can get off it's ass and accomplish something of significance is under the guidance of a megalomaniacal midget from Corsica.

silentshout
10-21-2010, 10:10 AM
I agree, I think it is completely pointless and they don't get that the money is just not there. However, i will give them points for actually protesting in the streets, for many things, even though i do not agree with what they are protesting about. (rather than just sitting in front of the tv or what not.)