Kudos for the people of France. Sarkozy is the equivalent of the GOP in this country. The "Conservatives" that want to have only two kinds of people: Real Poor and Very rich.

The people WON!

I know that many Americans are thinking that President Obama is a Socialist. But HE IS NOT. However, he represents the good of the many, and Mitt Romney represents the good of a few.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are BAD for the American economy, the environment, the old and the disabled.

Education is not a business, Medicine should not be a business, and the care of the disabled Definitely should not be a private business.

Viva la World as the political pendulum swings left of center and away from corporate greed.

I second this.

I hope I can feel as Happy in November here in the USA, as I am feeling now!!!

You can't keep protecting the rich and bashing the poor, the poor doesn't have the money. Viva le France! Gest wishes to Pres. Hollande, and may his plans work for the people.

Study the example of the economics prof whose students said Socialism is better than Capitalism. He said OK, everyone will get the same grade in here. First test, everyone got a B. Those who studied resented those who did nothing and fewer studied the next time. Second test, D. Third test, F.

This is an example of how we need to educate people. AGAIN, FIRST OF all, President Obama IS NOT A SOCIALIST. Second: Nobody is saying that businesses are bad. However, there are some things that SHOULD NOT BE TREATED FOR PROFIT. Sorry. As much as people want to NOT PAY TAXES,WE NEED TO PAY TAXES TO PROTECT THOSE THAT NEED OUR HELP:

Students in Public Schools in the US have the right to free and appropriate Education. Having FREE education is what has given us the opportunity to be leaders in the past. Turning the schools into Christian centers for profit to teach that the world was created in 6 days is IGNORANCE.The GOP is taking away most of the funds for Public Schools, and working towards privatizing Education.

The health of the old and disabled should be every body's business. Americans feel really patriotic when we go to war against our enemies. We should be patriotic and protect our land and our disabled, and feel good about it too. Destroying the land and water tables just to provide cheap oil for a few years is ANTIPATRIOTIC.

@ I-Respond,

I never said Obama was a Socialist. But Hollande is and I was in France last time under Socialism and it was a mess. High unemployment, crumbling infrastructure. You can't disincent people out of working by giving them as much money whether they work or not and have good results.

And there still isn't anyone telling me why I should want to work harder so those who don't work should make more and I make less.

You're also dead wrong on the oil issue. There is enough oil for centuries here and it won't destroy the land and water tables - that's a scare tactic. We can all agree that the need to get off foreign oil is a good thing. Even if we only got a few decades out of our own oil production, by then we'll have developed something better.

"Hollande has promised more government spending and higher taxes — including a 75-percent income tax on the rich — and wants to re-negotiate a European treaty on trimming budgets to avoid more debt crises of the kind facing Greece. That would complicate relations with Germany's Angela Merkel, who championed the treaty alongside Sarkozy."........"Another Paris voter highlighted this anti-Sarkozy vote, saying she's backing Hollande, even though his program is "suicidal." "He'll raise the minimum wage, increase civil servants. But France is already in debt," "

So Hollande, a socialist faced with a crisis over the debt, wants to make it far worse.

It sounds a lot like Obama, doesn't it?

At least it will be a good test of the 'Laffer Curve', when they dramatically increase taxes on the people who invest and create jobs, especially since transferring capital to other countries is so easy now. The effect on the economy/jobs should be interesting. My prediction is for much higher interest rates on French debt, as the lenders become skittish about the debt picture getting far worse. I also predict that unemployment will increase because the investors will take their capital for business investments elsewhere.

I wonder how long Germany will continue to put up with supporting these 'free-loaders' before they pull the plug on the European Union?

And there still isn't anyone telling me why I should want to work harder so those who don't work should make more and I make less

Yes! there are problems. We hould try to fix the problems that exist within the system.That does not mean that we should eliminate the programs that help many that are not leeches. PRIVATIZING the services will only mean that some people, like Paul Ryan, will make money out of it.

Do you suppose that you are about to see a mass exodus of wealth from france? Do you think it will create more jobs? Do government jobs add to the productivity of a nation? Other than money, what do governments export?

Do you wonder? I do.

the rich are being asked to help support the neighbors whose jobs they outsourced.lol how horrible.the rich threaten to leave.good go bye bye.most of france will still be there.sound familiar.if we ask the rich to pay more taxes they will leave.thats such bs.and go where.some panama jungle.i dont think so.they enjoy far too much power and prestige here.no they will stay.its time we little people as the rich call us grew a backbone and delt with our overlords

remember roy is rich.cant blame him for his point of view.like to vacation in costa rica.probably tired of hearing the little people complain

Yes. history has taken the right turn to a bit left in France. No one in the free world can be absolutely left, that is not realistically possible or even desirable. But increased government participation in reviving and jump starting the economy, checks and balances and vigilance are absolutely essential to ensure the well being of the majority. That's how a nation progresses.

Here in the U.S. we have to realize that and not let the likes of Romney and other cons convert us to a feudalistic serfdom and monarchy ruled and exploited by the 1%. In France, the public is not so much brainwashed with the crap of pseudo capitalism, bedroom activity control, dominance of female bodies by the govrnment and the religious extremists who are bent upon to deprive us of our constitutional rights while holding the banner of constitution as smoke screen while systamatically undermining our very rights and freedoms guaranteed by the constitution, so the French went ahead and did what looks to them to be in their best interest which calls for government measures and interventions to avoid an economic depression. Getting Europe up and running is also in our best interest.Our exports to Europe are considerable and we ought to keep it that way and improve upon it.

Congrats to Hollande and those that made the choice, for whatever reason. Now, we have to deal with that reality and the change which was to come sooner or later and find ways to keep France our friend ,ally and a significant business partner.

I hope Hollande will make good on his proposals to increase taxes on the wealthy and put in a higher minimum wage, etc. but you never know what they will do when they actually get into office.

Americans see the word "Socialist" and think of radicals but in Europe Socialists are more like our Democrats. In other words not much different from the opposing party.

This can be seen in Greece where it's been the Socialists who have been doing the dirty work of the EU and IMF and conservatives like Angela Merkel, ramming the austerity programs down the throats of the Greek people.

Don't think these programs are really meant to bring back general prosperity. They have been forcing austerity programs on countries for awhile now and the only thing it has done is destroy their economies.

These austerity programs are pure class warfare, transferring billions and trillions of dollars to the rich from everyone else and devastating the living standards of millions.

goodbye world economy. When one EU county goes, they all go. When the EU goes the US goes, when the US goes, China and the BRIC nations go, when they go, the world goes. How does spending more get rid of debt......you spend $1billion dollars on a company that makes $50million..... congrats even if it was taxed at 100% you still lose money! Tax and spend does not work. The USSR was the prime example of this, if the poeple of france doent get this guy out of there then the world will start to look like Greece. I am sorry, but the truth hurts. At least Sarkosy was keeping te EU economy intact, this guy will shatter it...

Fact is Obama is also a banker's dream. Do you think Goldman Sachs bankrolls this guy because he is for the poor? Who do you think profited from the financial meltdown of 2008? The corporations and especially the bankers. They shot themsleves in the foot, wasted a ton of money and got Bush/Obama to replentish their losses with taxpayer money. We cannot continue to prop up a bunch of human waste that doesn't want to contribute to society. A growing population of dimwits that don't work, or can't work because of no jobs is going to drain the resources of those that can and do work. Too many money scams going on that the American people have been force fed to believe, like all ofthese damn wars that only make the military industrial coplex and the bankers rich, while draining our tax dollars that could go to something more worthy otr better yet stay in our pockets. Higher Ed is a major scam as well!!!!!!!! You have these very, very expensive major universities handing out college degrees in basket weaving, and these kids can't find a job with it, but sure are in over their heads in debt. I have to say it, the previous poster that said we need to get back to our Puritan roots was dead on. People need to take responsiblity for their own actions. It sounds mean and coldhearted, but I don't see why everyone should be taken down thedrain for a bunch of dumbass losers.

Finally a country says NO to appeasement of the investment, derivative peddling, super banks. And NO to policies on no growth and maximum austerity. The US consumer has been the driving force for the world economy for several decades. Republicans seem to want to outsource this resource as well as jobs; perhaps, to the UAE or some such place. You get what ypu pay for; you get what you vote for.

Austerity programs are needed. They will be shock therapy to a population that has been spoiled with programs that shouldn't have been created in the first place. That is the main reason the EU is in the shape they are in. They take what used to be services and made them into some ridiculous right. What was next, make it a law where everyone in Europe had the right to a Porsche 911? People in the US bitch about the almost 9% official unemployment rate, but even in the good ole days of the 1980s-90s the unemployment rate throughout Europe was always in the double digits, now some of these PIG nations have a 50% unemployment rate for the youth. You cant keep priming the pump when your nation has a graying population, the youth aren't reproducing, and your population is being replentished by only half literate folks from the ME. It isn't necessarily the socialist programs either, but more so the enormous beaucracy that usually goes along with them. Beaucracies are a huge waste of money and other resources. I sympathize with the people of Europe over losing their programs, but those programs and the rather inefficient way they were being run severely hampered their economies from the get go. Time to hit the reset button, and unfortunately that means austerity measures will be introduced worldwide, along with more wars.

Vale Gallia, et fortuna ad fata

latin for:

Goodbye France, and good luck to your doom.

im developing a fondness for the french.they were lied to and yet they were able to think for themselves.the money the rich spend on propaganda was wasted.now theyll have to pay more tax.as for the french people the elderly will now have that money instead.i fail to see the downside

Hello folks, the Merkozy grand takeover of Europe may have just come to an abrupt halt. This is more than a bump in the road for the Old World Order as they tried to fashion their new one. Unfortunately people in their slumber have allowed this to almost become a reality. We in America are allowing Russian paramilitary troops to come on to our soil on May 24th to conduct military exercises with American troops in Colorado Springs (look it up) to quell civil unrest and detain "American terrorists".

It will be up to the people of France to stop the control of their wealth going to the ultra rich (banksters/Federal Reserve) of the world. Hopefully Mr. Hollande will be a leader for the people.

Get off your lazy butt and work!

The biggest problem with society today is the invisible wall being created between the general workforce and jobs. This wall is completely superficial. It's made of ridiculous expectations of modern HR 'professionals'. Apply for any entry level job and take the pre employment screening test and you will get a peek inside the "employers" head.

They are looking for super extroverted workaholics and won't take anything less.

This awful cipher of expectations that the business world has created is forcing people to conform to a narrow range of dispositions and forcing the rest to the wayside. Yet these quiet people are potential artists, philosophers, inventors and care givers. But since they aren't "people persons" they never get that foot in the door. Even Einstein and Chomsky supported themselves with menial work during their early days. Yet if those men had their beginnings today they'd never be given that opportunity. They don't fit in to our narrow definition of what a "Good worker" is, after all. They'd spend their lives fighting for survival, or simply dying in the streets, instead of becoming world changing minds.

After all, it's easy to group a would-be transsexual engineer, manic depressed mathematician, or silent thoughtful philosopher into the same group as

uneducated, deadbeat, dropout, drugged up, unemployable a**holes of the world

And to be honest, the idea that you could label anyone "Unemployable" not because of their lack of ability, but because of their lack of conformity, is the root of our problem today.

I have to agree with IRESPOND. When New York City enacted their millionaire tax in 2008, 2009. they actually lost revenue due to the fact that 30 some percent actually left the state for more friendly neighboring states.

The real problem is for you tax the rich happy liberals is, your elected officials go to extremes. What good does it do to raise taxes on a specific group (i.e. the rich) when that said group has the means to fold up shop and move to another location? Now your elected officials have lost your state Revenue, Jobs, and taxation from those employed by the evil rich guy they ran out of town. They are also going to cost your state unemployment compensation benifit dollars.

The question I pose to you liberals are what can the free market absorb? And is it truely fair? Also When will enough be enough? Because if they can tax the the top wage earners 45% to 50% even as Hollande quoted as much as 75% tax rates. Who will be next on the Radar? Will the middle class be next? Then where do governments turn when all other avenues have been exhausted?

Roy,

Averages are meaningless.

Gross Federal Spending:

2000 $1.8 Trillion (Clinton)

2001 $1.9 Trillion (Bush)

2002 $2.0 Trillion (Bush)

2003 $2.2 Trillion (Bush)

2004 $2.3 Trillion (Bush)

2005 $2.5 Trillion (Bush)

2006 $2.7 Trillion (Bush)

2007 $2.7 Trillion (Bush)

2008 $3.0 Trillion (Bush)

2009 $3.5 Trillion (Obama)

2010 $3.5 Trillion (Obama)

2011 $3.6 Trillion (Obama)

2012 $3.8 Trillion (Obama) (estimated)

So Bush 1st term increase was $.5 Trillion or 27.7% increase

And Bush 2nd term increase was $.7 Trillion or 30.4% increase

And Obama 1st term increase is $.8 Trillion (estimated) or 26.7% increase

And your point was?

@Irespond what free education are you referring to the first twelve years that I have been paying back all my life in taxes and now pay for children I don't even have! sorry its not free nothing is free and I'm sorry to say that France just leaped off the bridge they will prove to you beyond a doubt that they just made their biggest mistake, they think Taxing the rich at 75% is going to bail them out they really believe that more government jobs is going to help a already troubled economy. more government spending will balance their economy, you watch and pay attention to all of Europe after this disaster of a election within 3 years Europe will collapse over what the French did in this election, they will pull everyone into the sink hole with them, they will be forced to make some real sacrifices and some serious changes if this doesn't destroy them first. my condolences to France and my sympathy to Europe. this was no victory wait and see. socialism has been working against Europe for about 40 years now and it is slowly digesting it, soon you will see the long term results of socialism its more a diseasethan a cure its like a slow growing infection that slowly takes over and causes serious problems, it eats from within and destroys the vitals.

Viva la the brain that helps people realize socialism is just one way in which the government can control your life. Why do women stay in abusive relationships? Because they're financially and emotionally incapable of supporting themselves and realizing they can survive on their own. Our government's abuses are not as obvious, but when you hear the OWS crowd espouse stupidity in that everything, and I mean everything, should be free and provided by our government, then this country is over. Capitalism is over, and yet it has created more wealth for more people than any other system. Relinquishing control is not a trait I'm willing to acquire. NO GOVERNMENT CAN AFFORD TO TAKE CARE OF ITS CITIZENS CRADLE TO GRAVE AS PROMISED BY POLITICIANS. BUT, BY THE TIME WE FINALLY CATCH ON, IT'LL BE TOO LATE AND THEY'LL HAVE TOO MUCH CONTROL. I'm ashamed that Americans believe this is the manner in which our country should be run. We will only run it into the ground. WAKE UP, AMERICA.

Hmmm...the new President of France plans to tax the "rich" from what I read here, 75%...he's also planning to hire more public employees in a country where they're aleady in major debt...so his formula for success is to take away incentives to even be rich or prosperous and keep growing the size of government....sounds a little familiar doesn't it?

Why then are the people of socialist countries not better off?

Except for Finland, Denmark, and Norway, you're probably right.

fedupwithfed

Americans smarter than the French! Their education levels are better than ours, and their kids are doing better in school that ours are. Sarkozy backed the austerity programs in Europe. Where are Greece now, and Spain, Italy, Ireland, etc? Even worse off now. Can you guys read, do you really keep up with world news, etc, etc? A pretty sad indictment of the American education system!!!

This is really bad news for the world. One by one, the peoples of the world will vote to keep spending more money than they have because he have no stomach for fixing the problems. Keep kicking the can down the road until there is no alternative to total collapse. Say goodbye to the EU, and the US not far behind.

La France est endormie. Dieu leur venir en aide.

France is asleep...May

God help them.

Becarefull what you wish for France, you may not like the result! And given the history of other socialist governments Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Argentina, etc... prosperity is never a result of such an ineffective type of government!

That's a fact!

Bye, Czar Kozy;

We still got Warlord Kony

LMarcT

Your numbers are not quite correct.

* 2012 United States federal budget - $3.7 trillion (submitted 2011 by President Obama)
* 2011 United States federal budget - $3.8 trillion (submitted 2010 by President Obama)
* 2010 United States federal budget - $3.6 trillion (submitted 2009 by President Obama)
* 2009 United States federal budget - $3.1 trillion (submitted 2008 by President Bush)
* 2008 United States federal budget - $2.9 trillion (submitted 2007 by President Bush)
* 2007 United States federal budget - $2.8 trillion (submitted 2006 by President Bush)
* 2006 United States federal budget - $2.7 trillion (submitted 2005 by President Bush)
* 2005 United States federal budget - $2.4 trillion (submitted 2004 by President Bush)
* 2004 United States federal budget - $2.3 trillion (submitted 2003 by President Bush)
* 2003 United States federal budget - $2.2 trillion (submitted 2002 by President Bush)
* 2002 United States federal budget - $2.0 trillion (submitted 2001 by President Bush)
* 2001 United States federal budget - $1.9 trillion (submitted 2000 by President Clinton)
* 2000 United States federal budget - $1.8 trillion (submitted 1999 by President Clinton)
* 1999 United States federal budget - $1.7 trillion (submitted 1998 by President Clinton)
* 1998 United States federal budget - $1.7 trillion (submitted 1997 by President Clinton)
* 1997 United States federal budget - $1.6 trillion (submitted 1996 by President Clinton)
* 1996 United States federal budget - $1.6 trillion (submitted 1995 by President Clinton)

AND very misleading. The budget for 2009 (the last one we saw) may have been passed while President Bush was in office because he did his Constitutional Duty, the spending in 2009 was done by OBama and included his great stimulus plan so the jump from 2.9 to 3.7 belongs to Obama, which amounts to an increase in spending in his last year of office of 27.5% over President Bush's spending in his last year in office and President Bush had two wars the entire time while Obama claims he ended the Iraq war and therefore should be saving lots of money each month. In addition to his cutting $500 Million from Medicare. So where is the money?

The French elected a Socailist because he promised not to make the drastic cuts needed to save their economy that Sarkozy was going to make. So, they will go for promises as many of our voters did in 2008 and find that things only get worse because a govenment cannot spend its way out of recession. This unfortunately will also effect our economy and probably be the end of the euro in the end.

juanita dominquez

Sounds very familiar and makes me laugh since someone on another post this morning was daring us to prove Obama was a socialist. France will find as those who voted for Obama did that this scheme does not work. It is even more foolish in France. Countries in Europe are so small and close together, the rich will simply move then who does he think he get the money from? People will not sit still and be bled dry to give to those who think a 40 work week and age 65 for retirement is way to draconian, besides all the other government give aways they have enjoyed in the past that can no longer be paid for. This is going to turn out to be a very bad joke on the French. With the large muslim population they have they have just started thier own doom of take over. Wonder how they will like Sharia Law.

I think the most interesting part of the story is all the people saying they voted for the man knowing what he wants to do will be suicidal for the country...that somehow just don't make sense to me.

As far as I am concerned it is their country so they can do as they like...although I think this will eventually have crippling effects here at home as the EU falls even further.

I noted one poster say how Germany was forcing all these measures down other countries throats...but as I recall they are mainly footing the bill and are not forcing anything...they gave Greece a choice last time...you can do this or do without the new money from us...it was not forced on Greece...they choose to accept the terms on their own to get the money.

As far as raising taxes more and more I agree everyone needs to pay their fair share...one flat rate for everyone...no matter how much or little you make you pay the same percent. Lets face it...many people are only going to pay what they want anyway...I know a lot of people who work under the table and never pay a dime...many of which get paid monthly by the Gov for being disabled. Lets face it...raise taxes enough I would probably do the same and pay what I thought was fair as many likely would.

Trust me even though I don't agree with many of the people on here I can still respect your views...the ability to disagree is still one of the things that make this country what it is.

Actually this is great news for America, we can watch and see what socialist polices do for an economically developed country on the edge of a debt crisis...learning from them can save us a lot of pain! Some predictions in order of occurence;

1. Many of the wealthy will not pay the 75% tax, they will find a way to take their assets and leave France

2. The Euro will begin a long sustained decline where after a couple of years it reaches 1 Euro to 1 Dollar

3. As a result of #2 George Soros, the master currency manipulator, will move up in rank of the world's richest people.

4. France will continue to move to being an even more protectionist country, and French workers will demand an even earlier retirement age of 50...which they get!

5. France and Germany have an "economic" falling out...Germans get fed up with being the only fiscally responsible country in the Eurozone and pull the plug on the Euro

6. Greece defaults for the final time and begins to action off it's Art treasures...including those recently reclaimed from the Getty Museum...which buys them back!

7. George Soros becomes the richest man in the world!

8. Everyone in France now works for the government and French Government Debt is only held by speculators.

I think the most interesting part of the story is all the people saying they voted for the man knowing what he wants to do will be suicidal for the country...that somehow just don't make sense to me

That is the exact same mindset in this country. Vote against Obama because I hate him. Does so much good for the country that the other choice will be far worse for the country and the majority of the citizens. Voting with hate, or any other emotion, instead of voting with your head, works out so well for people doesn't it?

It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you are on, voting against your best self interests because of hate, is juvenile and selfish. If it just affected YOU, it wouldn't make that much difference but unfortunately, we all end up losing even more because of that hateful, emotional vote.

People need to grow up and quit being so selfish that they only care about themselves. Too much hate has damaged this country already. It needs to stop before we are just a footnote in history. Vote smartly, not because of the hate of a letter behind a persons name. Vote for the best interests of the country instead of just your own selfish wants and prejudices.

This country needs 2 viable political parties to balance out the fringe element of the other side and work to benefit the entire country. Unfortunately, we only have 1 party in this country that is concerned about all of the people, not just the rich or elites.

To curb your excitement, I want to tell you that -

Hollande is a socialist!

To Bruce, coupe deville and Shake My Member: You guys aware of the fact that republicanCrimeCartelWars were over $2TRILLION wasted; Let alone the Young American Lives Lost. So You guys want to reduce the debt??????? Well. 75% Tax on the rich is A GOOD START, corporations like generous electric need to pay at least 55%on Net profits and capital gains and NO damned Profitable Wars. We Need AnAmericanUniversal HealthCare System where our citizens are taken care of like in France and Puulleeezzzeee, NO BULL@!$%# saying "that is why they are broke" Sarcoma gave the FrenchRich the same TaxEvasion Bonuses as KingGeorge The VacuumBrained did here so why do you think America has these MoneyProblems????You republicanCrimeCartelGophers buy into the evil rich's lies and illusions about PissDown economics while You are being Pissed on by these rascals.If you still have a brain, please use it.........................

We need to stop the blame game on who spent more. The fact is that obama had to increase spending due to the catastrophy we faced and still face..thats a given. The other fact is that almost every president raised the debt..almost every president! Both side have done it..so why try to out do eachother on who spent more! Seems counter productive..the issue is that we are still in crisis and half the government wants this to be the case (GOP) for political reasons and thats is just wrong! They should be concentrating on our future rather than tanking the country to get elected. The other issue we need to figure out is what kind of country we want to go forward...I personally dont believe in "no safety net, place your eggs in the corporation basket scenerio" The corporations have played and revieled their hand over the last 30 years and we cant just "TRUST" them to do the right thing. When you have all the money and hold all the cards then its easy to say lets starve the people to submission. We should have had strings attached when bush gave them huge tax breaks and penalized outsourcing our future and middle class to china..we are paying that price! The people of this country shoulkd be focusing on removing the career lifelong politician that forgot why they got elected. I think its just treasonous to put a corporation over the people..its not about fair play anymore, its just about how rich a person or corporation can be at any cost..the damn corporations take our money and we fight about we the people giving up the very things that make us a great country...WOW. NOBODY SEEMS TO BE LOOKING AT THE bigger PICTURE HERE and choose to fight amongst ourselves over the rhetoric and lies told to us by our government. We aint going nowhere as a country as long as we let the BANKERS, CORPORATIONS, WALLSTREET CONTROL OUR GOVERNMENT BECAQUSE GOVERNMENT DOESNT WORK FOR US ANYMORE..that should be self evident...be american and stick together people, unite together and conquer those who are doing this to us..or trust the people who tanked us some more with your pensions and livelyhoods..Americans seem to be gluttons for punishment and blame eachother just like the politicians want us to..how stupid to fall for this!!!wake up!!

The other issue is that the only reason we have our technology is because of our government..thats right, our government invested in research and development to get where we are today in technology and private business capitalized off off the investments the people of the country paid for...no private business or corporation would have been able to do this because they would and could never have the amount of money to do so...look around you..from plastics, to cell phones to everything we have is because we the people invested in our future and gave it to private business to bring it to market that we paid for too with tax breaks for corps)...,we the people and american corporations should be in this ride together but now they want everything from us that they screwed up because of GREED! Look up a little history about our government and research and development and private business and tell me that corporations invested THEIR MONEY! They got to be where they are because OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY!!PERIOD

Roadhead: "vote against Obama because you hate him"..."voting against your own self interests because of your hate"...

How utterly persumptuous and arrogant you are...has it even occured to you that voters that will not be voting for Obama just disagree with his polices and programs?...and not because they "hate him"?

Also...how do you know what is in the best interests of voters that do not prefer Obama to remain President?...or any voters for that matter? There are those of us that actually don't want the government to be any more pervasive in our lives then it already is...we are not supportive of expecting the government to do everything for us...apparently you do...

As I see it the country has two viable parties to choose from even if you don't like it. One party stands for the working person and tries to let them keep more of what they earn for themselves and the other tries to take more from the working class and spread it around to make everyone more equal even if they don't work to earn it.

Granted the differences go a lot deeper than just that but I think that is the main one that applies to this conversation.

So how you vote has nothing to do with hate as one group would love everyone loves to have everyone think...it has to do with personal views and ethics.

I am not rich...likely never will be since I spend a lot of money helping people I know out when they need help...I don't mind helping others when they deserve it and fall on hard times...I still get a lot of the things I need or services using the barter system...I don't mind working in my off time to get something I need cheaper or even free just for a few hours work...but I really don't like being forced to give money to someone to get food stamps just to have them try to sell them to me at the grocery store...sorry but if they can afford to sell them I don't really think they need/deserve that help.

Spain elect Rajoy from the conservative party to fix the economy that previous socialist governments put Spain in one of the worst economies, thanks to the same kind of policies Obama wants for us, France have a better economy and Sarkozy work hard with Merkel to bring the economy of the EU back in track. The election of the socialist Hollande will bring France economy down , promoting the same policies that other countries like Spain are rejecting. I'm glad we are not so stupid, to elect twice a socialist!!!!!!!.

Hollande has put on his "big boy" pants today by talking negatively of the austerity measures set in place. Let's see how the market reacts to that.

Germany has the largest economy in the Euro Zone. They are financing the bail out of Greece et al. So, is France...for now.

Austerity measures will not work in the Euro Zone. The troubled countries are too weak and austerity measures are shrinking the euro money supply. The only choices that exist is for the Euro to cease as a currency and all respective countries print their own currency and allow the markets to dictate the value or to inflate the euro by flooding the market with euros. Of course, the euro will lose value against other currencies, but it will make their exports more affordable, thus allowing them to dig their way out of the current recession. Now, this doesn't mean that countries have "carte blanche" to spend or expand government. It is an opportunity to get their financial houses in order and use a little discipline.

I am so sick and tired of hearing the libs scream that conservatives "hate" Obama because he is black! The actual conservatives in this country couldn't give a rats' behind what "color" the President is! We only care that we have a government who keeps their hands off of our lives, our wallets and our future. The liberals are the race-baiters in this country screaming their ignorance at the top of their voices whenever anyone disagrees.

Why is it considered "greedy" to want to keep more of the fruits of our labors? I am not a wealthy man, but, I have no intention to demand the hard work of good men and women be transfered into my wallet. There is a very large minority who think that they do not have to work, struggle and fight to get a better life. Welfare should always be considered a short-time way to live, not a way of life!

These socialists in France and our own government want to promise everything to get elected then give very little after they solidify their power. Remember, how many "conservative" democratic countries have slaughtered their own citizens and others to keep power. Examples of socialist and communist atrocities are multiple and extreme! Hitler and his National Socialists (Nazis) were responsible for the deaths of tens of millions in WWII. Joe Stalin and his Communist buddies killed even more over their 80 years of power and the Chinese made even Hitler and Stalin look like amateurs with the huge numbers they directly killed and the others they forced to be aborted. Nice group of friends you have their Mr. Obama!

Well, now the French are opposing 'austerity' and will remain profligate. Interesting how like spoiled children, they don't see that gimme is the fastest way to bancruptcy. Interesting how the Obama supporters and democrats are all for it. Then and again, the tax the rich mindset is what Hitler used to get the jews. Notice where the money went, into the war machine. Ta da. Of course the French had Napoleon and that worked out real good too. Will be interesting to watch what happens. Kinda like the old Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times.

Once any country creates more "leeches" than people willing to be worker's, that is the end of that country. Watch the worldwide economic response to the "socialist" vote in France and the how the US Stock Market goes down.

Many countries are "circling the drain", the US is well on the way to economic collapse under the Obama/Bush administrations. There is no real difference between the political parties and neither is offering real solutions to the economic problems facing the US.

"Why should I work", just to watch government give my hard earned money to people that choose not to work and be a leech on the system!

America lost WW III without a shot being fired. The collapse came from within!

LMarcT "Roy, Averages are meaningless."

Thanks for clarifying that actual dollars spent are meaningless, but percentage changes are all that matter.

OMG - I just got my credit card bill and my debt balance went from $100 to $300 - My debt increased by 200% in one month - I'm doomed.

Shaking my head-2479300 "LMarcT Your numbers are not quite correct.......... The budget for 2009 (the last one we saw) may have been passed while President Bush was in office because he did his Constitutional Duty, the spending in 2009 was done by OBama and included his great stimulus plan so the jump from 2.9 to 3.7 belongs to Obama"

Actually, there was no 2009 Budget passed while Bush was in office - The Democrats in Congress (Pelosi & Reid) refused to pass one for Bush to sign (or veto), so Bush was forced to sign a 'Continuing Resolution' on September 30, 2008 that only authorized continued spending at the 2008 level until Obama took over, so ALL of the huge increase in spending for fiscal 2009 belongs to Obama and his Democratic Congress - and Obama's 'stimulus'.

Dan you go right on being sick and tired but racism is racism and those teabaggers like J T Ready are racist, not all but many teabaggers fully fit the bill. Cutting spending in the face of a recession is just the thing to do if you want the economy to fail. Bet you are waiting for the trickle down to kick in, the elder bush was right when he called supply side economics voodoo. After nearly 40 years its time to admit its a fraud and led to this mess.

Hollande's election was predictable. Sarkozy said an 'austerity' plan was needed to prevent a debt crisis, but Hollande said "Nonsense, we can just keep spending and nobody needs to suffer".

The French decided to go with the choice that offered no pain, and they will pay in the long run, as the debt gets even more out of control.

Here's my prediction;

1 - The Euro will drop because this will cause instability in the financial markets.

2 - The interest rate on any new French debt will increase significantly because lenders know that France is heading for a default.

3 - Businesses will suffer as capital flows out of the country to avoid the doubling of income taxes on the wealthy.

4 - The jobless rate will increase as companies cut back because of higher costs from anti-business policies and regulations.

At least it will provide evidence that socialistic economic policies don't work very well, and should provide an interesting test of the 'Laffer Curve'.

NOW, let's tell the truth about the Bush vs Obama budgets:

Bush left out the wars in his budgets. Obama put them back in because he felt Americans needed to understand the full costs.

Bush passed an unpaid for $1 trillion Medicare Drug Law (Obama's Stimulus was less than that!), two wars, and a huge tax cut while in the middle of two wars.

Unfortunately, Obama's budgets have to include all that nonsense. Plus, we've been in the middle of the greatest recession since the Great Depression. One would HOPE that the federal budget would be bigger--no one is spending so the government has to to keep the economy moving. Econ 101, folks.

Taking bets as to how long the Euro will survive if Hollande keeps his election campaign promises. Germany sacrificed for the anschluss with Soviet East Germany. There will be no further sacrifice for Europe without an active and willing partner in France. Angela cannot deliver (even if she wanted to).

garcher-1253370

I have to agree with IRESPOND. When New York City enacted their millionaire tax in 2008, 2009. they actually lost revenue due to the fact that 30 some percent actually left the state for more friendly neighboring states.

The real problem is for you tax the rich happy liberals is, your elected officials go to extremes. What good does it do to raise taxes on a specific group (i.e. the rich) when that said group has the means to fold up shop and move to another location? Now your elected officials have lost your state Revenue, Jobs, and taxation from those employed by the evil rich guy they ran out of town. They are also going to cost your state unemployment compensation benifit dollars.

The question I pose to you liberals are what can the free market absorb? And is it truely fair? Also When will enough be enough? Because if they can tax the the top wage earners 45% to 50% even as Hollande quoted as much as 75% tax rates. Who will be next on the Radar? Will the middle class be next? Then where do governments turn when all other avenues have been exhausted?

I know of a a company that left New York last year because of the high tax rate, they moved the business to Florida. The company owner said the NY taxes were unbelievable. The company is a small business that has a high sales volume.

True socialism never stops at just taxing the rich, especially what this guy is offering. The programs that this guy offers will give the poor and middle classes great benefits, but they will be too expensive to pay for by just taxing the rich. Most French economists have said that already. Soon the middle and lower classes will also be paying 75% taxes to support the system.

Just imagine giving the government 75% of everything you make and then trusting them to do what is best for you. Do even the liberals truly believe that the government can do that much better in deciding what is beneficial for them?

Like it or not the French will have to give up the 30+ days of vacation a year, excellent retirement benefits that people in the US can only dream of, almost 100% protection of wages when laid off, and the various other perks paid for by the government. If they don't give up something the economy will falter and there is no one left to rescue them, because they are too big for Germany and England to bail out. Germany and England if smart would bail out of the EU before it sucks them down as well.

Sooo, Obama wants to make like France and you still blame Bush? At least Obama hasn't publicly stated that he wants to tax 75% of the income of those making one million francs (dollars) leaving the lucky sod $250,000 out of his million. So, why work if what you make is taken away from you? Why strive, achieve or look to better yourself and your family if all your hard work makes you a slave to a redistributive government? I would go on the dole and wait for the money to run out before I would be a slave to others on the dole. Why work? Answer that little question, I never do hear a reasonable rebuttal to that. Only hear lots of take, take, gimme, punish the rich and not too much about why bother if what you make is taken away.

Another example of how to win an election. It worked for Obama, it worked for Hollande and it will work in Greece. Promise a free ride to the free loaders. Promise that which can not be provided. Promise, Promise, Promise, that which cannot be delivered.

All this talk about Bush is nonsense. The fact is that Bush was never a conservative. The fact is that Bush, although hated by libs, was actually very favorable towards libs with his domestic policies. It's clear that no matter what Bush actually accomplished, he will never be seen in a favorable light by the left. They still can't get beyond The Tree losing. I must admit that it is humorous looking back at the irrationality of the left. They think that the US Supreme Court took the election away from The Tree. The fact is that Gore lost the election and lost Florida. Bush won the election on election night. Then, when there was a recount Bush won that too. Then they did another recount and Bush won that one too. Not satisfied, the libs wanted another count. As was appropriate, the S. Ct. put a stop to it. There is absolutely zippo, nada, zero evidence to indicate that Gore won the election. Let's face it, Broward County was run by the dems. Those in charge of reviewing the votes couldn't come up with enough. No one seriously contends that they weren't looking for any and every way to tilt it to The Tree. It just wasn't there.

And the Euro already fell...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=47315425&#47315425

Hollande has promised more government spending and higher taxes — including a 75-percent income tax on the rich — and wants to re-negotiate a European treaty on trimming budgets to avoid more debt crises of the kind facing Greece.

Wow, Mr. Hollande and Mr. Obama are gonna get along SO WELL together......MORE government spending (Liberals/Socialists love this one) and MORE taxes ON THE RICH (Obama class warfare agenda). Same old socialist agenda we have in the U.S.

Yep, France is going to make Greece look very, very pale in comparison.

Sarkozy acted as a cheap mercenary of Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists while dancing as a conservative.

With economy in tatters, where was the need for him to jump and dance on Syria and Iran?

He is not even fit to run bars of Strauss Kahns.

The same thing applies to David Cameron.

Ido,

I thought class warfare was when wealthy corporations ask their underpaid employees for more belt tightening while the top execs get huge bonuses for their efforts at bending over the working class.

Don't Make the French Mistake!

NOBAMA 2012

The conservative South has far more government employees than Northern States, biggest employer in Oklahoma is the government. What party is more socialist?

The French live longer because they realize there is no point in getting your panties in a wad over every penny spent, up-tight Americans don't have the history to realize that being all stressed out over the inevitable is a waste of time. All Countries are going in the crapper, those who have long histories know that that doesn't mean the end of the world.

You want real concerns in your life - become Disabled and see what the government does to you when you try and collect the benefits you earned. 12 operations and declining health are hardly asking for freebies, I'll trade you any day - going to work was easy. You don't become disabled from being a slacker at work, I earned every scar I have. If disability rights are a socialist program - then we have been socialists for a long time. Being disabled at work is no different than being disabled by war - we both served our country.

As long as French Toast isn't in jeopardy - I'll be fine.

Those of you who complaint about Obama, let's me ask you how much interest alone for the debt. Over 1 Trillion in interest and it is much harder to get out of debt.

My father left me with 20k and left the country when I just graduate with a degree. 5 years later, I have more debt than I originally got stuck with and all I did so far was to pay interest alone.

And yet the word "teabagger" on the same page was ok? I'm intrigued.

Watch the US stock market spiral downward. I give the new French President my best as well as the French people. I hope he can help those in need not only in France but in the EU and ultimately the US. I hope he reigns in all the people that caused the collapse in his country and show the rest of the world what responsible financial practices and accountability looks like. People before profits!!!!

Yep, Our GOP party is the same way. Protect the the 1%, mega banks, oil and pharmacuetical corps, and ultra for profit medical and catastrphic industries at all cost. And their Repug candidate, Willard the Ripper is the biggest phony and scam swinddler of all times. It boggles the minds why a lot of our people can not see this huge red flag who is out to get their votes - and from past records, don't give a damn about who he steps on all over.

people are not going to put up with austerity, while the banking community pulls in trillion dollar profits, gives out many billions in bonus to it's executives,

Well said!! The U.S. could learn a thing or two from them, and quit embracing fascism.

Better look back to 1981 in France. The socialist ideas did a bang up job. The frogs have screwed the Euro.

France will require large sums of money since they are almost broke. We will see what a mini US looks like soon. Germany will have to put another 1/2 to 1 trillion into the Euro bank. And since Merkle and Germany are not real big fans of the socialist French political movement. I have peers all over Europe and none of the Germans want to give ANY money to France to give out to people who dont want to work for it. This is not going to be a good euro situation. I believe we may have observed the end of the euro as we have known it.

Haven't you read that investors (banks) lost money when the Greek govt renegotiated it's bonds?

The gimme generation will not put up with austerity. If so, they will have to put up with the collapse

of the whole system. How will they survive since they do not believe that they are responsible for

their own welfare?

Austerity = paying for what you take. My goodness, when are the lazy and irresponsible ever going to be held accountable? The gravy train is over, folks.

It wouldn't kill the lazy Greeks or anyone else to work past 50. It can be done!!

Congratulations to the French people in their victory in beating Sarkozy. In about 6 months our country it going to elect RON PAUL into the White House. I bet the powers that think they be are $h!tt!ng bricks about now. France and the US are sovereign nations and therefore FREE. The UN, NATO, IMF, illegal president or anybody else can make us do anything. They are going to try to steal this election from the people. We can't let that happen. RON PAUL 2012

Let US see how Hollande will do in Paris and beyond. The same Revolution IS HAPPENING HERE in the US. Rommel and his band of RepublicanCrimeCartelSoldiers, the GREEDY and HEARTLESS Corporations, which are the instruments of the EVIL RICH, are hoping to foul Hollende and his PROMISE OF 75% Tax on the French Aristocratic rich to help pay down France's debt. EGADZ!! Of Course!!! You see, these Terrible WORLD DEBTS, Particularly American with the Evil Rich starting PROFITABLE WARS all over the planet, are because the these Rogues have gotten control of the Planet's Wealth and Resources, treating them like a personal piggyBank for Theirs and "Their family's Pleasure and welfare" While there is 21% Unemployment, Families in the Streets, and Thugs being called "Police Officers" To Serve And Protect...... But Let's complete that Jingo: "To Serve THE RICHand PROTECT THEIR ILL GOTTEN WEALTH". Hopefully, Hollonde will see what the Worlds Wealthy Rogues will try to do to his new adminstration.....This is kind of like The French Revolution All Over Again!!! So!!! BRING BACK THE MADAM!!!!She will be MORE THAN HAPPY to give the rich rogue class a sendoff kiss on their necks........

Well, I hope things get better with Francois Hollande as president, although I wish he can find a way to help the poor. I know some are gonna bicker about them getting a free pass. With rampant unemployment in Europe shooting high, I tell you, I said it before, I'll say it a million times: The Euro is the worst thing happen to the people. I seen a lot of numbers about Europe's unemployment, and jeez, talk about disastrous. Greece is by far the worse as this point due to Austerity. Belgium, Italy, France as well, well, name a few, are having problems with unemployment and debt due to their leaders. We're having the same problems, except it's far worse because of the Donocon (Do Nothing Congress). All they wanted to do is make us worse and President Obama. It sickens me because I don't mind having my taxes raised so we can create jobs. Illinois did so and they are prospering with jobs, while Wisconsin, no. Don't call me lefty for nothing, I side with no political affiliation with my personal opinion. Mammon has reeked havoc all around the World due to Greed.

They have no money.....Germany has the money, tell me if you think Germans will lend the French 1/2 a trillion euros so they can pay their people who want to work 30 hours a week retire at 48 and have free medical... oh yea did I mention more holidays than any two American workers with good union jobs. I have people in 8 European countries. The Brits are the only ones that seem to know what they have to do.

So France will have a socialist President. Does this mean we get to see his whore all the time too? What a Poser!

Next, we ought to O-CAY-I. This is 'Ocuppy The Cayman Islands'.

Go down to those little islands which has a police force of five hundred Tropical Guards, compared to NYC army of 40,000 cops, and takeover those banks. This can force the Romney's of the world to bring their wealth back home's where we can tax them or let 'em build factories and such as.

@PhantomBeast

LOL!! I hope you look back on this when you've grown up.

Socialism is when 40% of the people support 60%, that can only go on for so long and the 40% become like the 60% and nothing gets done and everyone just waits fore their due, but there is nothing coming in so there is no due, end of story. it only worked in the tribal system when retirement meant you were left behind. if you could not keep up you were left behind, if you had a disability you were cast out and left behind, you were only respected as long as you could contribute, or you would be left behind.

@gridlock-2307416

This can force the Romney's of the world to bring their wealth back home's where we can tax them or let 'em build factories and such as.

ROTFLMAO!! Do you guys ever bother to see if the talking point you've been spoon fed even make sense? US citizens have to pay taxes on ANY income they have from ANYWHERE in the world. Romney doesn't have money in the Caymans because it helps him avoid any taxes, because it DOESN'T nor could it. He does it because it helps him avoid paying and army of attorneys to sort through all of the contradictory red tape here in the States. It's not a tax haven for him, it's just easier.

Now, IS it MY Imagination OR ARE THE BIGGEST Complainers to the French elections outcome: the "pro EVIL Rich" Monkeys on a string gophers for the "party of NO!!!" aka the republicanCrimeCartel. Are these CryBabySoldiers PAID to impart their "comments and predictions" so as to scare off voters here in the US? LOOK AT THE SITUATION AS IT IS GUYS ANDLADIES!! Here We are: AMERICA, The LEADER Of The Free World, And! And!! And!!!!! WE DO NOT Have An American Universal HealthCare System but instead BloodSucking "health Insurance Companies" with premims that would make one, Warren Buffet Snuffle 'cause We just Can't Pay $500 to $7500 p/month. Are YOU republicanCrimeCartelShills aware of the fact that the CEO of UnitedHealthCare TOOK HOME $128,000,000 for his 2008 yearly salary!! When POLICYPAYING Insureds who needed Life Saving Therapy were denied and Died!!CHECK THESE F A C T S OUT PLEASE!!!! This is why in PreBastilleFrance 1789 The Guillotine was brought in to dispose of these evil beings And their "families"

Now, either you complainers are paid shills or disillusioned malleable fools. There is something wrong with your thought processes OR You People should be Thoroughly Ashamed of YourSelves.

@PhantomBeast

Now, either you complainers are paid shills or....

Says the guy who cuts and pastes the same nonsensical drivel over and over again.

Bye, Czar Kozy, we will miss you.

Are you going to move back to Russia, Czar Putin wants you.

To curb your excitement, I want to tell you that -

Hollande is a socialist!

To BackWater 164; That "drivel" is the truth even for the mentally limited as you seem to be. LOL backwater, somehow, you seem to be cold as ice and very self centered....Your Mom must have been the cold type..............

In about 6 months our country it going to elect RON PAUL into the White House.

That is about as realistic as the fed legalizing all drugs tomorrow. I would love to see Ron Paul get put into office, for about 2 weeks. That would show the delusional that you can NOT ram your ideas of government down the throat of everyone else. The best thing though is that it MAY wake up some of the brain dead party bots of both parties, that they can not force their ideas down the throat of the people either. That mindset is one of the biggest problems in politics today, do it MY way because I said so. It won't work for Ron Paul and it won't work for any other party or politician either.

People need to grow up and quit being so damn selfish. This constant me me me and @!$%# everyone else attitude needs to stop if this country is to remain viable. The same kind of French revolution that changed the locations of a few heads in 18th century France, is not too far off in the future of this country if things don't change for the better soon.

Now if Sarkozi were attentive, he would have picked up on "It's the economy dummy!!"And NOT mimicked KingGeorge The Vacuum Brained during his Shamefully Despicible ShrubberReign, 2001-2008, giving it all away to greedy corporations and the 1-10% wealthy, some of whom survived from The French Revolution some 223 years ago and are here today...flushwater164................

AUSTERITY DOES NOT WORK IN A RECESSION! The American and Japanese Great Depressions and Current European recession has shown us that.

First, the governments need to spend to keep the economy going because no one else is. Once the economy is moving again, cut back but increase taxes minimally in a progressive manner. Sadly, these governments are ignoring Econ 101--and we're seeing the dismal results.

let-me-just-say-1-thing

Watch the US stock market spiral downward. I give the new French President my best as well as the French people. I hope he can help those in need not only in France but in the EU and ultimately the US. I hope he reigns in all the people that caused the collapse in his country...

-------------------------

Not likely...he would have to renege on all his campaign promises to rein in the causes of France's problems. No, he will redouble on Sarkozy's mistakes. I see a President Le Pen in France's future.

P@hantomBeast

To BackWater 164; That "drivel" is the truth even for the mentally limited as you seem to be. LOL backwater, somehow, you seem to be cold as ice and very self centered....Your Mom must have been the cold type..............

Yawn. Even the people who agree with the things you say can see that you are clueless. You give no pertinent facts in your rants, you give no reasons for the things you rave about. You just repeat the basic talking points with an occasional word in CAPS as if you actually understood where the emphasis should be placed. Admit it, you have no idea what the hell you are talking about, you just hear something that sounds good so you repeat it without ever understanding a thing you say.

OR prove me wrong, lets hear some detail shall we? How would YOU go about providing universal health care while at the same time reducing the 21% unemployment and eliminating the world debt. Got some solutions to go with your rhetoric? And please do explain to us all just exactly how the "republicanCrimeCartel" and the "pro EVIL Rich Monkeys on a string" managed to get "control of the Planet's Wealth and Resources". By what mechanisms would we prevent that from happening again? Hmmm???

It is not banking companies greed alone. Add greeds of oil companies, rating agencies and Wall Street.

Primary reasons are Iraqi wars (1991 and 2003).

Oil companies and their lobbyists. Oil prices, which were hardly $30 a barrel before 1991, shot up to $140 a barrel.

Since 2003, future traders, rating agencies, Wall Street and oil companies and their lobbyists transferred five trillion dollars from oil importing countries to oil exporting nations.

Rich Sunni ME sharks (Saudi Arabia in particular) funded Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques and Islamic radicals and terrorists all over the world. These Sunni Islamic radicals and terrorists are rampaging all over the world. World’s 80 percent of problems are due to them.

These are what we got for dancing as directed by Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists.

Radicals; all of these Black and White views with no ability to moderate, thankfully radicals are a small minority.

Where are all these freeloaders the radicals speak of? I know of one person who gets government benefits due to his laziness - one out of thousands of people I've met in my life. He gets so little in aid that he has lived the majority of his life with his parents - hardly a desirable life.

Smokin' hot? She has a mustache! LOL!

That passes for smokin' hot in France...

To IdiotSavant99: She aint' got a mustache...You must be wishful thinking when UFC is havin' a match. trevelier is ALL Female and a sexy bitch at that!!!!

Conseravatives blew up their chances. Sarkozy is the example. What a leader!

US Republicans gave us Iraqi wars dancing to the greedy Saudis, oil companies and their lobbyists.

British and European nations acted as directed by the US and oil companies.

It was turn of conservatives in Britain, France and European nations.

Instead of solving local problems, they danced as directed by oil companies, banks and major corporations. Also corruption increased.

Now it is socialists turn.

Keep away from wars and solve problems of people.

Jay: Please Go Away....The party of Me had to go in Paris Just like they did 223 Years ago, EXCEPT THE MADAM Sent Them Packing with a Parting Kiss on the back of their necks.....Whole Rommel Families, InHouse Car Elevators and All..........Jay, Don't be Rommel's Fool.................

Do you mean the spend, spend, spend of Corporate welfare. I think Hollande will be focused on the prosperity of his fellow countrymen, not the greedy corporations that created this mess. Maybe Hollande will also be able to get all those who destroyed a way of life to pay for their greedy mistakes!!! Make those that caused the problem pay to fix it, not those that suffer at those same hands!!!

How did the corporations mess up France? They are running businesses, not the country.

@ Let-me,

Will you get off the corporations thing? Corporations are made up of people, pay the majority of the taxes in this world, and employ the majority of people. They're far more efficient than the government who employs people for life, rewards laziness, and has no accountability or safeguards whatsoever. If the leaders of corporations got away with what our own congressmen/women did, we'd all be in trouble.

Let-me....Youve been eating to much quiche and drinking too much wine.....If you really think that a socialist society is better, then move to france, korea, even canada and see how great it is....most of us like the idea that we may be able to build or work for an "evil corporation"....

President Harry Truman in 1948: "The Republicans … will try
to make people believe that
everything the Government has done for the country
is socialism. They will
go to the people and say: "Did you see that social
security check you
received the other day—you thought that was good for you,
didn't you? That's just too bad! That's nothing in the world but socialism. Did
you see that
new flood control dam the Government is building over there for the

protection of your property? Sorry—that's awful socialism! That new hospital

that they are building is socialism. Price supports, more socialism for the

farmers! Minimum wage laws? Socialism for labor! Socialism is bad for you,
my
friend. Everybody knows that. And here you are, with your new car, and
your
home, and better opportunities for the kids, and a television set—you
are just
surrounded by socialism! Now the Republicans say, 'That's a
terrible thing, my
friend, and the only way out of this sinkhole of
socialism is to
vote for the
Republican ticket.'" And that was 64 Years
Ago!!!, the republicanCrimeCartel is still doing the same exploitation of people
THEY ARE NOTORIUS FOR. Now, according to KingGeorgeTheVacuumBrained, it is
called "free market" capitalism; with families in the streets and 21%
Unemployment.......

Remember Fellow and Sister Americans: A vote for ANY
republicanCrimeCartelSoldier, Rommel, is a vote Against Yours and Your Family's
WellBeing

@let-me-just-say-1-thing

I think Hollande will be focused on the prosperity of his fellow countrymen, not the greedy corporations that created this mess.

I'm sure he will. Unfortunately for the people of France it's the "greedy" corporations that create the wealth that everyone benefits from. That's a concept you libs just can't seem to grasp. Government can't create wealth, the average citizen can't create wealth, only business in the private sector creates wealth.

Because they aren't getting as big of a piece of the pie as what they feel they're owed some people are willing to smash the oven to bits. Not sure how that makes sense to anyone.

ToWeeWilly: Look, Think it is time to give Trevelier and Hollandais a Saucy Try???? YEP! And As far as Rommel and his "entitled" family??; Well, 223 years ago, THE MADAM Properly dealt with those Vicious Aristocrats; After the second year of The French Revolution, 150,000 Aristocrat heads neatly and calmly rolled off of The Madam's Bastule. Think of How willard rommel Destroyed Whole Families with his "bain" corporation...outsourced jobs, stuffed employee benefits and Whole savings funds into his "quaking clean" pockets. all the time looking down his nose at YOU WetWilly; But then your masocistic side Loves it....say it aint' true?????????????????????

If any of you cannot see that big business, banks, and wall street have got you by the short hairs then there is no help for you. They determine every aspect of your life whether you want to believe that or not. Backcountry164, yes these corporations have the wealth while the ones that do the work for 2 employees barely get by on the deflated wages they earn. I am not opposed to businesses making profits, but what they do to get them is the problem. Since when was 2%-3% profit deemed not good enough. It has to 10% or higher. What I think people have a hard time with is that blaming everything on government gives people the feeling that they can control all this. While going straight to the source, greedy slash and burn business ethics, are much more difficult to do anything about. What I find most ironic is that for Repubes who want smaller Government, they are the ones who turn to Government to solve their problems, rather than those in society who have caused all this chaos to begin with. Let those that caused the problem pay for it, not the ones they screwed over. And by the way, are Repubes the gate keepers for the rich? Because guess what after they finish ransacking everyones hard work, you can be sure you won't be invited in for bourbon and cigars. You may however be asked to serve your new overlords.

Phantombeast, your Truman quote says it exactly how it is. Government is for the betterment of the people, not just the rich and mighty.

To Let-Me-Say-One-thing: Well. it IS going to be interesting for US All Here and around the world. I think tomorrow, there is going to be a big sell off on the street,as so many stocks are miked for the very last bit of profit taking. i am already out of the street, what about you BackWater164????

In any case let US all hope that we can heal this terrible wound caused by the repulicanCrimecartel and DisIllusioned voters like Backwater, whose mom bottle fed him....with chilled coca cola.....

To try to put things very simply, you can feed the golden egg laying goose, keep it alive and continue enjoying the eggs. Or you can kill the goose and have no more eggs. Remember, you only get to take away the rich man's money once, then it is gone forever. Then what do you go when the formerly rich have no more money? The people of France (and America) are screaming "Kill the goose!"

LOL, the "rich man" (couldn't be rich woman, rich person, huh?) the rich man's money? The majority of wealth is not in yearly income, it is in ASSETS. Taxing them 75% does relatively little, they can live high off the hog. I love how these folks try to snooker us that taxing the rich is the equivalent of some sort of austerity program, hahhaha.

Don't confuse taxing them with true redistribution of their assets. And since most of them ONLY got where they are by exploiting the labors of thousands of folks, it is just a case of ebb and tide. Afterall, we weren't to whine when OUR houses went underwater and they got the bailouts, right?

Phantombeast 5.7

Do you have any idea what you're talking about of do you just mindlessly ramble on regurgitating socialist propaganda?
You should know that Hollende and his wife are your typical bourgeois socialists. They are so rich they're oozing money and avail themselves of all the trappings of wealth and the best luxuries that money and power can acquire. Socialism is for the unwashed masses, not them as they're the ruling class. They, however, are able to manipulate and deceive the masses to maintain power.

Engels had a term for people such as you.

The French also ask for America's help when things don't go their way. With the new French Socialist dictator, France will be asking for America's help in a couple of days.

OoOoo Fiesty is sure to hate your Avitar. It may make her ill......keep it up! And people quit asking it how she posts first all the time. She managed to get my name and work history(linkedIn) through an email address I used to sign up on here. Hmmmmmm!

She's probably stalking you. Get over yourself!

Get a Grip. I cannot stand the rich either, but they are the ones who keep unemployment below 60 percent. And I would not expect Hollande to hand the rich of France anytime soon. His 75 Percent tax is on TAXABLE income, meaning there are probably loopholes galore.

Also look for increased taxes on the Middle Class as well.

And if you look at history, France usually goes opposite of Most of Europe. When Europe goes left (Wilson, Brandt, Palme, Blair, Schroeder, etc) France Goes Right. When Europe goes Right (Thatcher, Kohl, Merkel, Cameron, etc. France Goes Left.

Not Quite. Mitterand was a Socialist. France actually cooperated with NATO and the US under his tenure. Chirac, who was a Guallist, was the one who had sour relations with the US, as so did his mentor DeGaulle...

Also, they have a saying there: Le cœur est à gauche mais le portefeuille sur le droit, which means "The heart is on the left but the rillfold is on the right"

please do

Of course they will pay China back...with the same depreciated currency that Bernanke and Geithner are cranking out to pay us!

Please explain how that man would be proud of France? And elaborate on how it has taken a step toward a dictatorship.

Almost all Dictatorships start with Socialism. Hitler and the Nazis were Socialist (The Nazis were known as "The National Socialist Party"). Hitler believed that everyone should be the same. The only people that Hitler thought should be rich were the Military leaders. Now that France has a Socialist leader, the idea that "everyone should be the same" will spread.

They may have been considered Socialist but please don't forget that their ideas were more radical and racist. Hitler and the Nazis were fascist, an ideology that was not about believing that eveyone were the same but about people should be separated and that the "Aryan race" should have the supremacy over all other races. Nazism was mostly born out of anti-communism and other factors.

Yes, Hitler was a racist. He also hated Jews and Russians. When he was talking about everyone being the same, he meant his people, no one else.

I won't comment on the Russians but the Jews in Germany were Germans until you prove otherwise. They were born and raised Germans, they had German parents, they lived in Germany. Technically they were his people too, just with their own beliefs and their own traditions.

It's the same thing with the French Jews, they are Jews but they still stay French. If anything, the National Front's ideals are closer to the Nazis' ideals than the French Socialists'.

That's the thing, the Jews had their own beliefs, which Hitler didn't like. Hitler only liked people with the same beliefs as him. The Jews were German, but Hitler didn't think they were his people.

You're right, he didn't consider them his people.

Ah, we're getting off-topic, sorry!

Now, what's the common ground he shares with Hollande? Because most dictatorships I've seen so far were all radicals: Fascism, Communism, Nazism (which is a variety of fascism), etc. And I have to recall that while Communism and Socialism share more or less in common an egalitarian view (although Communism is extreme left), Nazism is more oriented toward conservatism and has an authoritarian view (and is extreme right) I hope that make sense.

What I mean is that Socialism and Fascism are on opposite spectrum, so we cannot really compare them and say they're the same. I think Hitler would be prouder if the National Front won than of Hollande's victory.

Rozhaine - Calling someone a Socialist or a Communist or a Terrorist as the Rights way of saying you are BAD and EVIL because you don't agree with me. Kind of like what Hitler did... You are totally correct about the Nazi Party in Germany. I am part German and that part is Jewish. Socialism had a completely different definition during those days. The Right gets hung up on the word but does no research into the meaning of the word.

That's the weird thing though, Hitler was a Fascist and a Socialist. I know they are opposite, but Hitler believed that people with blond hair and blue eyes should be the dominant group (Fascism). Hitler also thought that everyone with blond hair and blue eyes should be the same (Socialism).

Tell that to my red haired, blue eyed Jewish grandfather who fled for his life from Germany. Unfortunately, not everyone in the family was so lucky. Hitler was a sick SOB who didn't know what he was talking about and his beliefs and policies defy any classification known to man.

Hitler didn't like anyone that was a Jew, even if they did have blue eyes or blond hair. Hitler was nuts, there was no reason for him to attack America or Russia. In fact, Russia and Nazi Germany were "friends" at the begining of WW2. I personally believe that Josef Stalin was more evil than Hitler, but Hitler was insane.

There was no one more evil that Hitler.

cough stalin and moa

Meaningless is not the same as pointless.

He's not raising the French debt..... He's rising the French taxes, on the wealthy, and giving the French wealthy a reason to create jobs!

riiiiight roadkill , we'll see how that pans out for them ..

Trickle down and corporate welfare, have work out great!

Roadkill, the French wealthy can just bug out of France and take their capital to Germany or Russia. You chase the wealthy out with the capital and France will look like Detroit, but with mostly Arabs. The blacks went nuts in Detroit after MLK Jr got shot and burned their own city down, then told whitey to go, so whitey left, with all their money too. Look at what happened, 40 years of a city slowly dying and now bankrupt because the fools that burnt their own neighborhoods down, don't know how to run a city or balance a budget, or more importantly be honest accountants of their deeds.

He's also lowering the retirement age to 60. Why not lower it to 30, then they can all relax and enjoy the spoils of socialism while they're still young and healthy?

Such a foolish comment. Maybe most people would not want to retire at thirty, not everyone is a Paris Hilton type, who has nothing important to do on this earth. On the other hand, the average worker wants and deserves their GOLDEN YEARS, where they can stop worrying about making money (much of it for others) and live life on their own terms for a change.

World wide average people are getting tired of being exploited from above and sick of trickle up economics that leave them wanting for quality food for their children, while CEO's feed filets to their pet dogs. Enough of their excesses, enough of this level of wage disparity. Most people in America are disgusted to know that while wages for AVERAGE people were flat lining, somehow the CEOs increased their coffers SEVEN FOLD, gee do ya suppose those two facts are somehow...INTERRELATED???? lol.

Chesty.....If you read the article many of the French voters voted more to vote against Sarkozy not for Hollande as some of the comments by voters mentioned Hollandes programs will be suicidal. When France and Germany will not be able to agree on the Euro budget while more euro countries continue to sink into oblivion then you better fasten your seatbelts and secure your 401K plans

They are all the same. A president cannot change the destiny. The finances of a country is quite different than the finances of a family. In a debt based monetary system, the budget cannot be balanced for a long time because the money supply (allt he money we have) was borrowed at interest. It was created when we borrowed. It will never be paid off. And in order to pay the interest, we need to keep growing the economy at all times. But in a limited world that may not always be possible. Google for "How do banks create money" to understand the root cause of the problem. Clinton's balanced budget was a coincidence, not making of his own. Presidents do not run the economy. Social mood does. As the mood changes, expansion and contraction of credit, aka money supply, creates economic cycles like Kondratieff wave. We are now in Kondratieff Winter. Until spring, all efforts will fail.

Stock market foretells the economic, politic, social and cultural events. According to socionomic theory, bear markets come with a downturn in crowd psychology. Social mood is declining since 2000. When the crowd turns from optimism to pessimism, it is first seen in stocks, and then the rest of the economy, politics, culture. A president who is in the office during a bear market gets the blame. The aggragate anger turns against those at the helm. Economy suffers because pessimistic people do not expand economic activities. They contract. Google for "social mood trading stocks" to understand how the aggregate crowd psychology writes history. Sorkozy's fate was decided long ago.

Jacksonc, a very well articulated and thoughtful response, and also most informative. We have have often wondered how it is that so few people seem to comprehend that a large scale economy (a macro economy) is the net result of behavior which is driven more by emotion and lower brain function than by sentient thought or reason.

Maybe both of you should have a look at what Hitler did in Germany on the run up to WWII. His economic policies DID turn the economy around - and - in a very short time. That explains why the German people bought into his rhetoric - blindly.

A President (with Congress on board) can absolutely influence the economy - for better or worse. It is also true that the populace (as in Germany) must be supportive of their leaders.

I finally realize what lazy republicans do with their down time. They sit their fat butts down in front of their computers so they can bit** and stroke each other. Do republicans and conservatives do anything but complain and criticize? It appears not. Many of you are on here every single day and say the same old garbage. Then you stroke one another by telling each other how right and smart you are. If it wasn't so pathetic it would be funny. A tiny clique of whining little cry babies. Write this down Mitt Romney will not be elected president. President Obama will win a second term rather easily. Okay now you repetitive fools can go back to spewing the same old garbage and telling each other over and over how right you are. Doom and gloom rhetoric has never solved any problem EVER nor has finger pointing like small children. Time to grow up or I'll tell your mommies.

interesting, stoploss ... as we are the only ones in this thread 'agreeing' with another post, we must assume your reference is to ... us. That said, we are curious what in our words would lead you to believe us a Republican ... certainly not this, not any other post of late, except for a recent one lamenting the decline of the party. But perhaps we have offended a very thin skin by noting the historically poor behavior of another well known political party. The truth cuts both ways.

Though a generality, one generally notes those on the fringe right using such childish and poorly articulated language, as though such ranting would ever actually cause anyone to take their opinions to be of value, but then as we have oft noted, there is little effective difference between the fringe extremists in either party or on either side. Both believe they are 'absolutely right' and that any not agreeing with them is 'absolutely wrong'.

While we agree that our current President will be re-elected, and have no interest whatsoever in having that job assumed by Romney, we feel that perhaps those who so readily cry to others 'fool' might find it an interesting exercise to first gaze into a mirror, for one far wiser than we once said that to find a fool, first look for the one who calls others a fool most loudly and most oft, not to imply, of course, that we would mean by this anyone here. Perhaps one has missed their calling, and should consider forming a local Tea Party.

It is curious. Reading a smattering of the comments posted here, one reads either that the conservative policies of Sarkozy have leveled the French economy and the new socialist government will now fix things, OR one reads that socialists will now totally f*ck things up, and that only in better adherence to conservative principals is there any hope of recovery.

I suspect that most of the people posting these comments really have no idea what will work.

Personally I do not think any economic programs will fix the following problems, at least not overnight, which is what people want:

• In most of the Western World, we are simply not producing all the goods we consume. This is not just because of government regulations or corporate tax rates. It is primarily because the costs of production are less in countries like China, South Korea, Latin America and South East Asia. A society which does not produce what it consumes can only grow poorer.
• In this country, 2008 marks the date when a great many baby-boomers woke up and realized they were 10 years or less from retirement, with only minimal provisions for retirement and a home on which they owed more money than they'll ever get for it. The spending habits of these people are unlikely to rebound and resuscitate the economy. We should not expect it.
• The dollar is horrendously overvalued abroad. How else can you explain stories of private schools in Pakistan with a monthly tuition of $2 or $3. I spend more on coffee every day. So do most people. Yet if the value of the dollar falls, the cost of many, many consumer goods, everything from clothing to gasoline, will rise astronomically.

There is no magic wand that Obama, or Romney, or any other political leader can wave to make these issue go away. They are basic facts of the world in which we now live. They are not particularly the fault of any past or present President.

So, rather than moaning about what was, or listening to practiced liars promising a quick fix, our nation needs to find the courage and the vision to start looking at long run solutions.

But... reading today's comments, and the promises made by many of the current crop of political leaders, I am not hopeful. People like being lied to, and politicians, of all ideological stripes are all too willing to accommodate them.

Good start dman. But you've got to dig deeper.

Civilizations and societies that lose contact and faith with their founding myths have always had a dismal prognosis. They are ripe prey and it is more than likely that they will be replaced with a more
vigorous and vibrant challenger. I am not arguing in any respect for the validity of our myths, merely for their utility as a linchpin of our civilization. And it is always amazing that those whose lifestyles are most
dependent on the current order are also those most eager to tear out its foundations and most reluctant to man the ramparts in its defense.

The increasing sophistication, the resulting graying of the west, the failure to replace population and importation of labor with foreign ideologies and values foretell a new barbarianism...as surely as Rome hired but never assimilated the barbarians to "protect" their empire. Note that Putin has just initiated a "baby bounty" in Russia. He understands the problem but it is too little, too late.

Cincinnati Rick - I'm unsure exactly to what myth or myths you are referring. Societies grow old and change and evolve, or they die.

The Roman Empire of Hadrian and Trajan was not the Roman Republic of Caesar. Nor was it the Empire of 5th century, when Rome was sacked on multiple occasions. In its heyday, the Roman Empire did at least partially assimilate large number of barbarian peoples. That is why the modern language of the descendants of the Germanic Franks, is Latin-based French, and why the languages of Spain, Portugal and Italy are all Latin-based.

What is happening today is that the core of our economy has weakened greatly, which is one of the same reasons some historians give for the fall of the Roman Empire, a full 5 centuries after the decay of the Roman Republic. Today's influx of Mexican, Carribean, South American and East Asian immigrants is no different than the influx of Irish and Italian immigrants over a century ago. People spoke then about foreign ways, and creeping papism.

Somehow the U.S. survived.

dman, in regards to production and consumption, you have most assuredly said a mouthful ... and much truth. Slight of hand only wins the day to a point. Eventually, there is always a reckoning. Though sometimes that reckoning can be postponed for a very long time. One could have made a good case that ours was at hand some 30 years ago.

Where's the thumbs down button ?

JOE...You miss spoke...Only a dead socialist is better than any conservative any time.

.. and any sentient being who bothers to think for himself or herself is worth 100 of either or both :c)