H - Punk

France has short workweeks; public and social spending, as shares of GDP, above the European Union average; a fiscal policy that could hardly be further from austerity; heavily regulated labor markets; and extraordinarily generous paid vacation entitlements. In short, it has everything an opponent of neoliberalism could wish for their own country. France is also home to advocates of degrowth and even more burdensome redistributive policies. Economists like Thomas Piketty urge other countries to impose higher tax rates and introduce new taxes to combat inequality. Yesterday, France was engulfed in flames. Police forces were overwhelmed by violent, opportunistic mobs engaged in widespread destruction and looting, for whom the very notion of private property seemed either alien or laughable. And what do many blame for the chaos? Neoliberalism, of course. Let that sink in, fellas.