France is regressing toward an economic abyss.
None of this is political or economic… it’s a war beteeen the old and the young,
I’m almost 80 and collecting tons of benefits paid by taxation on those much younger than I,
THIS is the unspoken reality of the Obamacare 75 year old life span,
Boomers voted their interests, and politicians continue to cater to them in part because they are a wealthy generation and their political interests can be fairly easily addressed. Moving to socialism and taking an anti-capitalism punishment attitude is ultimately a losing strategy.
the present day. Dems rescued America from that Great Depression...and the Great Recession (brought on by GOP 'Laissez-Faire' policies)...without going to full on Socialism...or 'Communism'. Dems have also recognized the weak points of Capitalism with legislation like the Sherman and Clayton Anti-Trust Acts, etc. In other words, Capitalism requires "Adult Supervision".
She doesn't realize that a single payer government health care system means that doctors become federal employees and their earnings are set by DC bureaucrats.
She also resents the older generation and all the benefits they get... and that her taxes pay for... and for this reason she voted for the anti-Trump El-Sayed... even though she cannot explain what his policies are or how these will address the issues she cares about.
She just knows that gas prices are thru the roof and many of her recent college grad friends are having a tough time finding decent employment and none of them ever expects to buy a house.
Which begs the question... whatever happened to the children of Hamelin?
Link: https://www.bmj.com/careers/article/the-complete-guide-to-nhs-pay-for-doctors
with any other developed nation...without better overall health results. Most of those other countries have 'Hybrid' HC systems with government ensuring every citizen has basic coverage. Your daughter's complaints are closer to the truth than your perspective, due to a tax system that allows the wealthy to protect their gains while denying those who aren't any chance of accumulating wealth...more on that in another thread.
Once more...pick up a copy of Steven Brill's "America's Bitter Pill" from the library and learn how our HC system has evolved...and what his suggestions are for improvement. In the meantime, Google "Health Care Systems in Europe" to get a better understanding of those 'Hybrids'.
Link: https://www.pgpf.org/article/top-10-largest-budget-functions/
But, I also don't think your daughter is atypical of her generation in the myopia, the resentment, and the misplaced thinking guiding their decision making.
You and I are old enough to remember times when things weren't all buttercups and sunshine. People worked hard, they saved, they did without, and made sacrifices to attain the life they wanted. The current generation thinks that it was all easy sailing, but it wasn't. That belief coupled with the resentment and lack of work ethic will lead to even harder times.
My 19 YO voted for El Sayed because she thinks the Dems are better on the human rights aspects of immigration. Single issue voter.
the Middle and Lower Classes of citizens...read the attached article for a deeper insight...French Economist Thomas Piketty laid it out several years ago in his book "Capital in the Twenty-First Century".
Recall that the USA economy surged in the 1950's and 60's when Corporations and the Wealthiest Americans were subject to much higher taxes than now...and the CEO to Avg. Worker Compensation Ratio was ~30:1 as opposed to today's 300+:1.
We too need to pay off our debt...and just giving more to those who have more than enough already, isn't the answer.
Link: https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2026/10/23/frances-pouvoir-dachat-crisis/
And after they spend it... what'll we do next?
How will we pay all the entitlement benefits for the surge of retirements?
And who will be running the economy if we've eliminated the entrepreneurial class?
Bernie wants to nationalize Musk's companies... and leave future innovation to whom?
negotiations, crafted various legislations that produced a budget surplus and a decrease in our national debt...it really happened, in case you've forgotten.
Here's an AI summary of the strategy...and note that a measured increase on taxes for corps and the wealthiest was just part of it...proof that Dems are open minded, as opposed to MAGAs.
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AI Overview
The Clinton/Gore administration created a federal budget surplus through a combination of fiscal discipline, tax increases on higher-income earners, spending cuts, and a historic 1990s economic boom.
The primary policy drivers and factors included:
• The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993: Raised income tax rates for high earners, placed caps on federal spending, expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income workers, and mandated "pay-as-you-go" rules requiring new spending or tax cuts to be offset elsewhere.
• Defense Spending Cuts and Downsizing: Reduced defense spending following the end of the Cold War and trimmed the size of the federal civilian workforce to its lowest level in decades.
• The Balanced Budget Act of 1997: Partnered with a Republican-controlled Congress to cap spending further, enact targeted tax cuts (including capital gains reductions and the $500 child tax credit), and set a path to balance the federal budget.
• Economic Expansion and Capital Gains Revenue: A soaring 1990s technology and stock market boom generated a massive, unexpected surge in individual income tax and capital gains tax receipts.
As a result, the federal government achieved budget surpluses from fiscal years 1998 through 2001, peaking at over $230 billion in FY 2000
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property tax to fund schools even though my children are in their 30s.
Remember, in the U.S. only about half the population pay federal income tax.
Permanently.
And suicide is not just being pushed on the elderly. (And yes, when you offer suicide as a reasonable option to a vulnerable patient, you are pushing it).
As w abortion a few decades ago, they sold the euthanasia option as a rare, special circumstances occurrence . Now it is common place and on demand, if not encouraged.
The mentally ill are given the ultimate opt out instead of treatment - which is a big help to their much bragged about national healthcare system.
Horrific and sad.
We need to do better.
In your example, France has a finite balance of resources. Housing, schools, infrastructure, government funds. They cannot overload the system and "save everyone."
The same is true of all sovereign nations, and the leftists want to throw up obstacles to managing the flow in a way that protects their citizens and society. Their solution, of course, is to call everyone who raises these concerns "fascists."
