I want to temper my thoughts from France yesterday. I think it would destroy France as we know it if they decide to allow somewhat autonomous rule in the poor areas, but they also can't just bring in force and make everything ok. The actions of the rioters may have been wrong, and there's a decent chance some religious extremist may turn it in to a Muslim war, but at this point it seems like they have legitimate grievences against the state. What France really needs to do is revamp their economy so that it creates jobs, whereas the current system is totally focused on protecting jobs. That does not make for a healthy growing economy where poor people might have some hope. They have, using policies championed by the left wing everywhere including the U.S., created a depressing, shrinking, hopeless economy, and now it's biting them in the ass. The problem is that no one on the left will learn from this. They will make excuse after excuse on why France (and Germany, and the USSR, and China, and Cuba, the list goes on and on) was an exception to the rule that all left wing economic policies will create peace and happiness for all! You know when an idea has failed over and over again, and has not worked anywhere even once on a long term scale, you'd think people would give up on it.