Saturday's CBS Evening News featured a story, filed by correspondent Sheila MacVicar, which highlighted the French government's policy of entitling all mothers to three years of paid maternity leave and subsidized child care as a way to increase the birth rate and thus provide more young taxpayers to pay for the pensions of the elderly. MacVicar pointed out that in America, "federal law entitles some working mothers to twelve weeks unpaid leave," before cautioning that "the rest get nothing."
MacVicar relayed that French women enjoy more benefits than their American counterparts: "Take a look at what all French families, regardless of income, are entitled to: Up to three years paid maternity leave with a guarantee that mom's job will be there for her when she returns. There's subsidized child care, a whole host of tax credits, and for baby number three brings twice the government allowance of baby number two." (Transcript follows)
Below is a complete transcript of the story from the December 9 CBS Evening News:
Thalia Assuras: "Working mothers in America often find they have too much to do and not enough help to do it. Those are a couple of the reasons why American families are getting smaller and the population older. In France, that's not happening. From Paris, here's Sheila MacVicar."
Sheila MacVicar: "It's a busy household -- three kids, different schedules, working parents, a very familiar tale. But because this is France, lawyer Anne Horn and her family get help from the French government's very family friendly policies."
Anne Horn, French lawyer: "Maybe we won't have any more desperate housewives in France. No, no, it's changing a lot."
MacVicar: "One hundred sixty-three countries around the globe offer at least some subsidy to new mothers. In America, federal law entitles some working mothers to twelve weeks unpaid leave. The rest get nothing. Take a look at what all French families, regardless of income, are entitled to: Up to three years paid maternity leave with a guarantee that mom's job will be there for her when she returns. There's subsidized child care, a whole host of tax credits, and for baby number three brings twice the government allowance of baby number two.
Horn: "For the third child, I was able to take a long maternity leave, and I think it's a great opportunity because I was sure to find my job after this."
MacVicar: "Most of Europe is going gray and worries about a future where the number of people on pensions outnumbers younger workers funding those pensions through taxes. That kind of imbalance could be a disaster. That's not the case in France, where fertility rates are up. France's booming birth rate is now the second highest in Europe -- such a resounding success that officials from Germany, Thailand, even Japan, all fearful of their own aging populations, are studying the French model. In a policy borne out of 100-year-old fears that a declining French population would be vulnerable to military attack, the government now subsidizes family life in France to the tune of $40 billion a year. The goal now to help women work -- 80 percent of French women do -- and have babies."
Vincent Mahe, Ministry for Benefits and Family Affairs: "We really focus now on reconciling babies and bosses, and that means we put more and more emphasis on child care facilities."
MacVicar: "And that may be the key, say the French, not only take care of working mothers but convince families that their children will be well cared for from a very young age, and they'll have more babies, and maybe a little less guilt. Sheila MacVicar, CBS News, Paris."
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Comments Policy
Let France do what France wil
December 10, 2006 - 11:28 ET by rimskyLet France do what France will do. This kind of welfare is insane! The cost to employers for these kind of programs (it won't stop with paid maternity leave - next will be some kind of government provided day care) gets passed on in the cost to consumers for products and services.. oh, but then the government will step in there too.. price controls and all. And then the government will have to bail out the companies, and on and on, and the economy goes nowhere.. it's ludicrous! Folks! Wake up.. you can't have EVERYTHING! If you choose to start a family, then YOU CHOOSE TO START A FAMILY! I didn't choose for you.. why should I help pay for it? NO! Just NO!
Eurotopian Dreaming
December 10, 2006 - 12:08 ET by acumen"France's booming birth rate is now the second highest in Europe....."
And France is also the country with the highest Islamic population with evidence suggesting a third of all births there are already Muslim. Couple that with France's unemployment rate which perpetually hovers around 10% and that would certainly explain all those rampaging "French" youths burning Citroens in the French burbs. Looking for action in the "Muslim street?" Look no further than the suburbs of Paris. Ahhh, Eurotopian dreaming is becoming a reality.......
But MacVicar or her "French" moms can't be bothered with those details. MacVicar has an agenda to pursuit while her "French" moms are too busy deciding which head scarf to wear so as not to be annoyed by unemployed "French" youths while stepping out to enjoy their 3 years off.
If im not mistaken, the frenc
December 10, 2006 - 12:34 ET by MrSnugglesIf im not mistaken, the french birthrate is ridiculously low. perhaps the french are just taking desperate measures to get people to multiply? the muslim experiment isnt working out too well for them.
The price, please
December 10, 2006 - 12:59 ET by UnsaneThe French model isn't working out too well for France. Not when 75% of their 15-24 year olds' dream job is to work for the government, so they can have job security.
I wonder if Miss MacVicar will gush as much once she hears the price tag of such a scheme. Last I checked, France gets something like 60% of incomes in taxes. But naturally, she will never mention the price tag: only how wonderful it all is.
Sadly, it isn't new either. I once read an article in my psychology text in college titled "France Wants Me To Have This Baby". It sounded as gushing as Miss MacVicar's report. And guess what was missing? Why, the price tag.
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
France wants me to have this baby??? Please no...!
December 10, 2006 - 13:47 ET by acaiguanaFrance wants me to have this baby??? Please no...!
There are enough Frogs and if they dwindle, they are doing the world a favor.
ACA
...
Acaiguana says: "Ya can't win if ya don't play."
This French policy is actua
December 10, 2006 - 13:30 ET by robert108This French policy is actually a rational response to sagging birthrates. Having said that, it isn't necessarily the best response to the problem. It is also not applicable to the US, for several reasons. We don't have their birthrate problem, and we have a dynamic economic system, instead of their inherently stagnant socialist one.
We knew the French were self-
December 10, 2006 - 13:55 ET by BlondeWe knew the French were self-delusional and self-destructive. Here's the proof.
They're taxing themselves to provide a future "working" generation who won't or can't work at a level to sustain future retirement payments, much less a living wage for the future workers. (All this "worker" verbiage is creepy, n'est pas?)
The unemployment rate among their immigrant population is such that they had riots and car burnings as protests nightly last summer. Further, they're breeding a next generation (not to mention importing a current population) who will be hostile to their basic social tenets.
Doesn't sound like much of a plan to me.
Oui Blonde
December 10, 2006 - 15:25 ET by acumenOui Blonde - All one need do is look at what is happening in the streets of Beirut today to see what will be happening in the streets of Paris tomorrow. A new French revolution....Muslim intifada style - move over Chirac and bring on Mohammed. While the ethnic French grow old and retire, without Saddam's oil vouchers for food monies, cutting their defense spending just won't be enough any longer to support their supersized welfare apetite.
The EU can say au revoir to western culture. Just exactly why MacVicar and CBS wish this same fate on the US remains a mystery. France was among the first "progressive" countries to raise fears about so-called "population explosion". Forget eight is enough, in the sixties France was insisting 1.5 designer babies was enough. It quickly became apparent 1.5 was not enough. Que faisons-nous? Bring on the Muslim immigrants. Oops, that didn't work (literally). They wanted welfare instead of work, and that's exactly what they got. Now the French must bribe their ethnic citizens to hopefully play catch-up. The mother of all flip-flops. How do you say - ah yes - tres Kerryesque.
Isn't it ironic the word terrorism first appeared during the French Revolution?
Am I the only one that has
December 11, 2006 - 10:59 ET by Challenger GrimAm I the only one that has Weird Al's "i'm a genius in france" playing in their head when they read this?
challenger grim-- I am outdated
December 11, 2006 - 11:16 ET by misterbillchallenger grim-- I am outdated.
<stupidity on>
I never knew Al Gore recorded any songs???
He certainly holds title to "Weird Al" these days
Great comments above! MacVi
December 10, 2006 - 16:54 ET by GalvanicGreat comments above! MacVicar obviously envies the French program, but doesn't realize it has nothing to do with altruistic French culture or a sympathetic government, and everything to do with a desperate effort to save its experiment with socialism, as well as off-setting the exploding, violent Muslim population.
In essence, French women are being hired by their government to produce babies, who will grow up to work for the welfare state's survival.
French babies
December 10, 2006 - 17:01 ET by BarberianEven with three years maternity pay they still can't afford to have their own. The welfare programs for the "non-French" babies runs virtually from cradle to grave. What's three years in camparison?
This is going to work!Not exa
December 10, 2006 - 17:20 ET by Clear thinkerThis is going to work!
Not exactly how they want it though....
The muslim population will take full advantage of this and have 6-8 children per family, maybe even more. Within ten years France will no longer be considered a European country. All they need to do is have a contest for coming up with the best name for this new muslim nation!
Geeeeee, ain't you glad we ain't them?
The muzzies already have a sy
December 10, 2006 - 17:35 ET by BarberianThe muzzies already have a system in place and they have been taking advantage of it. Why would they worry about getting a job?
I work very closely with some French professionals in their 40's. Some have children some don't, about fifty- fifty. Those that do say that their actually paying for 4 children rather than the 2 they have and the social programs that the "others" have access to make their kids seem like the "dirty step-children". It definately skews the playing field 180 degrees.
They say that they're about to lose their country and there is nothing they can do about it.
They say that it is a growing sentiment amoungst them but the liberals are too numerous.
From what I've seen, the comm
December 10, 2006 - 23:14 ET by Ten7sFrom what I've seen, the common-sense quotient of an area in France increases exponentially in direct proportion with the distance it is from Paris. And sadly, the average Frenchman has very little influence, as in practice most of the political power in France rests in the Civil Service. And with the EU adding an additional layer of beauracracy, the average Joe (or is that Jean) is becoming even more impotent.
New name for ??
December 10, 2006 - 18:07 ET by misterbillHow about FIRANce???
Or...Franzistan? "The
December 11, 2006 - 11:05 ET by MightyMouthOr...Franzistan?
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
MM--closer
December 11, 2006 - 11:13 ET by misterbillMM--closer than mine--I can envision it on a map. Pres. Ahmad Chirac!
The only thing that bothers me is all those attractive French women will be wearing burkas!
"...attractive French
December 11, 2006 - 11:23 ET by MightyMouth"...attractive French women will be wearing burkas!"
I hear ya MrBill. I did a two week business trip to France just when the Iraq war broke out. Talk about a bunch of whiney girly men! But the babes were really quite stunning. But even that isn't enough for me to want to go back. We have plenty of good lookin chicks here in the good ole U.S. of A.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
MM- Amen to that!
December 11, 2006 - 11:27 ET by misterbillMM- Amen to that! I have learned, as one gets older, the appreciation of beauty does not decline. The problem is, I drool more than I used to.
(See : Megyn Kendall, Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, I could fill up many pages.)
Mr. Bill, God at this Greatest
December 11, 2006 - 14:14 ET by PSPCplI am of the opinion that the good Lord was at his best when he created women. There is still nothing more compelling than an attractive woman walking on by. I can certainly sympathize with the drool problem: it's certainly hard to appear in public with a bucket tied around one's neck
MM and Mister Bill, The Frenc
December 11, 2006 - 14:31 ET by Hunter12MM and Mister Bill, The French women are all so good looking because the French male doesn't add any of those annoying masculine characteristics to the genetic equation.
Center vs. Periphery
December 13, 2006 - 03:52 ET by UnsaneYou know, the more I think about it (and having lived in Central Europe for a time), the closer to Central Europe the country is (France, Germany), the less attractive the women tend to be. The opposite is true of the periphery of Europe (Scandinavia, Russia, the Med [especially Italy!], the British Isles). But then, that's just my humble opinion.
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
My daughter is an I Love Lucy
December 11, 2006 - 13:59 ET by Dan The Man 2My daughter is an I Love Lucy fanatic. Franizstan sounds like one of the pranks she pulled on Ricky. Ya Franizstan, I imagine they will change their yellar streak to red.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark. -- save my gun, shoot a liberal.
Closer...
December 11, 2006 - 15:05 ET by chrisjTry Frankenstan.
What the hell is wrong with t
December 10, 2006 - 17:52 ET by crsheddWhat the hell is wrong with the French!?
Instead of supporting families they could give billions in tax breaks to corporations!
Haven't we taught the world anything! Families don't count, only tax breaks!
You go, Bush!!
Yeah, because social-welfar
December 10, 2006 - 17:57 ET by sarcasmoYeah, because social-welfare or corporate-welfare are the only possible choices! Anything but smaller government...
JMR
crushedd
December 10, 2006 - 18:00 ET by misterbillThank God you do not make the economic decisions for America.
Man, I can't win. I agree
December 10, 2006 - 18:33 ET by crsheddMan, I can't win.
I agree with everyone here, don't give any breaks to the family.
And I get slammed for agreeing. Go figure.
crushedd apologies
December 10, 2006 - 18:35 ET by misterbillapologies --Must have read your post wrong!
No apology necessary misterbill
December 10, 2006 - 20:20 ET by acumenNo apology necessary misterbill - as you of course know, you read the asinine comment by our latest NB "victim" correct. Our clueless commenter fails to acknowledge that other than the Wesley Snipes of the world, the top 50% of Americans pay 96.54% of all income taxes while the top 1% (that would be those supposed evil tax-benefitting corporate types) pay more than a third (34.27%). Higher Corporate taxes? Why not? They are merely passed on to the consuming families. Or as in the case of the NY Times coporation - just lay off the families that work for you.
You might ask yourself if these evil rich coporate types are Republicans or Democrats? The media and our clueless commentor would have us believe they are Republican Bush cronies, when the fact is that in the 2002 election cycle, those who gave a million dollars or more in campaign contributions poured $36 million into the Democrat coffers, and a paltry $3 million into the pockets of the GOP. Now, someone possessing common sense would wonder why these ultra-rich corporate types would be supposedly biting the hand that feeds them. You go Bush indeed......
Our clueless commenter is offering the same tired, something for nothing, moral superiority existing in France that elected crooks like Chirac who sold out France's future for their own personal gain. So while many realistic ethnic French families, such as the ones Barberian refers to in his comment, decide how best to fix the mess they have found themselves in, Chirac and like-minded socialist politicians, which caused the mess in France in the first place, decide which Mediterranean Island to escape to for retirement (at the tax-payers expense of course).
Yeah, it's all about "the family" - as long as you are a member of an elitist, socialist, ruling class family that is. If not, most families, like the ones mentioned by Barberian, will discover the endless "charms" of socialized government. I would suggest our NB "victim" get knocked up move to France and take 3 years off on his fellow citizens tab while the rest of us Americans do things the old fashioned way and save up for our off-time - that won't cost other families one single Franc.
Ouch, Acumen. Snap.
December 11, 2006 - 01:42 ET by MyKindaSpamOuch, Acumen. Snap.
It sounds impressive to talk about the tax cuts for the "rich" and how only the "rich" benefit, but considering the percentage of taxes the rich and the so-called "rich" pay, if there are tax cuts, they will benefit more than people that don't pay any taxes. I always wondered why people who end up getting their taxes back from the government would think that they should get a tax cut at all, much less a greater tax cut than the people who pay 90% of the burden. How do you "cut" the taxes of someone who pays nothing???
Acumen, you made some good points that are not addressed by the media or liberal politicians and are rarely pointed out by Republicans. For the people who think that government-mandated maternity leave and subsidized child care is a good idea, I would say, I hope you like the government telling you how to raise those kids, because they will. England trained a "parenting workforce" to tell parents how to brush their children's teeth and what nursery rhymes are to be sung. Any parents who deviate are to be found and "supported." I'd rather figure out how to pay for my own childcare than have the state tell me that Humpty Dumpty can't be read to my child because it is too violent (the UK actually does say it is too violent for children, along with Jack and Jill). The people who think that heavy government involvement in raising children is a good thing should consider how they would feel if a different party came into office or if a different method of childrearing that they didn't agree with became popular. I would wager that suddenly, the idea of someone else telling parents how to raise their kids wouldn't seem as enticing. The article linked below is just horrifying...and what we have to look forward to if we aren't carefu
http://www.dailymail...
How do link on this site? I
December 11, 2006 - 03:55 ET by MyKindaSpamHow do link on this site? I tried embedding and just cuting and pasting, but neither worked. I seem to recall others linking. Is that a thing of the past now? Any help would be appreciated.
Uhh... considering your usern
December 11, 2006 - 04:28 ET by BricklayerUhh... considering your username? Hmm... how about like this?
OTOH, you've been here about
December 11, 2006 - 04:36 ET by BricklayerSorry, bad joke!
Try highlighting some text, then clicking on the chain-link icon at the top left of the Comment box. Like this...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=416232&in_page_id=1770
For the record, I just put an image in my post, and it didn't show up, but links work for sure :) The one above converted to a link automatically when I pasted it in. *shrug*
Bricklayer, images imbedded
December 11, 2006 - 11:14 ET by MightyMouthBricklayer, images imbedded in the thread seem to be an advanced admin feature. Imagine the problems if the kos-tard whackjobs could post pictures right in the thread. Oh me oh my...
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Thanks. Talk about feeling
December 12, 2006 - 16:53 ET by MyKindaSpamThanks. Talk about feeling really smart and super-observant. All of that educashun really paid off!
crshedd - "Nationalize EVERYTHING!!!"
December 11, 2006 - 00:09 ET by UnsaneFor an educator with a jillion degrees, you sure have a very hard time learning. It is exactly things like this that make the rotting EU ROT. And spare me your touting of the euro - long-term, it is toast, because even with all of this, France can't generate the future taxpayers needed to sustain this system. And guess what that means? Goodbye, Growth and Stability Pact. Goodbye, stable euro. And just because the euro is worth around $1.35 tells me nothing - the dot.coms were stratospheric to begin 2000, on their potential only. That didn't last very long.
Why don't we just nationalize every single one of these corporations that you so deeply, passionately hate? Would that make you feel better?
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
Yo Sheila, Girl-Wonder....Fra
December 10, 2006 - 22:43 ET by bigtimerYo Sheila, Girl-Wonder....
France is and has been going to hell in a hand-basket.....
Where the heck have you been, under a desk pulling a Lewinsky?
Shheeesh!
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
Oh yeah. America should REAL
December 11, 2006 - 01:18 ET by mostlymoderateOh yeah. America should REALLY listen to the French. The French have royally screwed their beloved France into a haven for Islamic terrorists. Ever been to Paris? It is NOTHING like it was 50 years ago in all those "romance movies". Now, it is a melting pot of Islamo-terrorists and degenerate African-freeloaders. What was/is France thinking?????
It's not like it was 15 years ago even
December 11, 2006 - 02:17 ET by terrigI went to Paris to visit one of my friends who was studying abroad one year and while the Parisians were pretty snotty, it was a beautiful city & we both lamented we had no "sweeties" with us to make the trip extra wonderful, in fact we spent the night at a convent with her cousin who is a nun. But she was there last month on her honeymoon and said it was terrible. She said her husband kept saying "this is what you've been yaking about for 18 months!, we should have gone to Paris, Las Vegas". She said it was filthy & that they were both frightened with all the thugs around that weren't there even a few years ago.
Paris, TX
December 12, 2006 - 00:22 ET by UnsaneThe next time I go to Paris, it will be Paris....
Texas.
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
Perfect
December 11, 2006 - 13:28 ET by allanfThe French formula for success. Get a job. Have a baby every three years for thirty years. Retire.
What about adoption? I'm assu
December 11, 2006 - 14:46 ET by Hero SquadWhat about adoption? I'm assuming that the justification behind this plan is not just to encourage people to have more kids, but to also promote nurturing during the formative years in a child's life. Otherwise, why not just right out a check for new Moms then let them go back to work after 3 or 6 months if they so choose?
So if you adopt, do you get the same 3 years of paid maternity leave as a natural mother would?
Because the kid every 3 years for 30 years plan could definitely be possible then! (Although... raising 10 kids? You couldn't pay me enough!)
And is there an incentive for stay-at-home mom's? Because if not, and I was planning a family, I would definitely find a job - any job - and work it for whatever minimum time necessary until having the kid, then poof, 3 years of financial windfall!
*****
No child wants to play with a Charlie-in-the-Box!
France's booming birth rate
December 11, 2006 - 14:46 ET by Mike1France's booming birth rate is due to the muslim immigrants, not French native citizens. These muslims are the ones the media always refers to as "youths" when they engage in rioting. The birth rate of native French citizens is just over 1%. But who needs to include facts when you have an agenda to push.