Why Are the ‘Yellow Vests’ Protesting

Guest Post by Jesse

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jYfHRfoswQM/XBEcNX8eRCI/AAAAAAABXww/zmujFekhXRcFYYXf-dLMhj9qd_AyDCCNACLcBGAs/s1600/income%2Binquality_0.jpg

“Four weekends of mass protests in Paris and in towns and villages across France have hampered economic activity while hurting the country’s image with investors, the government said Monday…

He [Macron] did not mention changing course on the most business-friendly overhaul of the French labor market in decades. The omission was a signal to investors that, despite the recent chaos, Mr. Macron plans to stick with his strategy for re-energizing Europe’s third-largest economy by pursuing changes that had stalled for more than a decade…

His mostly unyielding attitude underscores the stakes for France as he eases business regulations to seed dynamism. His plans include altering the country’s strict labor code to encourage hiring, and making budget adjustments during his first year in office that hit low-income earners and retirees especially hard, even as he cut taxes for wealthy people.”

NY Times, Unrest in France Hinders Macron’s Push to Revive Economy

“The headline of an article [NY Times] on the protests in France told readers ‘Unrest in France hinders Macron’s push to revive economy.’

The policies in question include ending a wealth tax on the rich, cutting retirees’ Social Security benefits, and a series of measures designed to reduce the power of unions. While it is possible that Macron has taken these steps because he really does believe that this is the best to boost economic growth, it is also possible that he has taken these steps because he wants to give more money to rich people.   In this respect it is worth noting that Macron is a former investment banker. Therefore he is likely to be very rich, and to have rich friends.”

“The problem of the last three decades is not the ‘vicissitudes of the marketplace,’ but rather deliberate actions by the [captured] government to redistribute income from the rest of us to the one percent.”

Dean Baker

If a neoliberal agenda remains economically ascendant, and if a ruling elite continues to blind itself to the damage that it is causing to the broader public, over a long period of time through the enforcement of self-serving policies, even in the name of ‘growth,’ which is most often a rationale for a policy of ‘more for us,’ then we may very well expect what history suggests will happen.

It makes no difference what I or you want.  Don’t hide behind the caution of ‘be careful what you wish for’, especially as a cover to avoid the consequences for years of deception and corruption.   You may find yourself trying to silence the very voices that you will need to speak out for justice with reason and mercy, when history comes knocking on your door.

We need to be talking about what is happening and why, and where it will lead unless we engage in meaningful reform of a system that has become a wealth extraction machine for a privileged few.

But that is not likely to happen, since the powerful now control most of the means of discussion and its platforms.  And, sad to say, both political parties.  Don’t expect the utterly craven GOP, or even the self-satisfied, arrogant, corporate Democrats to stand for real reform.  They are creatures of the same rotten system, with their own fig leaves with which they hide themselves from their conscience.

Remember, it is 18 Democrats who are blocking the reaffirmation of ‘net neutrality.’   And not surprisingly they are wearing the feed bags of the corporate lobbyists.  They talk a very good game, but in the end, they serve the powerful interests who pay them.

And so we will continue rolling forward into what increasingly appears to be inevitable.

“People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage. Intellectual myopia, often called stupidity, is no doubt a reason. But the privileged also feel that their privileges, however egregious they may seem to others, are a solemn, basic, God-given right. The sensitivity of the poor to injustice is a trivial thing compared with that of the rich.”

John Kenneth Galbraith

Tsar Nicholas II:  I know what will make them happy. They’re children, and they need a Tsar! They need tradition. Not this! They’re the victims of agitators.  A Duma would make them bewildered and discontented. And don’t tell me about London and Berlin. God save us from the mess they’re in!

Count Witte:  I see. So they talk, pray, march, plead, petition and what do they get?  Cossacks, prison, flogging, police, spies, and now, after today, they will be shot.  Is this God’s will?  Are these His methods?  Make war on your own people?  How long do you think they’re going to stand there and let you shoot them?   YOU ask ME who’s responsible?  YOU ask?

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Llpoh
Llpoh

The frogs have screwed themselves. They are a massive welfare state. They have a 35 hour work week which cannot be exceeded. Business cannot fire people without enormous cost and risk. They have an enormous transfer system from the productive to the non-productive. They have let in masses of people from cultures unlike their own. They have massive youth unemployment as a result of the restrictive labor laws.

And they are now looking for someone to blame – someone other than themselves.

Tough titty, french kitty.

Thunderbird
Thunderbird

Who makes all the laws in France? Is it the government? Who runs the government? Is it the elites? So who created the problems? Could it be the government run by the elites? It takes two to tango Mr. Llpoh. Don’t blame it all on the people.

RiNS

No where in this article is unfettered migration even mentioned.
isn’t stopping that one of main demands of the yellow vests…

SmallerGovNow
SmallerGovNow

That’s the elephant in the room… Chip

RiNS

Just finished watching the video linked in article from Jimmy Dore Show. No surprises there and as expected nowhere in the thirty minutes was migrant issue even mentioned.

And yes, that is the elephant in room and his Jimmy too avoids it like plague…

He does speak one truth though. Change is a comin’..

Mary Christine

According to this link they have 47 demands. Well if you are going to start a revolution, go big.

https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/gilets-jaunes/baisse-des-taxes-referendum-populaire-zero-sdf-on-a-decortique-les-42-revendications-des-gilets-jaunes_3077229.html

One of them is some immigration reform but at the same time it says to work with the UN. I don’t know who wrote these demands but me thinks they are still socialist at heart.

Iska Waran
Iska Waran

I think there’s a technical problem at that site. I tried to read it, but as far as I can tell, it’s just a bunch of fucken gibberish.

deplorably stanley
deplorably stanley

Love the cartoon.

unit472

Might have something to do with creeps like this.

“According to Le Parisien, he told a taxi driver he forced to drive him out of Strasbourg’s city centre on Tuesday at gunpoint that he had killed his victims at point blank range in the head to avenge “brothers in Syria” and to punish “infidels”

Police have set up checkpoints on the German border and questioning the suspect’s entourage, including his parents and two brothers. Two of his 12 siblings are reportedly on a terror watchlist.”

As noted, France has a very generous welfare state but French taxpayers simply cannot support poor North African immigrants who think having 12 children is their right. Should have deported mom and dad the first time they showed up at a government agency seeking welfare.

Thunderbird
Thunderbird

Why didn’t he shoot the taxi driver since he was in the business of shooting people? Something smells about this story.

Don’t follow the narrative and one can draw better conclusions.

Look at all the military police on the streets there. Do you think they just showed up from nowhere? EU parliment meeting there. The French descending into revolution. With all the cameras and cell phones and there is no picture of the shooting? Not even the shooting of the alleged suspect?

Old Shoe

Once I realized they were essentially clamoring for more free shit I tuned out.

Mustang
Mustang

The vests are not Yellow!!!!!!!!!!! They are lime green!!! Is everybody in the world color blind except me?!

Iska Waran
Iska Waran

Chartreuse. Of COURSE the French had to mandate the chartreuse vests.

Darrell Dullnig
Darrell Dullnig

You are correct, Mustang, they are not yellow! You get a gold star on your chart.

Stucky

Drain that swamp!
Drain that swamp!
Drain that swamp!

Hilarious drain-the-swamp story from Trumpland.

1. About a month ago the military asked for $733 Billion for fiscal year 2019.

2. Last week, Mr Trump tweeted that even a $716 billion Defense Department budget is “crazy.”

3. The following day Mattis and chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee met with Mr Trump to discuss the need and justifications for an increase to military spending.

4) Following the meeting Trumpypoop reversed his positions supporting any Defense budget cuts and agreed to $750 Billion Bucks.

From a $733B initial request, to even $716B being too much, to approving $750B. That’s the Art Of The Deal, baaaaaby!!! bwahahahahahahaha

Why aren’t Americans wearing yellow vests and revolting?

Iska Waran
Iska Waran

And Congress is bitching about a lousy $5B for the Wall.

unit472

Maybe ‘The Wall” money is in that budget request?

The truth
The truth

I suspect that in that “meeting” they had a short screening of the Zapruder film, and they subsequently told him who really is in charge. See, Trump is used to doing deals where HE has the leverage. The art of the deal only works when YOU have the leverage. The military brass, and the 3 letter agencies run this country. Everything else is just theater.

22winmag - Q is a Psyop and Trump is lead actor
22winmag - Q is a Psyop and Trump is lead actor

Alexandra Occasional-Cortex

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