"Is our new President, Nicolas Sarkozy -- or Nicolas, as he prefers to be known -- France’s answer to John F. Kennedy in the States?...His enthusiasm seems to be creating the dynamism that France could really do with -- perhaps the ‘feel good factor’ is now arriving in France!" This is a quote from an "homme on the street" and seems to be the sentiment of a majority of French citizens about their new president. There's a feeling of optimism in the air and a hope that the tradition-bound French bureaucracy can be prodded into the 21st century while STILL RETAINING THE UNIQENESS THAT MAKES FRANCE, FRANCE AND NOT THE USA!
We don't want the French to give up one single quality that makes them French. But reforms that do away with the stranglehold of the labor unions (who call for strikes and paralyze the country at the drop of a beret) would be a step toward more prosperity for the French.
I love the French because they revere their history while looking forward to the future. They aren't a "disposable society" as we are in the US. Everything is so "five minutes ago" here. Pop culture is a Dixie cup to be crumpled and tossed away when the Kool-aid's been drained.
So, France, good luck on your new quest following your new hero atop his white charger.
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2 comments:
Hi,
I think he's going to be a good president too. I attended the Sorbonne for a summer during college and I came to really understand the French political system. Please keep writing about it.,
Sarkozy is visiting the US and meeting with Bush today. I think this is a possible step toward better French-American relations. Don't you?
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