Oh, and impose confiscatory taxes on all wealth above - say - US$ 10 million to get the scum who made off like bandits in this round.
And actually prosecute tax evaders.
- Jake 640 kiloton should be enough for anybody
Regulation is probably better - but that takes time to think through and implement.
Taxing is a great idea - and I certainly think that fiscal policy of western governments doesn't do a good job of redistributing wealth.
Besides, you could nationalise them and do nothing but fire the management, burn the shareholders and force them to be honest about their balance sheets. Instant efficiency gain to the tune of several hundred billion US$/yr on management alone. And if you think that a company can't run fine for a year or two without a board of directors and a CEO, I have a couple of Enron shares I want to sell...
Which past experience? "The womb that spawned that thing is fertile yet"
On a micro level in France: > La Banque Postale as compared to almost any other retail network. RETAIL. > La Poste? The first thing you want to do when you walk in is ... walk out. > URSSAF? If you've EVER had to interact with them... you would not think of this public service as a role model of any sort. > Education nationale? Although I'm all for the concept, I can only deplore the fact that there is a massive exodus of all those who can pay... away from the public to the private sector. Why? > ...
On a general level: Competition is what drives innovation. Innovation is what drives... almost all the benefits mankind has acquired from agriculture, industry & services.
Really. It can't.
My children are attending private school since 2006 and I see a difference in the quality of education they are receiving. I think that it's primarily a result of the motivation of the faculty - which is more pronounced in the private system. Two points I'd like to share:
1st: There hasn't been a single strike in the private school my children attend while there have been numerous disruptions in the public system during the same period. I, as a user of the service, appreciate that.
2nd: The expectations set by the faculty are much higher in the private school than they are in the public system. The difference in the amount of homework is truly enormous... which isn't always easy to deal with. But at least we have the impression that our children are being prepared for their future.
Finally, all my 3 kids seem to appreciate going to school more than they did while they were in the public system.
My personal experience, was spending a year in a "private" school, and afterwards going to the local "good" public school ; and life was better for me, and the teachers much better, at the later school.
It strongly depends on what exact neighbourhood you are in ; for example in Neuilly many go in public schools, since those are already socially segregated for all practical purposes. Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
In the former case, the solution is to pay them fair wages - then they won't strike. In the latter case, some kind of political compromise must be struck so the teachers do not feel compelled to use such an expensive tool to make their case.
Either way, the blame is not solely - or even, IMHO, primarily - with the teachers.
I certainly agree that staff delivering public education services in France are not paid nearly what they deserve to be paid.
Regarding the comment about social segregation which comes automatically with the neighborhood you live in, I actually live in a city with perhaps the highest family income level in the Yvelines (Viroflay). Does that mean that public schools in Viroflay are better than in... Les Mureaux ? From what I understood, French schools are neither managed nor financed at the local level - as they are in the US.
