President Macron is an investment banker who supports shifting control of the pension fund from the state to private investment firms. The idea is that the fund will do better if decisions serve profit goals instead of political goals. [There is no doubt that is true, but private investment firms also have problems, including fraud, insider deals, and other forms of corruption that siphon away profits almost as badly as political corruption. As long as individuals are required by law to pay into a system not of their choosing and which they have no option to leave, corruption will flourish and pensions will suffer. When coercion enters, virtue and excellence leave. The people of France are headed into a long and debilitating conflict in which both of their options are doomed.] -GEG

The people are angry with their government. Where? Just about everywhere…

So what makes ongoing strikes in France so special? Nothing, perhaps, except a certain expectation based on history that French uprisings can produce important changes – or if not, can at least help clarify the issues in contemporary social conflicts.