So French President Emmanuel Macron states that Global Climate Warming Change is a "Red Line" in the sand so to speak, for the world. This may be a reference, perhaps, to former U.S. President Barack Obama who famously referenced an equally meaningless "Red Line" in his planned usurpation of Syria back in 2012.
THAT red line was a failure.
So Global Climate Warming Change apparently is the biggest issue for France, judging by Mr. Macron's impassioned line drawing. He has also passed legislation and is raising taxes in an attempt to draw down France's use of fossil fuels. Those additional taxes and increases have fallen, not too surprisingly, on the Middle and Lower classes of France. And they haven't been too happy about it since they've been out in the streets blockading roads, destroying property, gathering in great numbers and making a run at Parliament but not in a political sense.
But the Environment is the most important thing to France's government. The people must recognize that the President is acting for their benefit. He's saving the Planet for THEM!
As we've seen in the not so distant past that there's no shortage of Anarchists in France to be sure who will gladly help you dump 12 tons of rotten tomatoes in the street at the blinking of Macron's left eyebrow but this yellow vested "Gilets Jaune" are made up of loads of just regular folks who are seeing themselves losing their purchasing power due to the regressive taxation they continue to undergo in their Social Paradise. We don't need yet another study to point out that gasoline taxes are regressive in nature and impact the lowest wage earners the hardest. It takes more money to basically do the same work of getting to where you need to go.
Transit Strike
Then there is the French Government's attempt at reforming their ungainly and multifaceted pension schemes, which number 42 different plans and each hinges on what you do for work. There are different plans for bakers, opera singers, transit workers and the list goes on. The administration of 42 different plans has to be a costly bureaucratic nightmare but there it is, good jobs at good wages. And although this has been going on for some time, now seems like the perfect time to tackle this issue since the whole system is really starting to collapse under its own weight.
It's not just a matter of the French government's desire to "want to" address the pension issue, it's a matter of "have to" address it. And the sooner they face reality on the costs, the better.
But since they're still looking for shortcuts to straighten things out, the Macron government has proposed for the retirement age to go up to 64 from it's current 62. This news has earned them, as of this writing, 22 days of marginal if any transit service into Paris.
That's good for the environment, yes? Hope so since it's the Environment that is the important thing there.
Like every Ponzi scheme, whether it be France's Public Pensions or Social Security here in the U.S., the pyramid eventually inverts and when that happens it takes a whole lot of money to keep kicking bricks under the thing to keep it upright. That money only comes from the pockets of people who actually earn a WAGE. So now the people who pay, the taxpayers, are paying more and will be getting less and when people have less money to spend, business everywhere suffers too.
France's Middle Class is reportedly living hand to mouth and the working class people out in the streets say that they are barely staying ahead of the bills. This, Mr. Macron, is a problem. The French people appear to be drowning in taxes but they are also being mandated into paying more for resources in a misguided effort to keep them from using them. It's winter in France, where there is a greater need to heat the house, taxes have eaten into people's wages and now the oil bill is due.
But as we have heard, it's the Environment that's important to President Macron.
And judging by the images and news coming out of France...the Environment isn't good.
