Posted on 05/09/2007 9:31:35 PM PDT by Stoat
“For centuries, the French have scoffed at the way much of the western world works more than 40 hours a week, snacks at its desk at lunchtime and takes a mere fortnight’s holiday in the summer.
But while many workaholic nations have become richer, France has been plunged into a spiral of public debt, weak growth, low wages and spending power and soaring unemployment.”
He speaks a truth that no one can argue with, and these truths are obvious to anyone with half a brain, and so this will make his job a whole lot easier but not 'easy' by any means..
If you run an auto repair shop, it's awfully tough to convince a customer to change out the engine if it's only a matter of a bad spark plug, but it's an easy sell if the motor not only has bad plugs but two thrown rods and a cracked cylinder as well.
In France's case, it's more a matter of the block being cracked, all cylinders gone, the engine is on fire and the transmission fell out miles ago, and the car is only moving forward because of momentum.
The problem is, many of the French are asleep and drunk in the back seat and don't want to be woken up, even if the car is careening out of control, and so it will still be a hard sell.
And none too soon.
He kind reminded me of Jack Nicholson in that picture.
Agreed.
I think this dude’s going to show Madame Speaker Pelosi how a 100 day reforms are REALLY done.
Although I suspect that a particularly flatulent cow could outdo her, I get your meaning and I'm sure that you're going to be proven right. He's inherited a very sick and unfriendly patient but he seems to have good ideas and drive. Let's hope that he will be steadfast, because he will be attacked mercilessly at every step of the way. Any sign of weakness will be exploited and used against him....the Socialists are fighting for their lives and they know what the stakes are.
I agree that it's going to be very, very tough, but he has a clear majority on his side and it's obvious to anyone that the old Socialist "solutions" simply don't work, and so there should be some openness to change although it will most likely come very very slowly and with tremendous effort. Hopefully he will have the strength, resolve, and the backing to get it done..
Even if Sarko fails, I don’t think it would be his fault, and he wouldn’t be (isn’t) like Chirac in any case. When did Chirac ever say the kinds of things that Sarko has?
And a cowboy is precisely what France needs. Hopefully Mr. Sarkozy has a very big bullwhip and knows how to use it :-)
Pray for W and Our Troops
Always :-)
I would love to talk with my former brother-in-law.....he’s French (Peignoir, actually - don’t know if that’s the correct spelling - but, I think it means he’s 1/2 French and 1/2 Arab.) Anyway, he was very smart, and I recently found out he now works here in America for a very large int’l tobacco co.....he would have a take that is probably VERY similar to yours.
I only visited France once a few years ago (I was not impressed in any sort of a positive way) but France's problems are so obvious that I think that anyone who pays even minimal attention to the news can see the problems and their causes, many of which are cultural as well as ideological.
Much like President Bush was a Gift from God at exactly the right time in history for us here in the USA, Sarkozy is exactly what the French need, whether they will admit it to themselves or not. They will put up a noisy fight (crack addicts frequently enjoy their vice and don't care about tomorrow or generations to come) but if Sarkozy is truly made of strong stuff and has a good political base he may have a chance. The great Bush economy here is definitely an incentive to all backward, Socialist nations to pursue tangible reforms.
I agree but the real problem is the same one illustrated in the Bible. The Israelites were freed from enslavement and saw great miracles and were at first grateful. Then as the experience of enslavement and the reality of the miracles became distant in their minds and hearts they became bored and as soon as Moses was away they created a golden calf as an abomination to worship instead of God.
This is the same process we witness today. People have a habit of finding comfort in falsehood when their needs have been fulfilled or the threat of evil does not seem so near. They want to build up the Golden Calf of government to fulfill their needs and wants. They sacrifice true freedom for the pigs wallow of irresponsibility and indulgence.
Europe has awakened for now but as many in this nation have already returned to slumber and worse enjoining themselves in congress with the very evils that will be their destruction we can only keep up the fight because we can not afford to sleep because if we sleep in our fight and our faith we will wake to find ourselves caught in the avalanche of history as all we value is swept away.
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