Saturday, October 11, 2014

Guess the country

Via Maggie's Farm, a tale of desperate times:
There is “an anti-work mentality, absurd fiscal pressure, a lack of promotion prospects, and the burden of debt hanging over future generations,” [said the government commission chair].
...
“Young people feel stuck, and they want interesting jobs. Businessmen say the labour code is complex and they’re taxed even before they start working. Pensioners can also pay less tax abroad,” she says.
Anyway, the country is France.  On that last point, though, I've noticed that Belize - we speak English! - has been advertising on television, urging retirees to have their Social Security checks forwarded to their white sand beach houses,

4 comments:

Ayn the road again said...

French say au revoir to France: Over two million French people now live abroad, and most are crossing the channel and heading to London

But for the last few years, we've been hearing that people were fleeing FROM England because of Britain's onerous taxes, soaring cost of living, and fading job market. These sobering exoduses are so hard to keep straight.

Sock puppet said...

These sobering exoduses are so hard to keep straight.

I know. it's stupid to imagine that people are leaving one country, while at the same time another country is also experiencing emigration. It makes my head spin!

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose said...

Yes. That's the point.

We get these reheated "exodus!" reports every time some people assume their Randian daydreams are finally coming true someplace.

As the country-hopping expatriate Hemingway wrote, "Isn't it pretty to think so?"

Sock puppet said...

I couldn't have said it better myself - even the part in French! These Randians are such hypocrites on this issue, considering Ann Randian herself was an expatriate. But there seems to be one of them under every bed. Why doesn't the government do something about them?