Even in France, some pundits seem to be surprised by the fact that even though France is a welfare state, it is described as a social nightmare. I’m sorry but how is this surprising? A welfare state is only valuable to those who need one. The reality of our society is that a very small minority of individuals benefit from it and that’s almost never the one paying the bill. Yes, in the short term it is really easy for Socialism to high-jack a Democracy by promising plenty to the majority of voters but soon enough the main mechanical flaw of that system reveals itself; the majority simply doesn’t benefit from it on a daily basis. Ask yourself this simple question; would you buy insurance for absolutely everything in your life? That’s what a welfare state is. Yes, France is a great country if absolutely everything that could possibly go wrong in someone’s life actually goes wrong. What is the probability of that actually happening? None. The yellow vest movement is the product of a simple realization; life in France is a daily struggle of hellish proportion for the majority of those paying for the welfare state. Getting ten cents on the dollar in the oft chance that they might need help at some point in their lives is simply not good enough.