3 ms·
> Nation-wide solidarity costs little to each person but gives a lot to those who need it. The money I save from French taxes (I left this year) I can easily a
by briandear 8y ago
> Nation-wide solidarity costs little to each person but gives a lot to those who need it.
The money I save from French taxes (I left this year) I can easily afford all manner of insurance plus I get paid a heck of a lot more to save quite a bit of money.
French employment is over 10% and the economy is stagnant. Could it be if you incentivize unemployment you get more of it? It sure seems like that in France. Chronic and intentional unemployment is not unusual in France. And everyone gets to pay for it. Disposable income in France is also significantly less than in the US.
- tomatocracy 8y agoThe reasons for high unemployment in France are, I would suggest, more to do with how hard it is to fire people in France than taxes. If you know you'll be stuck with someone forever, you take the decision to hire much more seriously and you'd much rather ask an existing employee who's a known quantity to do more work instead (potentially even if you pay them more in raises than it would have cost to hire someone else). Contrast that to e.g. Denmark where taxes are arguably higher but making redundancies/reducing workforce is not anything close to as hard or expensive for the employer.
- briandear 8y agoFair point; the French labor code is the problem, however taxes are related; the high cost of being stuck with someone is higher due to social charges and taxes. Reforming the labor code and lowering taxes would both make the employment market more liquid.
- arountheworld 8y agoIt is sad how any comment with a slight critique of socialism gathers downvotes of an army of champagne socialists... people of different views choose not to speak because they are afraid of being attacked. Shame that hacker news has become such an echo chamber for socialism.
- dang 8y agoPlease don't post ideological rants here.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- naner 8y agoI'd water that most adults in the US know one or more hard-working people who are in financial dire straits due to medical bills. It's reasonable that you don't want a single-payer system in the US but why in Earth would you boast about our current healthcare system?