Friedman was right: There is NO such thing as a free lunch. Ramblings on Roaming.

Independence Day awakened the need in me to return to this blog, began years ago, which largely protests the deer cull in New Jersey.  So as the last of the fireworks go off, I thought I would set a few alight of my own though they have nothing to do with either deer or the garden state.    

It's a story of travel, of observation and of conversation, a compendium of the 3 based on our recent trip to Europe, mostly in France,  and that is the focus.  Unlike most of my posts on this blog, I am actually going to link to some data to support several of my statements which have to do with the economic reality of living under socialism.  And it is not a pretty story, like most posts on this blog.

First, let me say that this is not an attempt to bash France and most certainly not to criticize the many lovely people we met and spoke to.  France is a beautiful country and there were a few spots, one in particular, that I hope to return to many times.  It is a country of romance, charm, antiquity, history, natural beauty and and man made splendor.  The cheeses are superb, as is the wine. (two rare exceptions to the high cost of living.)  None of Frances' gifts, however, are those provided by the government. 

The government does far more taking than giving.  And hard working people, neither poor nor rich, have had it with giving up a large chunk of their earnings to the government.  They pay high taxes all the way around: expensive gas, exorbitant tolls and housing that makes even affluent Naples, Florida quite affordable in comparison. They pay for expensive meals out and almost as expensive meals in. They pay and they pay and they pay.

 "Luxury"  among the working and struggling middle classes is pretty non existent.  Homes are not updated because construction is too expensive, and when renovations are done, they are done to very simple specifications.  A remodeled bathroom will feature a 24 inch by 24 inch shower, a discomfort for someone as small as me, and a near impossibility for a large person.  Clothes dryers are rare and when they exist, rarely used: electric is just too expensive according to the French we spoke to. These things are not just "comforts" but influence cleanliness, cost and convenience, especially so given the horrendous amount of smoking we witnessed.

Almost every person we spoke to in France (dozens of them) is at least considering living some where other than France where they can earn more money.  And, as importantly, they want to live where they can keep more of their own money.   Yes, they love the greater vacation time in France,  they value their access to health care and they love their culture.  But when it comes down to day to day enjoyment and happiness, they feel they give up too much and get back too little. In fact the only people who appeared to be living without resentment or challenge were those earning a living outside of France, not within the country.  We heard this over and over without our soliciting any information.

It is clear that as Milton Friedman said years ago, there is no such thing as a free lunch....You are paying, one way or another, to live under a socialist model of government, and from what we saw and heard, the price is much too high.