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There are but a few economists not from the Marx / Keynes school of thought in this country:Liberal1 countries invented the " flat tax » ; we invented the " full tax »French economist Jean-Louis Caccomo, lamenting on the appalling state of Gallic economic knowledge and understanding, the resulting ambient stupidity and French panic over the slowing down of the U.S. economy, and the typical deadly and counterproductive measures to be expected, once again, from the French "authorities" in yet another professed attempt to "shield" the moribund French economy from the shockwaves of global recession: none of the critically needed reforms of the humungous State machine, even more public spending and, obligatory corollary, more taxes.
I'm roughly of the same age as J.L. Caccomo, and like him I've heard about the country's constant economic crisis, massive and ever growing unemployment rates on par with public spending and taxation, and therefore "requiring" a plethora of government "plans" measures and intervention that only make things worse, ever since I was old enough to understand articulate language.
Over these decades, and among the "people in charge", virtually nobody in France figured what "those stupid Americans" have known for some time: that the government can't be the solution to our problems, considering it is the problem.
Predictably — and as predicted here — Sarkozy is not different at all, and has already warned that, quote, " the coffers (sic) were empty » implying that, you know, very sorry and all, but the promised tax relief will have to be "postponed" — to provide some relief to the lavish lifestyle of the French State and sustainable opportunities for the creative minds of French technocrat-taxmen. Some eminent members of his government followed up, and start making the buzzing noise of tax raise, so common under these tropics ; Sarkozy himself set the example by devising a tax on Internet access to make for the loss of revenue in his plan of banning advertising on all state owned TV channels2.
As noted by J.L. Caccomo — who was initially cautiously hopeful about the Super Sarko, but then nobody's perfect — even the Socialists agree about the "ineluctability of tax raise" in France's immediate future. Socialists always do.
Confronted to that pack of mobsters and racketeers, I submit that in France tax evasion is not just an act of civil disobedience but a true civic duty3.
Comments
Comments thread (4)
3348 - 2hotel9
2hotel9 Western Pennsylvania
No matter how hard the stone, smack it long enough and it will break. Sorry to have say it, Froggy, but most of Europe is standing knee deep in crushed stone, and crushing more as we speak. And wondering, in a dazed, puzzled sort of way, why there is so much crushed stone instead of solid rock under foot.
3349 - DGB
DGB
DF,
Right, left, vote them into office and it’s the same big club. The drawback to politicians running the country is that they are too damn busy getting elected or re-elected to, well, run the country.
In every government in the world there is a dark room. In this room is a table wtih a cabled box and a folding chair. In the center of the box is a worn button. The button is labelled (for the newly elected), “AUTOPILOT”. Press this button and the polity is taxed more, the government spends more, and somewhere another form is generated.
Socialist governments have a box with several buttons. The number of buttons pressed does not affect the increase in tax, but Socialists sit for hours on end pressing the buttons. They just like pressing the buttons.
DGB
3351 - the dissident frogman
the dissident frogman France
2hotel9,
Yep, tell me about it :)
Damian,
Hey, long time no speak! I agree with you globally, however I believe (suspect? hope? pray?!) that not every nation was made equal in the dark room with autopilot button Department.
I’m under the impression that in some luckier places on this planet, the button happens to break (possibly just as much as everywhere else) but the Button Guys whose jobs it is to fix them (politicos being useless at any manual and technical task, as we both know) pretend they have a huge backlog, or some other clever excuse not to do the job without aggravating the client.
I’ve heard the other day that the “black” budget of the presidential palace (mandatory “gifts” from each ministry to the Elysée, according to their importance, and meant only for the President’s office “representation” costs - basically booze and babes for the President, his retinue and all their tribal chieftains guests from every corners of Africa and the Middle East, while on their frequent State visit to harvest visas, infinite term loans and crappy jet fighters for the less lucky) went from 35 millions under Mitterrand to more than 80 under Sarkozy—even though the same Sarkozy claimed he put that old disgraceful “tradition” to an end.
I wonder how much is devoted to the Button Fixing Company…
3353 - TooTall
TooTall Utah
If one considers the popularity of the leading Democratic canidate here in the United States this may well be a history lesson than will have to be relearned. The Republican Party here which has stood for smaller government and less regulation has also started a trend towards the “nanny” government which I find worrisome. Hopefully the United States will never devolve quite as deeply as the European countires but there are signs that it’s drifting that way.