Similarities???

I have been noticing alot of similarities of late. These similarities are not often noticed at first glance ... but when you think about it, they are amazingly alike.

Democratic State Legislatures and Despotic Middle-Eastern Dictators

Both of these are Rulers that are having a hard time realizing that the citizenry has kicked them to the curb. They are trying to hang on to power for dear life. They are attacking their own citizens (the despots use the military and mercenaries ... the democrats use union thugs). They don't realize that rulers lead by the consent of the governed.

Unions and the Communist Party

This similarity was brought to life during an interview with a pro-union supporter in Wisconsin. As the supporter was stating that the Communists were not taking part in the demonstrations, a group of them marched behind, waving their red flags and shouting pro-worker slogans. It looked like a skit from Saturday Night Live.

Democrats and Petulant Children

Actually, this one is pretty self-evident. We have Democrats running away and hiding from their constituents, spending money without a care as to how or who will pay the bill, throwing tantrums ... etc.

Whatever happened to all the hype after the Arizona shooting of Congresswoman Giffords? Weren't Republicans and Democrats supposed to enter into a milder public discourse of their differences? I guess that only applies to Republicans ... after all, see the above similarity.

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New President ... Same France

French President, Nicolas Sarkozy was elected with the mandate to bring change to the French labor laws. He told his countrymen what he was going to do to make France more competitive with other countries in the World. Among these things was a longer work week, the ability to fire newly hired employees if they were not "up to snuff" and the dissolution of "special pensions". The French signaled they were ready to change when they swept him into office by a wide margin. Now it seems that some French Unions are saying, "Ralentir (Not so fast)".

At issue are the "special pensions" enjoyed by some, but not all public sector workers. Currently, those working in jobs with these "special pensions" are able to retire at full benefits at the age of 50. President Sarkozy is pushing for a new retirement age for these workers of 52.5 years. This will bring their retirement age closer to that of the rest of the State workers. To put this in perspective, the retirement age for the US military can be as low as 37 with a 50% pension or 47 with a 75% pension. 20 and 30 year retirements are also offered in any federal law enforcement job. These are people with high-stress jobs where they put their lives on the line ... not rail workers and opera singers and actors like in France.

The good news is that most of the French populace is backing Sarkozy on this and 80% think that Sarkozy will stick to his guns and force the Union to capitulate. I hope he does, it will be good for the French people, and that is what they voted for during the last election.

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