Apropos my discussion of the consequences of France’s socialism in my last SerfCity.US Logic of Liberty column : The Faux Freedoms :
With the various state initiatives just passed,
and a $7.25 federal minimum being promised,
economists should be able to collect
some definitive data over the next year and
really quantify the function between unemployment
and minimum wage. An interesting
comparison to look at is France, which
has a minimum wage of about $1700 per
month, which, given their enforced 35 hour
work week, is about $11.50 per hour. Overall
unemployment is about 10%, twice ours,
and is 25% for those under 26. The GDP per
capita is about 30% less than ours and growing
at about a third ours. A full one quarter
of the employed population makes just that
minimum wage.
; The socialists are out , and with them . at the very least , the 35-hour week .
The incoming Sarkozy who won 53/47 is euro-statist enough tho .