More on the French Protests

Although the recent French riots could easily be discussed in terms of "bad economics" and "stupid unions," and all of the free-marker arguments trotted out, it occurs to me htat there is an immigration angle to this issue.

If France does make its hiring/firing policies more lax, or if it plays with its minimum wage at all, it would likely bring in more workers from poor immigrant neighborhoods. Policies that restrict the ability of a business to fire workers or that keep the wages up or that in any way make workers more expensive tend to make businesses more cautious about whom they hire. Therefore, it will skew jobs more toward the more skilled people, even in professions that don't require a lot of skill, because the employers don't want to take any chances of hiring someone who will work out poorly (but not poorly enough to be fired).

In fact, the connection between this bill and immigration issues (including people who are not immigrants themselves but who are descended from recent immigrants) is hinted at in the article:

Designed by the government to help ease the crisis of chronic high unemployment, particularly among poor youth after riots last fall in the suburbs, the law is seen by its opponents as a step toward eroding long-cherished employment rights and benefits.

In any case, though, if the problem is a glut of labor, the solution is to let in fewer immigrants, and perhaps to pay some of those who are here to go back to their home country (or their parents, grandparents, etc. home country if need be). In any case, the immigrant issue should be dealt with directly, not through laws on other issues.

Back though to the economic illiteracy of so many French people, though, I love this little quote:

"I'm sick and tired of all these phony contracts and I want to protect my children's future," said Carole Cases, a 43-year-old nurse, with two of her children, from the Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Grand. "They're trying to dupe the young."

"I'm sick and tired of all these phony contracts." Translated: "I'm isck and tired of having choices and then having to live up to them."

The only other interesting tidbit to me was on the second page, when it is mentioned that the protestors ran into Turkish protestors who didn't want a memorial built to commemorate Armenian victims of genocide. The French protestors expressed there opinions: "Fascists!" and "Go home!"

About the encounter with the Turks, what can I say? When French protestors are right about something, they are right.

That is all.