I'll still take a French tax return or a French insurance claim, especially
health insurance, any time. Also, private citizens and consumers are far better
protected against numerous abuses and a lot less time and money is wasted on
the inept private bureaucracies that are rife here (we live in Texas), although
I'd be happy to throttle the entire Britannica/Universalis crew in Paris. It's
a nightmare dealing with building permits for a remodel in France, you can end
up shelling out even more on a home sale in various fees and commissions and
there's no MLS, etc. But don't get me started on the immigration system here in
the US. It's a royal mess. Whereas my American brother-in-law was a full
resident within a couple of years of setting foot in France. His conclusion and
my sister's after 3 years: great stuff about France, but we'd rather work in
the US another 15 years in a flexible job market that does not concentrate on
shutting people out, and then retire to a French villa
ge and enjoy coasting along with a great support system. They're spot on on
that one - but only as long as you're a citizen or resident here. What I hated
the most in our French system was the exclusionary logic at work in the job
market, which is further reinforced by the actions of the major unions. It's a
'show your credentials' or 'show your connections' society, whereas in the US,
it's more of a 'show your stuff' and 'give it a try' culture. We also have
serious race relations issues, not unlike those here, with some subtle
redlining combined with incredible benefits that result in a bit of a
segregated caste society. My mother's back in France after 26 years here. What
made her decide to retire there was her experience supporting sick and dying
relatives here. That was the most shameful bureaucratic, financial, and human
nightmare she'd ever seen - and I've seen my share with my wife caring for her
own mother. Oh well, I could go on... my family is so scattered we cove
r the US, most of the Commonwealth, bits of China and south-east Asia, France
and one or two other countries in the continental EU. - Phil
On 05:56, Chris Barker wrote:
>From what I've seen, most things French with the Government involved
>are messy and wasteful ... but I cannot for the life of me think of
>something that any government's involvement is not wasteful {;-}}.
>On the other hand, such involvement tends to make sure that
>commercial gain does not come before individual good.
>
>Chris
==
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