Rioting for Dollars
I guess I'm just a dumb American, because I can't for the life of me figure out what the logic of the current European protests are. In France, Britain, Italy and Greece, people have rioted at budget cuts because... rioting makes there be more money? Marching causes the laws of economics to be suspended? Screaming and setting fires makes it okay to take more money out of the economy than you put in? Help me out here--what's the motivation? Frenchmen can't possibly create enough wealth to pay for themselves between the time they start working--age fifty-seven at three o'clock in the afternoon--and their retirement time--5:15 PM--so they riot because... why? what's the response supposed to be? "Oh, okay, we take it back: yes you can create enough wealth." Students riot when the government can't afford to underwrite their tuition because... that will magically make the government able to afford it? We Americans are so simplistic and uneducated and those Europeans are so sophisticated and subtle, I'm sure I must be missing something so just explain it to me in words of one syllable: Why are these people rioting?
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Jul '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Com mies.
Jun '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
They are dumb.
Jun '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Oops, that was 4 syllables.
Aug '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Nihilistic anarcho-snydicalists.
No quotidian monosyllabism ! No peace !
Maybe Sajak would know, he did a show called Squeal for Fortune in France with Vanna the Red didn't he ?
Edited on Dec 1, 2010 at 12:19pmJun '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
They riot to rob the crib and feast on the seed corn.
Aug '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
It's for the babes.
Oct '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Tem-per tan-trum.
Nov '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
It's an odd coincidence that on the very day my company holds its open enrollment for 2011 health insurance, conversations about health care in America and abroad are being had. I just left a fun one. I'll remind everyone that I live in a blue county, on the blue side of a blue state. So you know how a conversation like this goes. At one point an individual made the comment "I really like the English model, we should do that." To which point I say "You do know they are going broke, right?" But the fact is they don't know. I don't think they have a clue.
Sep '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
They're expecting "the rich" to pay for everything. Just like Obama.
Jul '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Just wait until unemployment benefits run out for millions of Americans. Seriously, folks, we're not far away from Hoovervilles.
Aug '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Like a two year old - "I want, I want, I want! Mine Mine Mine!" ... Whhhhhaaaaaa...
Jul '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
You have kids, don't you?
Jul '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Whine and cheese pair well.
Aug '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
lol ... yeah - but at least my 7 week old son cries for what he genuinely needs and can't provide for himself ;)
I think this is just a shift in who their 'parents' are now; from their actual parents to the gov't. It still allows them to justify to themselves that they're all deserving of things while taking zero responsibility.
Nov '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Europeans are spoiled rotten. After three generations of socialism, they honestly believe, in their hearts and souls, that government is a magical money tree, and if you shake it hard enough (or just shake things up) Euros will come falling down like manna from Heaven.
Edited on Dec 1, 2010 at 1:30pmAug '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
It all makes sense if you think that wealth can be created by legislation.
If you believe this, and the government says it is running out of money, you see it as a lack of legislative will, and you riot to give them the backbone to legislate more wealth.
In our country, if you believe this, then you pass minimum wage laws. By law, everyone's labor is worth more. Not passing these laws is just being selfish: the law creates the wealth, so why aren't you doing more of it?
Maybe the confusion comes because, if you are printing the world's reserve currency, as we are, with a little quantitative easing you can create more money by fiat. But that isn't really the same as wealth.
Sep '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
I've been to Greece. Ask the Athenians how those forest fires start every few years that they have to call in Italian water bombers to douse. Cigarette butts tossed out the BMW while driving to an oceanside restaurant in 100 degree plus heat. Mr. cigarette, meet Mr. dry parched olive tree.
May '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
Andrew, You are looking at the situation with a USA set of paradigms and they simply do not apply to the European mindset. In Europe, people, certainly these students, have spent their entire lives in an environment where the state controls most major aspects of life. Personal responsibility is diminished in proportion to state responsibility and control.
This has nothing to do with economics and everything to do with the state not living up to its responsibilities. These "rights" have been promised to them their entire lives and they truly feel that they are entitled to their tuition subsidy.
As Maggie Thatcher said, the problem with socialism is that one day you run out of other people's money. That day has come, but the state remains in firm control of prople's lives - but has significantly reduced its compensation in return for this loss of personal responsibility.
Like I said, it doesn't fit our mindet but makes perfect sense in the their alternate universe.
Nov '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
It's fun ... and they get to have hot sex after ... it was the same in the '60's.
Nov '10
Re: Rioting for Dollars
The left doesn't believe the rich are people. They view them as a resource to be tapped whenever more money is needed. In the leftist worldview no budget shortfall is ever the result of profligate government, short sighted interest groups, or ambitionless welfare dependents. It is always because "the rich are not paying their fair share." Never mind that the rich are receiving no increase in benefits commiserate with their increased burden.
Steve MacDonald is also correct. When you've been brought up to believe that socialist benefits (free health care, subsidized education, unlimited unemployment benefits, etc.) are fundamental human rights, as most Europeans have, then it's entirely logical to take exception when the government proves unable or unwilling to "protect" these "rights."