US Road to Bankruptcy Runs Parallel to France

01-11-2011 • Bill Bonner, The Daily Reckoning

Paris, France – We met a friend for a drink last night. He’s an American who has lived in Paris for twenty years. “I’m glad you’re back here,” he began. “There’s no better place for an American to live than here in Paris. It’s much better here than in the US. Almost everywhere in the US you have to get in your car and drive somewhere – to a mall – just to get a cup of coffee. That’s no way to live. “It’s much better here. Especially if you’re an American. Because you can pretty much ignore all the nonsense that goes on here. If you’re French, Paris isn’t so much fun. French salaries, after all the social charges, are too low to enjoy it. Besides, the French have to know all the social codes and stick to them. But we can do what we want. They just dismiss us as crazy foreigners. And if you’re French, you’ll get all worked up about what goes on in the government or in your business. Running a business here is a nightmare. But I don’t even read the local news. I’ve never paid any at