It’s been nearly a month of protests now in France. Protests that have destroyed property, ruined priceless art, and caused centuries old landmarks such as the Louvre and Eiffel Tower to be closed during the weekend. The protests are against the exorbitantly high taxes the government is imposing because climate change! Emmanuel Macron’s response yesterday to the protests was less than stellar. The only thing missing was Jimmy Carter’s sweater.
First of all, it was a pre-recorded speech rather than a live one. Macron has been essentially hiding out from all that has been happening since he returned from the G20 summit the other week. So to run a pre-recorded speech instead of stepping up and making his remarks live? I’d be willing to bet that more than a few French citizens were less than thrilled.
The substance of Macron’s speech should raise numerous red flags.
Here are some of the other concessions offered by the French leader, TIME Magazine reports:
- a government-funded 100-euro increase in the minimum wage starting at the beginning of the new year
- the abolition of taxes on overtime pay in 2019
- asking profit-making companies to give workers tax-free year-end bonuses
- slashing a tax hike on small pensions, acknowledging it was “unjust.”
Oh. My. Word.
A 100 euro increase in the minimum wage starting January 1. Exactly how many small businesses are prepared to handle that issue? Not many I’d wager.
Overtime pay not taxed? What exactly does that mean? Does that mean that only that business AND government won’t have to pay tax on overtime or is that just a new perk for the employees? The devil is in the details.
Businesses making a profit are instructed to give all their employees tax-free year-end bonuses. WOWZERS. Way to kill small and medium businesses bottom line folks. That’ll do it. As for the large corporations, that idea of opening a new branch or hiring additional employees or debuting a new product in 2019? Just got put on hold.
Needless to say, Macron’s little speech from behind an elaborate desk likely worth hundreds of thousands of euros is making all the impact of a lead balloon.
So this was the only desk Macron could find for his solidarity-with-the-toiling-masses speech? pic.twitter.com/DrXEaKP6wc
— Olli Bäckström (@OlliBackstrom) December 11, 2018
Not only that, but channeling Jimmy Carter really isn’t a good look.
Oh my goodness: Macron has decided to channel Jimmy Carter. https://t.co/Q3zVgDAVuL
— Steven F. Hayward (@stevenfhayward) December 10, 2018
All he was missing was the sweater vest. pic.twitter.com/YqXUi3DjkH
— Cory M (@IToldYouMonsoon) December 10, 2018
Isn’t political correctness so cute?
Photo Credit: VG Darleen Click Original Artwork
But our esteemed Congresscritters aren’t paying attention to what is happening in France and are planning to impose their own carbon tax on us.
In a move of impeccable timing, a group of House Democrats and quisling Republicans have introduced a bill to impose a carbon tax here in the U.S., and the climatistas are falling all over themselves to say “Pay no attention to those riots over fuel taxes in France! Our carbon tax is completely different!” Here it is being called “tax and dividend” (or sometimes “revenue recycling,” which sounds even greener, because recycling!), as the tax revenue will supposedly be rebated to everyone. In other words, say the advocates, we merely want to induce fuel conservation by increasing the consumer price tag, but you’ll get your money back! So no harm, no foul air. I’m sure the next thing they’ll say is “Of course I’ll still respect you in the morning!”
Nahhh…they’ll just demand more money for their particular swamp.
We need to pay attention to what is going on in France. That country has been leading from behind regarding climate change policies that are going to bankrupt the country. Meanwhile at least two if not more of the countries that are leading contributors to the pollution we deal with (China and India) are getting off scot free.
Here’s the deal.
A. Macron’s climate change policies are killing France’s economy and it’s citizens have had enough.
B. His weak-kneed concessions are not only stop-gap insurance but will also rebound to hurt the economy in a different way.
What Macron and the French government SHOULD do is dump the Paris Climate Change Accord and start operating in reality.
Yes, I know. That’s too much to ask given France’s history. But it was worth a shot.
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Featured Photo: Victory Girls Darleen Click Original Artwork
Paladin says: This is so well-thought out. Even following the story, these repercussions eluded me till now.
JohnGaltTexas says: Globalist lackey Marie Macronette is about to get a taste of cake.
1) it is ANTIFA and anarchists who are breaking windows and setting fires, just as they always do. They are entirely destructive groups. The Yellow Jackets are french working people, they aren’t interested in destroying shops or cars. Those are probably their shops and cars.
2) France derives most of their energy from nuclear power, which has NO emissions at all. Consequently France emits far less CO2 than Germany, let alone China and India. So to reduce CO2 emissions France has no choice but to reduce the number of cars and trucks on the roads. Even if Global Warming weren’t a complete crock of BS it makes no sense at all to drive the french countryside into bankruptcy for such a small return. Getting Germany to turn its nuke generating plants back on and shut down their coal plants would reduce CO2 by much more than making gas too expensive for working people in France.
3) Macron is an idiot.
Slickwilly says: Boy, does this little bit of bubble living stupidity remind me of some historical lesson on the French…
John got the first: Let them eat cake! Another example of a bubble living elite not understanding the problem of common citizens. This was corrected by rather sharp methods…
The second is demonstrated by the old joke:
How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris?
Don’t know the answer? Well, no one does: it has never been tried!
Cheese eating surrender monkeys
GWB says: BTW, I need to give kudos to Darleen for that excellent photoshop putting Macron into Jimmah’s sweater. Absolutely perfect. (I didn’t realize it was a photoshop until I saw the original pic with him in his suit.)
John J KevlockSr says: France is having a gasoline riot. It’s about the gas tax and that’s all it is about.
We had these in the U.S. in 1979. One of the largest was in my county. Here’s the story: https://timeline.com/gas-cr… I was in the County D.A.’s office at the time and I know a good bit about it. It was indeed a B.F.D.: cars-burned, rocks thrown at police, all that.
The article to which I linked suggests a “truck driver” connection. That’s wrong, unless by truck driver you mean lower middle-class chap with a pick-up truck. No, it was just plain drivers, who couldn’t get to work or run their suburban households without gas.
Mess with our gas, this is what you will get. Modern society is structured around affordable private transportation. This is how we live and move and have our being. All our institutions are set up this way, and there is no turning back. We are less able than the Europeans to give up our cars because our distances are greater, and our culture and infrastructure are newer and therefore more car-oriented. Contemporary America is more car-dependent than it had been back in 1979. Can’t say what they were thinking of in France when they laid their sights on the car culture; here it would be unthinkable.
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