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Memo To Congress: French Riots Show Why U.S. Carbon Tax Should Be A Non-Starter
IBD ^ | 12/05/2018

Posted on 12/05/2018 7:01:44 AM PST by SeekAndFind

They call themselves the "Gilets Jaunes," or yellow vests, in French. They're mostly young, male and extremely angry, and they've been marching in the streets and rioting in Paris and elsewhere, protesting yet another bunch of taxes on gasoline in the government's never-ending battle against global warming. Who says no one cares about climate change? If you think of the French as people who will suffer any indignity in the name of more government, think again. Many young French, watching their standards of living decline under a socialist president's high taxes, are fed up. This latest round of taxes on already outrageous fuel prices was the proverbial straw breaking a dromedary's back.

"A protest against rising taxes and the high cost of living turned into a riot in the French capital, as activists wearing yellow jackets torched cars, smashed windows, looted stores and tagged the Arc de Triomphe with multi-colored graffiti," the AP reported of Saturday's riots.

Some 263 people were injured, including dozens of police, and the government made hundreds of arrests, after an estimated 36,000 people took to the streets on Saturday. Even unions are upset, seeing possible damage to the economy from the demonstrations.

With a growing awareness it was losing the battle for public opinion, the French government on Tuesday folded, announcing it would "temporarily" suspend its carbon-tax plan, set to go into effect in January.

"No tax is worth putting in danger the unity of the nations," said French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, announcing the suspension.

French Riots: A Tax Revolt

That's quite a u-turn for the prideful French socialist government. But then, the whole experience of Socialist President Emannuel Macron finding out that not everything he believes is shared by average citizens has been humbling.

(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: carbontax; france; globalwarming; riots

1 posted on 12/05/2018 7:01:44 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

The French were rioting over a gas tax? Who knew? It sure looks like they are angry over the invasion of Muslims Marcon has unleashed on them.


2 posted on 12/05/2018 7:06:55 AM PST by jmaroneps37 (Conservatism is truth. Liberal is lies.)
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To: jmaroneps37

I think the gas tax is the last straw.


3 posted on 12/05/2018 7:19:11 AM PST by freedumb2003 (As always IMHO)
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To: SeekAndFind

And once again the French government does what it does best -surrender!


4 posted on 12/05/2018 7:21:59 AM PST by Towed_Jumper
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To: jmaroneps37
It sure looks like they are angry over the invasion of Muslims Marcon has unleashed on them.

They are all parts of the same overall collectivist ideology and globalist plan. And at some level, the French are aware of this too. The French I know will all repeat the standard leftist slogans, but they also realize what the Muslim/African invasion has done to their country. Most French I know are too cognitively conflicted to act, but some are starting to get.

5 posted on 12/05/2018 7:25:09 AM PST by PGR88
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To: SeekAndFind
Congress isn't afraid if us. Look how they plan to spend the next two years. Not sure what would change their feeble, angry little minds, perhaps shed some light on reality...


6 posted on 12/05/2018 7:26:14 AM PST by bk1000 (I stand with Trump)
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To: Towed_Jumper
And once again the French government does what it does best -surrender! You are a moron.
7 posted on 12/05/2018 7:28:23 AM PST by IWontSubmit (2)
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To: SeekAndFind

The French have one of the smallest percapita “carbon” footprints of the developed world thanks to nuclear power. Not that I give a sh!t about anyone’s “carbon” foot print.


8 posted on 12/05/2018 7:30:28 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: SeekAndFind

It already is starting.

Eco nazi regs have already infiltrated auto and appliances, keeping basic life more expensive, hence puahing the middle class down and keeping the lower class from advancing.

The only diff in France is they did a big hike in one jump.

The only lesson here for american socialists is to keep it “right sized” incrementally “progressive”. That’s why there haven’t been riots here.


9 posted on 12/05/2018 7:30:40 AM PST by fruser1
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To: jmaroneps37
The French were rioting over a gas tax? Who knew? It sure looks like they are angry over the invasion of Muslims Marcon has unleashed on them.

How so? Where are you getting this from?

There's a reason protestors are wearing yellow vests and it has nothing to do with Muslims. People in France who drive vehicles for a living in any capacity are required to carry yellow vests in case of emergencies. The protest was started by drivers.

I don't know where you are interpreting that this is an anti-Muslim protest.

10 posted on 12/05/2018 7:35:41 AM PST by Drew68
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To: bk1000

Something’s missing from that picture.....


11 posted on 12/05/2018 7:37:35 AM PST by Roccus (When you talk to a politician...ANY politician...always say, "Remember Ceausescu")
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To: SeekAndFind

Call it a CONTRIBUTION and let all the simpleminded Liberals and Democrats pay it voluntarily!

If you believe this hoax PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS?

A movement needs to start, targeting Hollywood big mouths and Tech Companies like Google and Facebook, where all the leftists convinced of climate change MUST start paying for what they believe in. Between them they could contribute BILLIONS of their own to get things rolling. PROVE it makes a difference and maybe the rest will get on board.


12 posted on 12/05/2018 7:44:41 AM PST by LeonardFMason (426)
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To: SeekAndFind
They call themselves the "Gilets Jaunes," or yellow vests, in French. They're mostly young, male and extremely angry,

Stopped reading at the first line

The Yellow Vests protest is mostly middle class, farmers, builders, truck and transport drivers.

The "mostly young" don't own cars

The "mostly young" are anarchists and communists who want to take over the movement.

13 posted on 12/05/2018 7:52:10 AM PST by spokeshave2 (The Paradigm has shifted...the New World Order is Trumpian.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Taxes on energy sources are ultimately consumer taxes. Theoretically, a “carbon tax” could not be applied to any fuel supply based entirely on hydrogen.

Unfortunately, we do not have any hydrogen mines, and the common forms of combined hydrogen are just about all tied up in carbon compounds, or as a part of compounds that do not easily release their hydrogen content.

We are stuck with the burning of hydrocarbon fuels as an energy source for perhaps decades, if not centuries, to come.

Cheaply generated electricity, from whatever source, may be the answer, but so far, the insistence on greatly regulating every phase of electrical production has stymied the realization of this objective.

Nuclear-powered electric generation plants? The development of uranium-powered power plants has come to a standstill, with a virtual prohibition of construction of any new plants, and the gradual phasing out of the existing ones. Hydroelectric power generation has also been largely stopped from further development, and the blowing up of existing power dams proceeds in the name of “preserving” endangered species that cannot adapt to the changed conditions.

Solar power generation is limited to daylight hours of bright sunshine only with existing technology, and wind power generation is limited as to where it may be applied geographically. And neither of these two alternatives is exactly efficient as to the amount of real estate necessary to even set either up.


14 posted on 12/05/2018 9:33:21 AM PST by alloysteel (Man does not live by bread alone. He needs chocolate cake too.)
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To: SeekAndFind

A UN report calls for carbon taxes that would raise gasoline taxes in the United States to $240 per gallon by 2100. Should the Democratic Socialists running the Democrat Party succeed in pushing even half of that gasoline tax there would be a bloody guillotine on the Washington Mall.


15 posted on 12/05/2018 9:40:01 AM PST by The Great RJ ("Socialists are happy until they run out of other people's money." Margaret Thatcher)
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To: SeekAndFind

I wonder if Elon Musk is paying attention to this. Tesla is close to going over the 200,000 car mark and is thus going to be losing their government subsidy. Looks to me like they have found a new market for their product. All of the EU (not just France) is going to be taxing the crap out of their gas. Having electric cars just might start looking attractive to the yellow vesters!!


16 posted on 12/05/2018 9:46:31 AM PST by Old Teufel Hunden
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