Jays

Indeed, there is no need for the actual healthcare system that so many are proud of. It is one of the most expensive things coming out of people's taxes and if you ask me, I've seen better technology and services in America when it comes to the medical field. Of course telling people why or how healthcare could be better and cheaper would make a lot of angry faces, because the French are so proud of this "universal system".

Hi, My name is Julien (or Julian), I was born in Birmingham, AL and for most of my life have been living in Bordeaux, France. So France is this wonderful country *cough sarcasm cough* where being an entrepeneur or having your own business is the hardest and most depressing thing because of endless licensing, massive regulations etc... a place where cops can legally harass you anytime, where the free market is seen as the enemy and laws and government as solutions for any problem. The problem is: the vast majority of people here have this way of thinking in which they inevitably think that any problem, small or large, can and must be solved through government action. For example, I heard of this law that is going to pass to FORBID all you can drink soda fountains in restaurants, and when I talked about it with a friend, she said it's a good thing because "people are getting fat" which made me laugh because, French people ? Fat ?! But then I felt sorry for her thinking that violence is the solution... The point is that when I want to spread the message of peace, libertarianism and the NAP, what usually happens is I either get booed, or I get accused of wishing for an apocalyptic disaster, even if I only talk about less government in X or privatization of X (like water & electricity, the horror). Nobody here admits that taxation is theft or that laws are only enforced through violence (few do, but say it's "justified"). More rights to protect yourself ? "You're an American gun nut". Enough with the labor unions, licensing and regulations on businesses ? "You just want workers to be exploited". Privatize the schools ? "You just want the poor to be uneducated". This is what I'm up against. So I would like to know what y'all think: is there anything I can do to be more convincing to folks with this set of mind ? Is there any way to make people here look into libertarianism and peaceful resolutions ? Or should I give up on Bureaucracyland and go back to America to finish my studies ?