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FRANCE -
Article published the Wednesday 20 October 2010 - Latest update : Friday 22 October 2010

Are the French a bunch of lazy slackers?

By Tony Cross (/auteur/tony-cross)

The French - if they’re not on strike,

they’re taking long holidays or
having extra days off thanks to the
35-hour week. That’s a widespread
view, as can be seen from comments
on RFI’s reports of the strikes
against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s
pension reforms. But do the
statistics bear it out? Youths clash with police during protests in Lyon, 19 October
Reuters/Robert Pratta

No-one could deny that France has a combative labour movement, especially when
right-wing parties are in power and, as the unions see it, trying to take back gains won by
years of struggle (http://www.english.rfi.fr/visiting-france/20101021-blanqui-revolutionary-who-has-boulevard-
named-after-him) .

DOSSIER: EUROZONE IN And international media headlines often give the impression
CRISIS of a country wracked by industrial conflict, which must surely
be bringing the economy to its knees.

So is France heading for ruin – a world champion in strikes

and lazing around and a world loser in wealth production?
(/economy/20100628-eurozone-
crisis)

Here’s what the figures show:

Strikes: The world leader in days lost in strikes in 2009 was … Canada. Its score was 2.2
million, according to the UK journal The Economist (http://www.economist.com/node/16976532) .
Next came South Africa with 1.5 million. France came third with 1.4 million. France comes
top of the European league table for the period 2005-2009, according to the European
Foundation for the improvement of Living and Working Conditions
(http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/docs/eiro/tn1004049s/tn1004049s.pdf?bcsi_scan_846D48DCFEDCED4C=0&

bcsi_scan_filename=tn1004049s.pdf) . But in 2008 its efforts were dwarfed by Denmark, thanks to a

strike wave (http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/ws98/ws54_denmark.html) , one of whose demands was a
35-hour working week. The damage to the economy is not as high as might be expected,
judging by statistics from 2005 when a three-week strike cut 0.05 of a point from the growth
rate, according to the Finance Ministry.

Hours worked: French workers work an average of 1,453 hours a year, well below the
OECD group of developed nations' average (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Oecd-yearly-average-
hours-work-countries.svg) of just over 1,700 hours a year but above Germany and Norway
(http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/lab_hou_wor-labor-hours-worked) (1,337), Sweden (1316) and the
Netherlands (1309). South Koreans work the longest hours in the OECD at 2,390 per year.

Retirement: At present French women can retire (http://fr.news.yahoo.com/3/20101019/img/pwl-

retirement-age-9c5ee1a-63879004ef5d.html) at the same age (http://fr.news.yahoo.com/3/20101019/img/pwl-
retirement-age-9c5ee1a-63879004ef5d.html) as women in Italy, South Korea, Hungary, the UK, Greece
and Poland but earlier than Turks and Czechs. Men have the lowest minimum retirement age
in the OECD. The government's proposals will bring them in line with Czechs and
Hungarians and raise the age that retirees can claim the full pension to 67, provided they
have paid over 40 years of contributions.

GDP: France’s Gross Domestic Product has doubled in the last 20 years. It was over 2000

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billion euros in 2009, according to the IMF (http://forums.imf.org/showthread.php?p=9519) and the

World Bank (http://forums.imf.org/showthread.php?p=9519) . That puts it fifth in the world league
table, behind the US, Japan, China and Germany and just ahead of the UK. Over the same
period, there has been a 10 per cent shift of the share of GDP (http://www.insee.fr/fr/publications-
et-services/dossiers_web/partage_VA/rapport_partage_VA.pdf) from salaries to profits.

Productivity: French workers’ productivity has risen five times (http://www.insee.fr/fr/indicateurs

/cnat_annu/base_2000/biens_services/xls/t_2211.xls) since 1960. Although it has fallen slightly over
the last two years thanks to the recession, it is expected to double again (http://www.cor-retraites.fr
/IMG/pdf/doc-1327.pdf) over the next 20 years. GDP per hour worked (http://stats.oecd.org
/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=LEVEL) is lower than in the US and Ireland but higher than in many
countries, including the UK, Germany and Japan.

Debt: France has the sixth highest public deficit (http://www.english.rfi.fr/europe/20100628-debts-

and-deficits-europe) in Europe in percentage terms, at 8.2 per cent. The US’s deficit reached 12.5
per cent (http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/federal_deficit_chart.html) in 2009. The debt of French
households (http://www.fxstreet.com/news/forex-news/article.aspx?storyid=360352d9-96ea-4d95-a57c-
6290d7f775af) was 89.1 per cent of income in 2006, according to the OECD. In Britain and the
United States that ratio stood at 168.5 percent and 139.7 percent respectively.

Unemployment: French unemployment (http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=z9a8a3sje0h8ii_&

met=unemployment_rate&idim=eu_country:FR&dl=fr&hl=fr&q=taux+de+chomage+france) stands at 10 per
cent, the average for the eurozone (http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&language=en&
pcode=teilm020&tableSelection=1&plugin=1) . As in other industrialised countries, the figure has been
pushed up by the recession but was already relatively high at 8.2 per cent in 2001. US
unemployment stood at 9.6 per cent in June 2010.

Click here for RFI's "Hidden Paris" series. Part I - How a leafy Paris boulevard
came to be named after a left-wing extremist (http://www.english.rfi.fr/visiting-france
/20101021-blanqui-revolutionary-who-has-boulevard-named-after-him)

TAGS: GDP (/TAG/GDP-1) - GERMANY (/TAG/GERMANY) - LABOUR (/TAG/LABOUR) - NICOLAS SARKOZY (/TAG/NICOLAS-SARKOZY) -
SOUTH KOREA (/TAG/SOUTH-KOREA) - STRIKE (/TAG/STRIKE-0) - TRADE UNIONS (/TAG/TRADE-UNIONS) - UNEMPLOYMENT
(/TAG/UNEMPLOYMENT) - UNITED KINGDOM (/TAG/UNITED-KINGDOM) - UNITED STATES (/TAG/UNITED-STATES-0)

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COMMENTS (182)

Tthe french are not lazy slackers (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-7238)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Mon, 2010-10-25 20:44.

France has been a country of culture and thinkers . It is a bastion of the western civilazation. Also the recent riots
can be seen as a response of social and economic imbalances in the french society.The ever growing Muslim
populaton in France represents a force that will compound with that society.Is France culture and society becoming
more Muslim ? Is Muslim culture part of french culture? As an outsider that admires France these are some of the
questions that come to mind when visiting areas of that beautiful country.

The French have a high (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-7001)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Sun, 2010-10-24 08:56.

The French have a high respect for quality of life. They seem to understand that you are not given a job, but that
you trade hours of your day to help society and should be fairly compensated. Kudos for them. I only wish that
Americans would wake up to the double speak that is going on, but they are too busy watching reality TV shows.
Thank these workers for not allowing the Unions to fade. I am so proud of the French.

Most of the above anti French Comments (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-6923)

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Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Sun, 2010-10-24 03:30.

The largest bank by capitalization is Societe Generalle. That is for starts. Airbus is primarily a French company and
it proved that in the most recent defining showdown with the Germans, when the French computer programs and
engineering approaches were adopted. I often travel from Paris to Brussels, first class in 1 hour fifteen minutes for
about fifty dollars.. I was last seen at the Neurological Institute of Marseilles (dual citizenship), a gleaming vast
complex near the center of the city, for five euro TOTAL. The three and a half hour appointment included three
x-rays, an MRI and a consultation by no less than the department head. Wrap your minds around that. The largest
engineering firm in the world (think channel tunnel) is French (Vinci SA). It by the way owns half the parking lots in
the US. About 20% of the wind turbines in the US are being leased from Energies de France, and the same
company runs the largest Nuclear Power Grid in the world that has NEVER had a single accident. On my last trip to
Paris my sister bet me that we would see more than ten homeless people during our four day stay while driving all
over Paris. She lost. The people are uniformly well clothed, calm, and formal. The women do not look like call girls
and the young people have very little to do with the deplorable state that youth in this country present. You people
should go to France, you should stay there for a month and then come back and see what it feels like when you
land at JFK. THIRD WORLD. People shabbily dressed, confusion, noise, stench. Charles De Gaule Airport on the
other hand has to be experienced to be believed, and such an elevating experience it is. You people just don't know
what you are talking about. The French are the sort of people who save money under their mattresses, pass on the
family home from generation to generation and were paying bills on a French internet in 1974 when we did not even
have computers through a very simple system of dial coding on the telephones coupled with their television sets.
You people are just plain ignorant. Why don't you go to your local bank, draw out whatever you have left and buy
some derivatives and pretend that you are "doing" something while the "slaggard" French "Frogs" are just lying
around living off the fat of a very well balanced, very efficient society powered by.....EDUCATION. And yes, if you
tell them that you do not believe in evolution they will most certain reply, "you must be American". And as to the
French being fops, they won the first world war. Wake up, six million of them died. And when it came time for the
Brits to pony up in Normandy, they played the "Brit" card and ran and swam the channel to "Fortress Britain" leaving
the totally betrayed French to fight the full might of the Panzer divisions pouring in through neutral Belgium and the
Netherlands. Really, I may sound upset, but you people really have no sense of the world you are living in and as a
consequence of your greed and ignorance you are delivering us to the hands of your bankers, the Chinese.

re: Most of the Above anti-French comments (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-7070)
Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Sun, 2010-10-24 17:27.

There is no reason for anyone to insult the French, Americans or anyone else on this forum. We are here to
discuss a topic and should all be mature adults. Throwing insults is immature and clearly shows ignorance and
lack of any good argument to utilize. As far as the homeless are concerned, every country has them. I travel a
lot on business and pleasure. I go to Europe and Asia several times per year. I was in Paris 9/2-9/12 to visit a
dear French friend from college. Yes, I am a stupid American with an MBA from University of Virginia and also
studied at Sorbonne during my college years. You will be shocked, but I speak almost fluent French
considering it's been 18 years since I last studied French. I was surprised at seeing people sleeping in the
subway stations during the evening and also asking for spare change. And the young people hopping the
subway turnstiles. No wonder horse stall doors are needed to enclose the turnstiles. We don't have them in the
United States. Most were Arabic/African. Clearly you have only travelled to NYC which is not indicative of the
entire United States. We have 50 states and each is different. That's the reason half of our population does not
have a passport. We have plenty of places to visit in our own country, and can drive for 7 days and still never
leave our borders. I live in Chicago where the streets are washed weekly. We are the cleanest big city in the
USA (cleaner than Paris), but that's because our mayor values order and cleanliness. Our late mayor Richard
Daley gave the "shoot to kill" order to the Chicago Police during the Democratic National Convention in 1968
when riots broke out. Our women do not look like call girls. In regards to dress, Americans are more casual
when they are on vacation or not at work. We also prefer to be comfortable in jeans and sneakers. I was
shocked at how many people seem to prefer jeans and sneakers in Paris! Supposedly the best dressed people
next to the Italians on earth. My hardworking French friend hates the lazy, selfish minority whom went on strike
causing trouble for the public. She had to go to work each day and navigate the streets for miles when she
normally depends on the subway system. The majority of French are hardworking, decent people trying to
make a living to feed their families and enjoy their personal lives. J'aime beaucoup la France. I also like the
French people whom are kind and helpful. Even Parisians when approached with respect. Like any big city
residents, they are in a hurry. As far as WWI, the French fought bravely and courageously, and suffered
horrendous casualties of 1.6 million killed soldiers, but American assistance helped to defeat the Germans. The
French could not have continued the war and won without the Yanks. Check your facts mon ami. Even your
own President acknowledged this fact during his 2007 speech at U.S. Congress. History was my minor in
college so we can discuss all day long. This is the reason that the French army capitulated so quickly during
WWII. France was exhausted. The French never recovered from such devastating losses suffered in the first
world war. 1 out of 4 French households lost a brother, son, husband, etc. Plus there were 80 million Germans
vs. 40 million Frenchmen in terms of industrial capacity during WWII. A David vs. Goliath fight. The Germans
should have picked on someone their own size instead of bullying the outnumbered French. For those
uninformed Americans, the French resistance courageously fought against the occupying Germans by
obtaining vital intelligence for the Allies regarding missile/weapons locations, conducted acts of sabotage
against the German military, rescued and smuggled thousands of downed U.S. and British pilots safely out of
the country, etc. For each pilot, it meant possibly risking the lives of at least 7 French persons. The resistance
did all this and more without weapons of their own. The only weapons that the resistance could utilize were
arms captured from killed Germans. As far as your beef with the British, it goes back more than one thousand
years. I won't get involved in that argument. I think the problem for France in the future will be it's Muslim
population and it's unrestricted immigration. I hope that I am wrong. Vive La France!

I almost forgot... (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-7133)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Sun, 2010-10-24 22:58.

For my uninformed fellow American countrymen whom choose to ignorantly bash the French, here's a
reminder for you. The French are our oldest ally and we have never been to war against each other. We
cannot say the same about our other allies - Great Britain, Spain, Mexico, Germany, etc. Have you
forgotten that the French gifted the beautiful Statue of Liberty whom stands in the New York harbor to us?
We would NEVER have won our independence against Great Britain in 1776 without the generous
assistance of our French friends. The French King Louis XVI gave 6 million dollars and 50,000 French
troops along with his French Navy to aid our cause due to a request by our hero General Lafayette whom
was French on behalf of a desperate George Washington and U.S. Congress. The Americans had no
money or naval force. I am tired of hearing how supposedly ungrateful the French are for our assistance
during WWII. Clearly these words are spoken by Americans whom have never set foot on French soil. We
simply repaid our debt to the French by coming to their aid and we are both even. As a college student
studying at Sorbonne for one year in 1993, I had plenty of time to explore France. In a small town in the
Normandy region, I was dumbstruck when I stumbled upon two French homes flying the US flag. Unlike
Americans, the French rarely display even their own flag. Many small towns in the Normandy area also fly
the Stars and Stripes in the center of town. The French land on which the beautiful American cemetery in
Normandy sits was gifted in perpetuity to the US government and is immaculately maintained. Did you
know many Frenchmen wearing AMERICAN uniforms fought alongside Allied infantry forces liberating
France in 1944? General Eisenhower estimated these French forces amounted to at least ten American
divisions. These French comrades wore our uniforms because they were our allies and friends. Vive La
France and L'Amerique!!!

Americans=capitalism (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6914)
Submitted by F.E. (not verified) on Sun, 2010-10-24 00:49.

American people have their brain washed with capitalism! That is so sad!

freedom (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6824)
Submitted by Fariborz on Sat, 2010-10-23 11:02.

this punishment for voting sanction against IRAN. France needs a new Revolution

THE FRENCH ARE LIVING OFF THE GERMANS (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-6803)
Submitted by ABDELKADER EL HAMDAOUI (not verified) on Sat, 2010-10-23 08:20.

There's nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure especially the pleasure of rioting so as to avoid

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working. Thank goodness for the real working class minority who are creative, intelligent, enterprising and
resourceful enough to keep France going and thanks to Mr Sarkozy for daring to do what should be done. The
French people can't go on constantly depending on the Germans and occasionally rescued by the English not to
mention liberated by the Americans. French students today, just as students before them have no shame.

LAZY SODS (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6797)

Submitted by ABDELKADER EL HAMDAOUI (not verified) on Sat, 2010-10-23 07:13.

Just goes to show how dichotomous the French (and Spaniards) are to the work ethical British, Dutch, German, Irish
and Northern Europeans who would prefer to work as long as they possibly can and have to be forced to retire
unlike the lazy sods looking to retire and get their pension and then sit around doing nothing before they are 70.

Who Are These Negative People? (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6746)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 22:51.

Wow! For a French newspaper, there sure are a lot of anti-French comments here! Most of the comments are so
negative, they sound like -- Americans? I thought we just hated ourselves. I guess we get around!

Reading is Overrated (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6731)

Submitted by Anonyme on Fri, 2010-10-22 22:07.

Here's a sure-fire way to tell if the Drudge Report linked to an article...have a look at the comments, and see if
there's a lot of fringe-right comments that bear no relation to the content of the article. They're saying that they're
more productive than the U.S., morons. I'm just shocked these people kept the spelling error count low enough that I
could read the comments.

Insults are often used when (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6815)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Sat, 2010-10-23 09:39.

Insults are often used when one is out of arguments... and not so smart ...

Spoiled children!! (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6728)

Submitted by Stan D'Mann (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 22:04.

Dang Cheeze-eating surrender monkeys!! You need to "MAN UP" and work!! It's no wonder your country has
become a 3rd rate world power. Get off your lazy butts & work!

Oh my - if this statement (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-7202)

Submitted by Wookie (not verified) on Mon, 2010-10-25 15:07.

Oh my - if this statement isn't ironic then it's profoundly ignorant. Are childlike slogans the best you can
contribute to this discussion? Thanks for reinforcing the world's already low opinion of American intelligence.

Les Enfant du Europe y Vraiment La France (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-6722)
Submitted by searic (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:55.

Come ON! Everybody with a brain who reads knows that Europeans in general and the Froggy-frogs in particular
are childish imbeciles.
The French (with the single exception of DeGaulle) haven't produced a great man since Napoleon. (I do have some
respect for le monsieur Sarkozy, but he's not actually French!)
Other than at least some of the now-free Eastern Europeans who have practical knowledge of the reality of statist,
socialist regimes, the entire continent is full of (probably the majority) people who don't want to work or oppose
agressor states in the world but DO want their governments to take care of them like the spoiled little boys and girls
they are. They also since WWII have let the US give the money, sweat, and blood to keep their European bodies
safe from the Soviets while they apent like 1% of their GNP on defense.
How can ANYBODY with a brain have respect for the way most Europeans ignore economic and international reality
and throw temper tantrums when that reality come home to roost?
BTW I don't oppose his Highness, the Mahdi/Messiah President Obobo because he is black. It's because he
THINKS AND ACTS like a Frenchman!
Oh, and froggie/woggies eat SNAILS, too! (OK, OK, generally, la cuisine Francaise est le meilleure dans le monde,
but that's the ONLY thing they're good at!)

Are the French a bunch of lazy slackers? (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-6716)
Submitted by TW (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:52.

Are the French a bunch of lazy slackers?

Why yes, they are.

not slackers! (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6890)

Submitted by stephen miller (not verified) on Sat, 2010-10-23 20:06.

The French gov't, like the others in the west and us, shelled out billions to make the banksters whole again.
Then the banksters turned around and demanded austerity measures- aka a squeeze on the middle class- as a
price for continuing to buy gov't bonds. The retirement age issue, for example, is really about unemployment
and jobs. French companies cannot lay off workers just to goose the profit figures and stock prices; French
workers generally stay a very long time with an employer, so if the top age level sees it's retirement postponed
by two years, that means middle level employees do not get promoted up to fill the slots, and recent hires are
not moved up to middle positions, and recruitment of recent graduates stalls. That is why the students are out
there striking with the workers. Having a lower retirement age than other western capitalist states, along with a
shorter work week (35 hrs) and longer vacation times, was a way of boosting employment levels while at the
same time giving people more time to spend with their families. Cutting these back to satisfy bond-buyers will
reduce the quality of life and boost unemployment, particularly among the young just starting out in their
careers and families.

The non-productive riding the backs of the productive (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-6698)
Submitted by TOM (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:23.

The non-productive can ride on the backs of the productive for only so long. The producer, as soon as it becomes
evident that he can no longer benifit from his working harder than others, Ceases to over produce---and overall
production falls. This results in less support for the freeloaders. Simple psychology and basic economics. Either the
freeloaders must eventually work themselves OR the producers are forced to work at gunpoint as slaves.---A
common end result of Socialisim.

free money (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6734)

Submitted by Deacon Crunk (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 22:09.

TRU-DAT!!!!

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SLACKING IN FRANCE' (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6695)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:19.

These union folks in France are the example of what our government union folks are destined to become, elitism is
a wasted way to think, especially when mixed with years of socialism. The U.S. is verging on experiencing the very
same attitude of unwillingness to put the country ahead of selfishness and inepetitude, the uncompromising childish
delusional thinking that bad policy has had no effect and that government is the answer to all these plague like
issues, that personal responsibility has no place. La La land is great until you run out of other peoples
money.....Maggie Thatcher was years ahead of you.

French mentality out of synch (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6692)

Submitted by anonymous from Kansas ,USA (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:17.

Modern times require ever occuring adaptations to society needs. French mentality seems obstinate to recognize
that evolution in civilazation requires changing the way they think. . They are the casualties of their own mindset.
Their response to change is massive and disruptive striking. A country of glory has become a society of spoiled
laggards. Only collective effort can help advance a country in crisis.

The Hammock at Versailles (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6689)

Submitted by Caligula (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:15.

Yes, they are lazy these days. I highly doubt that in the days the French were building the Arc de Triomphe,
Concierge, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame de Paris, and so forth, they were lazy. Those were the days the adults
acted like adults and got the jobs done no matter how long it took. Oh how the mighty Gauls have fallen. (It is more
like little Saudi Arabia these days.)

lol (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6836)
Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Sat, 2010-10-23 12:49.

lol

Are governments a bunch of crooked parasites? (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-6674)
Submitted by Angry Voter (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 20:46.

Yes, governments are a bunch of crooked parasites.

In the US 80% of all assets by value are now owned by just 10% of the population. Even more is held in off shore
accounts.

Government taxes are used to make the rich richer and murder the poor all around the world to steal their
resources.

The French workers are the only ones standing up to the parasite class, which is to say government.

Bank assets should simply be seized, the bankers and politicians that work for them thrown into forced labor camps.

you ort not talk that way, you just a boy (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-
lazy-slackers#comment-6740)
Submitted by Deacon Crunk (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 22:14.

I assume like most people in the free world you have a bank account or maybe even a house that you are
probably paying a mortgage for. So if Uncle Sam seizes bank assets that means your money and your house,
fool.

Where do I start? First, the (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6719)

Submitted by biffula (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:54.

Where do I start? First, the only thing I agree with you on is that govt. is indeed filled with crooked parasites.
Second, Where is your proof that 80% of all assets are owned by 10% of the population? In the U.S. home
ownership is king and most homes are owned by individual owners. So I doubt your statistic. Third, taxes are
used for the opposite. They are used to redistribute wealth from the rich to the poor. The top 50% of wage
earners pay 96% of all income taxes. The bottom 44% pay no income taxes. You can check this at the U.S.
bureau of labor and statistics. Check that along this statistic: almost the exact same # of people that pay no
income tax get some sort of govt. hand out. Fourth, the French workers arent the only stupid ones, Denmark
and other countries routinely strike more than the frogs. Lastly, is taking money from the banks going to
do?!?!? Last time I checked, no one forces a banker to use a bank. Who we need to string up are the
politicians who bail the banks out. If a bank becomes insolvent, then you seize it and auction off what's left.
We're finally figuring out that politicians spend too much of our money in the U.S. and are starting to vote the
bums out. We'll see if they learn their lesson.

Slackers? (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6668)
Submitted by ragnarb (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 20:27.

Yes, but then what's wrong with enjoying life at the expense of others?

They Have A Life (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6665)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 20:25.

To be honest, how many of us have so few real interests in life other than working for someone else? I don't know
about you but I don't live to work, I only work because I have to to earn money to do the things in life I actually like to
do. The French can enjoy life more than, say Americans, because they have formed a government and institution
that values people enjoying their lives more than concentrating extreme wealth into the hands of the very few who in
turn enjoy life far more than the worker bees. You only have a finite amount of time on the Earth to enjoy life and do
things you really care about so I take my hats off to the French and say pull the whole carpet out from your country if
you have to become even more of a slave to your jobs. Set an example to the rest of the world. There is plenty of
money out there concentrated in the hands of the very privileged to keep economies running and strong so don't
buy into this BS you need to give up more of your lives and happiness to serve others you probably could care less
about. That is not important to you though those that make money off your labor would sure like you to think
different. Keep with your values and you will keep what you've earned!!

Policy caused bank insolvency (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6620)

Submitted by Caligula (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 19:16.

It was Western government policies that created the bank insolvency in the U.S. and worldwide. Don't blame it on
the banks. Blame it on the corrupt politicians who are bought and paid for by public and private interests and use
the public treasury as a spoils system to award the highest bidder. This is the reason large, centralized
governments, e.g. Socialist governments don't work. They have to much power concentrated in one place, and
absolute power corrupts absolutely.

surrender monkeys (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6677)

Submitted by simple mainer (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 20:50.

I'm not anti french. I own a 30 y/o Renault and it's a great car, however there is a reason that the Tanks
manufactured in France had one forward gear and 5 in reverse. Cheese eating surrender monkey's best
describes them. Their problem is simple, they have simply run out of other peoples money to spend

Question From America: (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6617)

Submitted by AttilaShrugs (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 19:11.

Who are rioting? What is effect on the Muslim population? What role do the Muslims have in the street violence?

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who cares? (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6671)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 20:36.

Why should anyone care about the effect on the Muslim population. How about caring about the effect on the
ENTIRE Population.

Yes Yes Yes (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6596)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 18:54.

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

South Korea (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6581)

Submitted by natb1 (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 18:49.

"South Koreans work the longest hours in the OECD at 2,390 per year."

This explains their ability to break into the highly competitive automobile and electronics market. Its paying off for
them now.

Why the aversion to work? Work is to be enjoyed. What is wrong with a healthy balance of work, sleep, and
pleasure?

France has constructed a comfortable lifestyle for itself, but they dont want to look at the books. Are they content to
borrow for today, and not worry about tomorrow? Would they smash windows and burn cars if more taxes were
purposed? Why not institute a 85% tax? Wouldn't that solve their economic problems?

French lazy slackers? (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6575)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 18:36.

No, the French are lazy, slacking, cheese-eating surrender monkeys. Freedom fries forever.

Lazy: No. Burdened by history and skeptical: yes. (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-6572)
Submitted by Steve in Texas (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 18:30.

The French have had some of the greatest thinkers and the worst leaders in the history of civilization. Any wonder it
is so easy for the Unions to whip up these massive strikes, even though they are wrong this time.

Who gets the money (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6569)

Submitted by Mark (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 18:29.

The peoples money has been taken by bankers and the financial services industry.
The people of France want their money back.
The government should not sacrifice the pensions to the average person, who pay high taxes to get those pensions,
to fund the bank bailout.

Given that many of the (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6638)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 19:54.

Given that many of the "protesters" are students - even high school students - how long exactly have they been
paying high taxes? Is France so screwed up that soak even kids for money?

Lazy no, Delusional yes (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6515)

Submitted by Sean Michael (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 17:47.

So if I understand correctly there are a million French rioting and destroying property because they want to go to
university till they're 25, work 35 hours a week for 35 years, have less children than the previous generation and
then have their retirement funded until they die. Can't see how that plan won't be a winner.

Anyone relying on any government to cover retirement is foolish. Retirement is not attained by reaching an age but
by acquiring and saving enough wealth to fund a life without income. But hey, if that doesn't sound good your nation
could always rely on immigration to create the tax revenues needed. Come to think of it why don't all the French just
retire now, regardless of age, and import millions of more people to pay taxes for them? That track seems to have
already been laid and working splendidly to date.

You should read the article (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6644)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 20:02.

You should read the article before making comments.,

First,the retirement age is 65,not 60,so if a person starts working at 25 they will have worked 40 yrs,not 35.
Second,the goverment does not "cover" anyone's retirement fund since a worker needs to pay into the system
for a minimum of forty years. ( How many people are going to live to be 105 yrs old,meaning they will not be
drawing from the system for as long as they are required to pay into it.)
Clearly,you do not understand correctly.

You are the one who is (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6707)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:39.

You are the one who is incorrect. The unrest is over the plan to raise the retirement age to 62 from the
current 60- not 65 as you stated. Read other articles. Also, the retirees take out far more on average than
they ever payed in to the system. Going forward there are less paying in and more taking out which will be
unsustainable in the long run. You can't continue to borrow money to pay current benefits forever. At some
point it will implode and everyone will suffer.

French retirement (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6701)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 21:24.

age 65? Didn't I read '60' and 1453 hours/year actually is 27.94 hr/week (52-wk year and 29 for a 50-wk
year). Nice.

Well said!!! (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6578)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 18:49.

Well said!!!

Yes, they are (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6503)

Submitted by Jason (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 17:42.

As someone who managed a team in France for years, my experience is they are rather lazy. For 9 months out of
the year the team was relatively productive. However, when July rolls around the work slowed to the pace of a
crawl, knowing vacation time was coming in just a few short weeks. In August, obviously, they were no where to be
found and in September they seemed to take several weeks to hit their 'stride' again. I don't care what this article
says, relative to Americans, Canadians or Brits they're just lazy as a 10 year old Labrador retriever and don't seem
to take nearly as much pride in retrieving a 'bird'.

are the french lazy (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6488)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 17:36.

Some are, some aren't, just like any other place. But, if you work 40 years what is wrong with being able to retire at
62 ? It used to be that way in the US. Now, in the US there is talk of working to 70 to get retirement benefits from
Social Security. 70 ? Really ? The avg life span in the US is 76. So you're suppose to work, retire for 6 glorious

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years, then die ?

Also, it's France. I'm an American. What France does has zip to do with me. We've got our own problems to deal with
before we start declaring others 'lazy' or whatever.

"But, if you work 40 years (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6602)

Submitted by Brett Stahlman (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 19:01.

"But, if you work 40 years what is wrong with being able to retire at 62?"

What's wrong with it? Well, nothing if you've worked and saved enough to be able to do so. Unfortunately, most
of the French who are clamoring for retirement at 60 have not done so; rather, they are expecting someone
else to give up what he has earned to make their dream of early retirement a reality. Whether that someone
else is rich or not makes no difference: expecting someone else to provide for one's needs is not only lazy, but
immoral - all the more so when the need is more a desire than a need, and the individual is perfectly capable of
working harder to realize the desire on his own.

base your comments on fact thanks! (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-

lazy-slackers#comment-6812)
Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Sat, 2010-10-23 09:37.

'Unfortunately, most of the French who are clamoring for retirement at 60 have not done so; rather, they
are expecting someone else to give up what he has earned to make their dream of early retirement a
reality.'

To retire with benefits, one has to have worked 40 years ...

The avg lifespan in the US in (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6599)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 18:56.

The avg lifespan in the US in 1940 was 62; you were supposed to be dead before collecting any SS.

No problem retiring at 62 (/economy/20101020-are-french-bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6560)

Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 18:27.

Nobody is saying you can't retire at 62 or 60 or 58. They are saying the government is going to pay you to
retire then. If you are so concerned about having enough retirement years then save more while you are
working and retire early.

Why should society pay you to retire early. Get off your lazy butt and make it happen for yourself.

All Governments Should Quit Forcefully Stealing Money! (/economy/20101020-are-french-

bunch-lazy-slackers#comment-6656)
Submitted by Anonyme (not verified) on Fri, 2010-10-22 20:17.

Woah Nelly...Woah..

Most these people have been paying high taxes for years. They have certainly payed over (especially with
interest) the amount they will receive being retired.

It is not the workers fault that the French government has squandered the money they have taken from the
people.

If the Government would not have stolen the money in the first place then the people would have no say
on what they receive or when they receive it. It is the government that is breaking the contract.

We will and have already seen the same thing here in the states with Social Security. AND just wait until
they raid pension funds to continue to prop of their ponzi scheme.

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