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Socialist France Responds To Titan CEO, Hilarity Ensues
Presented without any comment (see original Titan letter here), and google translated to add Babel fishing insult to an already injurious, or is that hilarious, exchange between a hard core capitalist and a socialist... perfect ignorance, admiration of Obama, trade tariff threats, oh, and don't mention the war.
From Arnaud Montebourg,
Sir,
Your extremely insulting words also testify perfect ignorance of what our country is France, its key strengths, such as its world-renowned attractiveness and its relationship with the United States of America.
France has the pride to welcome on its soil over 20,000 foreign companies representing nearly two million jobs, a third of its industrial exports, 20% of private research and development and 25% of industrial employment. Each year, there are 700 decisions of locating foreign investment and job creators of value in France. And this strong attractiveness does not weaken, on the contrary from year to year, it is getting stronger.
Within these foreign investments, the United States occupied the first place. 4200 subsidiaries of U.S. companies employ nearly 500,000 people. The presence of U.S. companies in France is very old: Haviland since 1842 IBM since 1914 Coca-Cola since 1933, General Electric since 1974. And many others. These links are from year to year renewed: in 2012, companies like Massey Ferguson, Mars Chocolate, or 3M chose to increase their presence in France.
What are the decisive factors in the choice of location? Foreign companies in France are seeking quality infrastructure, a lifestyle appreciate an energy amongst the most competitive in Europe, and a very favorable environment to research and innovation. But most importantly, away from this your comments are ridiculous and derogatory, all these companies know and appreciate the quality and productivity of the workforce French, commitment, knowledge, talent and skills of workers French.
To amplify the attractiveness, the French government has recently taken measures 35 in the National Pact for growth, competitiveness and employment. Among them, the tax credit for competitiveness and employment allege coats of 6% wage firms between 1 and 2.5 SMIC. In addition, the social partners have reached an agreement on the securisation employment, which illustrates the quality of social dialogue in France and the importance that the government attaches to which I belong.
Can I remind you that Titan, the business you run is 20 times smaller than Michelin, a French leader in technology our international influence, and 35 times less profitable? That is to say how a Titan could learn and gain enormously from a French settlement.
France is especially proud and happy to welcome American investment between our two countries are linked by an old friendship and passionate. Moms do you know what makes La Fayette to the United States of America? For our part, we French will never forget the sacrifice of young American soldiers on the beaches of Normandy to deliver us from Nazism in 1944. And since you choose to criticize your own country in the letter that you send me, I must tell you how the French government admire the policy implemented by President Obama. As Minister for Industry, I am particularly sensitive to actions in favor of the relocation of manufacturing jobs in the United States and radical innovation. It is our policy that even some present with the parent inspired by your President.
You mention your intention to exploit the labor of some countries to flood our markets. I must tell you that this calculation wrong and short-term and will sooner or later face a justified reaction (just as in the US). This is already the case in France with allies increasingly numerous in the Union European arguing for reciprocity of exchanges and organize against dumping. In the meantime, rest assured you can count on me to monitor, by the competent services of the French government with redoubled zeal, the importation of your tires. They will ensure compliance with all standards particularly applicable materials social, environmental and technical.
I beg you to accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest.
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imbicil
in France amongst the elites there is only ONE thing that counts : being able to speak well in front of the media/colleagues. Never mind the content. ITS ALL STYLE AND DELIVERY.
The difference between this guy and US senators and speakers is that not only is there NO substance, as here, but there is no form as well. Newt and Ron P, ROMNEY, McCain and Palin are in a class of their own.
And the result is the same worldwide : HILARITY ENSUES!
ONLY POTUS IS GOOD FOR DELIVERY. NO HILARITY THERE.
What is there about the current momentum of first world, where politicians are tin soldiers on the economic playing field with nothing but toy guns, faced with those Oligarchs who hold the "outsourcing" gun like Samson; its sickeningly hilarious.
Me?
I would just shut the shop - and Foxtrotski Ozcar.
Oh, but yes, I already did that -yahn, sygh, splluutter)
Why do I read this shit (store high in transit)?
Pass the Whisky please.
Ho hum
As long as they keep makling the world's best Roquefort Gabriel Coullet....
It's pretty easy to make the world's best Roquefort when EU law states that only cheeses aged in Cambalou caves can be called Roquefort.
... just saying...
You need a better benchmark.
My friend, you obviously are not a roquefort consumer.... the taste is just vastly superior to anything else...has nothing to do with EU laws...
http://encycl.opentopia.com/term/Roquefort_(cheese)
Like I said, you need a better benchmark. The only people who swoon over French food are the French. Everywhere else, the cuisines of the other romantic languages dominate... Italian and Spanish.
The Michelin comparison is profoundly stupid. Titan makes tractor tires, a very small niche. They are not competitors of Michelin. Grasping at straws
So a generic response and a veiled threat.
Translation:
"You're a mean man, a big old meanie mean man and we don't like you Mr. Tire Maker. We know people, like the AMERICANS who totally think we are hot and want to have the sex on us. We are now going to throw a temper tantrum and not import your smelly ol' tires.
Fuck off and die - unless you'd like to move to France and enjoy our new and improved 75% tax...then all is forgiven."
That's one thing I'll concede.. French women are pretty fucking sexy.
retaliation and trade war:
Titan is going to get that Cypriot meat packer to smuggle in Indian made tires to France.
"Sacre Bleu! These tires are filled with horsemeat!"
While working at GE one of the parts suppliers was SNECMA in France. They constatly had us stopped because they could not supply the parts in time. How did they get a GE contract? Think it had anything to do with the airbus using GE engines? Word around the plant was, Yep, thats how they got the contract not by the wonderful work ethic. No GE shared work not gonna use GE engines on the airbus. Extortion not ethics got GE there.
In the meantime, rest assured you can count on me to monitor, by the competent services of the French government with redoubled zeal, the importation of your tires.
A threat. Stupid politician dumbfuck. He'll be out of a job soon.
...now go away, or I willl taunt you a second time!
WTF with the spelling - this letter was either google translated or written by a child! Or maybe by an algerian immigrant... Lol
Translated by Babel Fish, which markedly improves the humor of any document.
Montebourg is a vain little cunt. Pretty soon his country will be in the cr@pper and he will be without a job. Whiny little shit.
To the CEO: If you complain about the hires, then don't fucking build a plant there.
To the French Govt Liason: Obama does not practice Socialism (unless you are Jaime Dimon); even Bernie Sanders, an actual Socialist, says so. There is a differnece between Socialist states, and NeoFeudal Serfdom States (which we live under).
Jesus Christ, the fucking generation that was born from 1950-1975 has to be one of the stupidiest that humanity has ever produced, as well as its most intellectually corrupt:
"Communist" China working with American Corporations
"Capitalist" United States of America bailing out Big Banks after losing out on Sub Prime Derivitive bets
"Muslim Extremist" Hamas running porn cubicles in Lebanaon (which they charge for use for sexually frustrated Muslim dudes), to fund their terrorism campaigns.
Here's what the response is too all of these people: STOP TALKING, YOU FUCKING STUPID MORONS.
And that the world is full of stupid people angers you? Move on. You'll die an early death from being pissed off about this. Life's too short. Enjoy it.
PTB, Thanks for that. Our lives flow by like the wind. To waste a single day in negativity, is to mock the gift of life.
A Frenchman who did not turn and run?
No... an octopus who sprayed ink while escaping...
France has seen fit to welcome in hordes of Muslims who live off the system the way Latin American illegal immigrants do in the U.S.
Just because he says France is great doesn't make it great.
While the capitalists and socialists argue, Rome burns.
Even the lowly bacterium will seek a place of higher food concentration.
Man is no different.
How about digging a little deeper... as in why the French (and the rest of the EU) and the US tolerate all this immigration? Well let me tell you, it's because of cheap labour = distorting true inflation. Here in the Raleigh, NC area 80+ percent of the high tech guys are now from India. Before the dot com bust in 2000 there were just a couple. What happened? Our pathetic politicians caved in to the demands of Microsoft and the like to open the H1 visa floodgates as soon as the economy starting picking up again instead of putting the american programmers back to work.
Yup.
Tech support letting in anyone with a Visa because they can room together and wire money back home.
Tech place I worked for had a Portugese portal, which the Latin Americans could work with because it was close enough.
Nearly all my calls to Dell support were routed to India or an Indian speaking tech. support person. They paid me shit and there wasn't enough work or money to pay the bills.
Gee, I wonder if all that cost cutting affected my ability to make a living wage doing the actual physical work in the U.S. going to the customer's home and being drug screened and Felony/Misdemeanor free?
Well, fuck you assholes, I'll apply for SNAP, Welfare, Medicare, S.S. Disability, and anything else I can get because you obviouisly don't give a shit about paying me a living wage.
Hilarity will ensue, but it will be at Titan's expense when they cant sell any tires in France.
They will sell their tires without any problems. If the Chinese can sell them, so can they. France is a party to a plethora of treaties which will be enforced by the French courts. There is nothing that Montebourg can do about it.
Yeh the French consumer has an increasing income so of course they would be price insensitive. Thats why Peugeot autos are just jumping off La Lot.
If they can be made for half the cost...
They will sell for less.
And sell more of them.
(Econ 101)
Oh. I didn't know Michelin was a French company. That explains why their tires are so much more expensive than their competitors. I thought it was because of all of the cheesy advertising and marketing.
To what social standards must Titan's tires comply? They're already round.
Well, here's the thing. They may even be superior to French-made tyres; which are allegedly not round enough...
Gotta love France - the gift joke which keeps on giving.
As opposed to Italy, where two of the three primary candidates for this weekend's elections are professional comedians to begin with.
Sacrebleu! I read "we admire Obama" and thought whomever wrote this, wust have written the Chris Dorner manifesto. But then I didn't see praise of Feinstein with some "take all the guns" mantra...and I realized it's just the silly French.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B01o2xtJwgk
Douchebag....that's French...right?
Notice he spoke of companies that went to France eons ago. How many have migrated to France upon his taking of power. He seems to be taking credit for history. I'm so glad they are thankful for the sacrifices of young American's delivering France from Nazism being his own people refused to step up. Oh yeah I know the French resistance and all. I think there were about 6 people involved. DeGaulle was a prick to boot. The only Frenchman that I can recall having any character at all was Lebeau from Hogan's Hero's.
Based on Monsiuer Hollande's marketing efforts .... Methinks my next set of tires will be Titans.
Oh well, time to post again, after a long break. And why not start with something that will generate a record number of down arrows in the shortest time possible. So here goes
If you really think about what the CEO said, I don't believe more than a few of you (knowing there are some psychos out there who, with their sadomasochistic greed would slit their own mother's throat for another penny . . .) would really want to have that idiot running the world.
Take his wage scale to start: Less than a Euro per hour for pay. So, which one of you is going to line up first for that "job" opportunity? C'mon now, you told the world what a great guy the CEO is - when are you going to live a lifestyle of $40/week?
And I'd love to see the working conditions he endorses - probably makes FoxConn look like a leader in taking care of its employees. I'm sure his wage scale will cover adequate health care - something I'd wager more than 90% of you never have to worry about. Oh, I'm sure you whine abut the cost, but you've got the cash to pay for it, so the Hell with those Third Worlders who have a "job" with Titan.
As all of you know, the problem we have in the economy is a lack of consumer demand, caused by the sucking dry of the working and professional classes by the Ultra-wealthy - the overwhelming bulk of which are Sen. Kerry, Kennedy, Bush, and Gore types who do nothing but cash checks from some trust fund built upon the labor of long past generations. Respectfully, I could care less about looting these people to death with taxes - they are leeches on society draining the 99% of us of everything their psychotic greed can get its hands upon.
But I digress. Going back to the economic wisdom of supporting the CEO, let me ask you what would happen to your investments - other than PMs - if this lunatic's wage scales become universal?
Well, we know he sure as Hell isn't going to work for $40 per week - of even $40 per hour - or even $40 per minute. No, the newly acclaimed champion of Free Market Enterprise is gong to take every penny he can for himself - and the plebs can all go burn in Hell as far as he is concerned.
So exactly what do people like him really do to the world's economy?
First, they depress consumerism because nobody has any money to buy anything. So many of you love making fun of iGadgets - especially the Tylers of ZH - but if Apple weren't moving all that product, how many unemployed would be added to the ranks? Twisted morality aside, the lynchpin to the world's economy is consumerism - kill it and you kill the economy.
Second, they are themselves extremely limited consumers. How many smartphones does the CEO buy for himself? Two, maybe three? Yet if his greedy bank account were brought back down to Earth, thousands of smartphones could be afforded - and all you investors out there would be enjoying the dividends of that purchasing power. But hey - continue to lie to yourself about how the Ultra-wealthy take their money and create jobs and industry - while you yourself, far from that category of life, know that what they really do is hoard - PMs, commodities, play the rigged casino called Wall Street - they don't invest in anything like what you lie to yourself about them creating.
Finally, they are psychos - really. Did you take a good look at that guy's face in the photo? He doesn't strike you as an audition for a real-life role as The Joker?
The truth is that the people running the show are psychotic sociopaths who live to steal everything they can from everyone they can steal it from. They lie as a matter of course, they are criminals as a matter of business strategy, they are greedy as a matter of personal motivation, and they are completely without guilt, or shame for anything they do.
Brilliant ZHers, you congratulate the psychotic as heroes and heroines of our culture.
So how's that collapse they are causing going for you? You really think that you are going to escape it? Are you as psychotic as they are, thinking that no matter what happens, you are so brilliant, so visionary, so agile and proactive - that you are going to escape the falling columns when the Samson of economic reality pulls the columns down upon all of us?
When it all falls apart, and you are as shut down as the Europeans, or living like the Third Worlders, keep congratulating the psychos like the CEO of Titan for their mastery of finance and corporate vision.
It will be like the condemned man thanking the rope-maker for his noose.
-30.
Is this what a coffee barista writes during their down time?
You Sir, are living in an unrealistic fantasy.
A healthy amount of down arrows is probably a good indication you aren't a paranoid schizophrenic tied into the Hive Mind of panic and revolution that permeates ZH. Or it means you didn't say "fuck Bernanke" or "end the Fed!" enough in your comment.
This sociopathic shit head should be vilified, not for his success, but for his scorched earth take no prisoners policy in his never ending greed. Instead some here are green with envy and admiration over this fuck who is really cut from the same cloth as those from the Fed and Bernanke's ilk who people here claim to hate. Hypocritical or just jealous?
I'd like to see all his fans with their raging boners over his balls to tell the French to fuck off (really, who wants to work with the French?) would go work in his factories in India or China.
+1
I'm going to treat your essay as honest.
In those third-world countries, there are many people living on less than a euro a day. Many of them cannot make even that. So getting a job where they can work for a euro a day is a big promotion.
If they had to pay twenty dollars an hour for their labor anyway, there would be no incentive for them to locate to these countries, and they would continue to wallow in poverty.
If they had to pay twenty dollars an hour for their labor, the labor portion of the cost of finished goods would obviously be twenty times higher. What would consumerism look like if an iPad cost $2000? If an ikea table cost $250? Purchases would be expensive, well thought out, quality, and rare. That would kill consumerism just as dead.
As to your 'you think you can avoid the falling columns' question... If you've seen and read about the many occasions of Jews with long hair and superhuman strength pulling down buildings on their captors while being sentenced, and you hear an announcement that a Jew with long hair and superhuman strength is being sentenced to death in a column-filled room full of his captors, YES, you can choose to be in the garden that day. History rhymes, and this scene has played out before.
Suggest you read Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck.
So ultimately we should pay someone in a bowl of rice - if that is what they are willing to work for? That would mean our phones are 99 cents cheaper
This truly is a fucked up system.
The more I am thinking about it the Amish are geniuses
Do you know how wealthy you would be having a bowl of rice every day in the Sudan? In the US before we all became pussies the settlers worked for that and built from a bowl of rice up to what is modern America. (never mind if that's good or bad). The notion that we all start at the top is one of the issues I have with our society. "A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step" That bowl of rice represents a first step perhaps. You know the Grapes of Wrath wasn't just a book to read. Shit like that really happened to my own people no less. 1 bowl of rice can lead to 2 bowls which can lead to 10 bucks a week and up the chain you go. Obviously we are using shit analogies but unless someone is intellectually dishonest I think the point is pretty damned obvious.
Don't confuse the ZeroSensers with the facts. They're going to re-establish utopia in the woods. All they need is guns, a generator and several untradeable bars of gold. Everything's going to work out just fine until they start killing each other.
Don't confuse the ZeroSensers with the facts. They're going to re-establish utopia in the woods. All they need is guns, a generator and several untradeable bars of gold. Everything's going to work out just fine until they start killing each other.
When a greed head fascist sociopath gets into a pissing match with a Chauvinist socialist sociopath the only rational response is
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
I hope they both get a fucking brain stroke and die.
another waste of print on zh
What Obummer policy is the frog referring to that brings manufacturing jobs back to the US? Denying the keystone pipeline? Moratorium on gulf drilling? Using stimulus money to invest in Brazlian offshore drilling? Obummercare? Solyndra?
These leftist's and their media allies always talk about what obummer is doing to help [insert propaganda] but no one ever mentions what policy he has actually enacted. Will someone in the media just ask one follow up question to these lies!
As I see it, without new technology to extract oil and gas from private lands (which obummer can't stop but his minions are working on it) our economy would be in the toilet. Even the make beleive unemployment rate would be in the double digits without all of that pesky oil and gas exploration.
The Trade Wars begun, I fear. Much Darkness, I see. Hard to tell, the future is. To find a hero, it is unlikely!
Why does a politician goes for these flame wars? I mean the Titan CEO is a douche but this is total waste of his public "service".
This could only happen in France or Italy, probably in Greece or Cypros, but are those really countries? or just places rest of Eurozone dumps free money so squid can get paid?
Oprah must intervene!
I have a holiday home in rural France.
We always joke about it being "hatterday" as all the shops close "at the drop of a hat".
You have to be really organised, just to buy groceries...
Clousea playing billards...http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=VKZSXBQ9qxs&NR=1
But the French do really want to work, rarely.
"On a brief visit to Athens on Tuesday, French President François Hollande vowed to invest in Greece's debt-strapped economy, including taking part in a huge privatisation scheme that is a key condition of the country’s bailout plan"
http://www.france24.com/en/20130219-hollande-vows-invest-greece-economy-athens-visit-privatisation-bailout
So, "privatisation" is now one broke country taking over the nationalised assets of a brok(er) country. Perhaps they hope to sell on to an even brokerer country, at a profit...LMAO.....THESE are the 'Great Elite Masters of the Universe'?
They sound more like lunatics!
didn't they invade mexicao with, what 200 soldiers once? Got to love their ambition to be master of something.
God I hated the Nazis but we couldn't have let them keep France a little while longer?
Krugman is french !
Wait ! so am i. FUUUU
you can legally buy gold up to 400euros cash here
thats only 10 grams now , but soon will be worth a lot more than a socialist driving a peugeot.
lol
As I said a few days ago, it's not only the french president who is a full retard, but so are the members of his gouvernement.
God bless France....She's always there when she needs us.
Michelin must be really happy for the support given them by this concerned public servent. It's not everyday that a key government official threatens a virtual embargo against a key, foreign competitor.
As for my future tire needs, "rest assured you can count on me to monitor by the competent services of the French government with redoubled zeal, the importation of your tires".
Let me join Mr. Montebourg in helping Michelin become the Dunlop of France!!
You all criticizing the French, but all of you would have ALL responded this or even worse if it was in the other direction. YOUR taxpayer money go to stupid wars and big multinational gun companies. France is not fucking communist and is as much capitalist as the U.S...just a small reminder, in a REAL capitalist country, companies and banks don't get bailed out! GM, AIG, GSachs, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac...The most communist between France and the US is the US...
However, I agree with him saying that the labour cost is too high in France, but all of this is due to foreign investment in the property market that has pushed rents up 100% in less than 10 years, companies need to now pay more for people to live...
To end this, the world's mess came from stupid fuckers US banksters and the stupid Bernanke who is fucking the whole world again...
A gold standard and outlawing of "fractional reserve banking" would solve the problem.
Let us start by allowing competing currencies in the US.
that is...true. But most French are ignorant , and are confusing banksters and corrupted capitalism with free markets , and honestly believe pricing discovery is some evil thing that must be "supervised and regulated" by central planning at all costs , and aligned with the "real" economy when things are starting to go south. Sounds familiar ?
Is everyone here really that much of a dumb ass? this isn't about American or French work ethics, what this ahole of a ceo is really saying is:
It doesn't matter if US and EU workers cut their pay in half, I'm still going to China, and i am going to China because i can "pay" them 10 dollars a day until they drop dead.
Wake the fuck up.
What he actually said, if you read his letter without your blinkered views, is that France is and has been doing nothing to stop itself from a flood of cheap tires from low wage countries. That, in addition, to the parlous French work ethic means anyone attempting to make tires in France will lose a lot of money.
Because of those two factors, both determined by the French government, he will place his factory in a country that offers both low wages and a strong work ethic.
Are you seriously claiming, that if it was your money, under prevailing conditions you would choose to build a plant in France, or indeed in the US? That would certainly be a "dumb ass" thing to do.
The greater the truth, the greater the outrage.
Michelin makes most of their tires outside of France.
http://www.michelin.com/corporate/group/michelin-worldwide/locations
Obviously...they have experienced French labour for decades
to deliver us from Nazism in 1944
I resent that. France decided in May 1940 to accept German Occupation and its Vichy Government actively collaborated with the Occupation, and its Milice worked closely with the SD and against Allied Forces. That the British Empire and United States INVADED France was not universally welcomed by people in France. Hauling out the wonderful myth that France was "liberated" either by Free French or anyone else is absurd - the US wanted to occupy France and divide it into zones like Germany. Further if a French Minister writes a letter in English it should be PERFECT....a Russian Foreign Minister can do it properly, so why is France so awful at expressing governmental views in perfect English ?
The letter from the French minister was sent in French...as the CEO sent his letter in English the minister responded in his native language. The version in here has been translated, but it's true French politicians have a terrible English except Lagarde and Strauss-Khan.
“What are the decisive factors in the choice of location? Foreign companies in France are seeking quality infrastructure, a lifestyle appreciate an energy amongst the most competitive in Europe, and a very favorable environment to research and innovation.”
Yup! That was our most important consideration when we shut down our French subsidiary and moved it to Ireland while I was working for a large, high-tech, Silicon Valley company about a decade ago.
I was in france once to visit the vineyards and wine country; it was, they told me, about two weeks before the grapes would be ready to be picked. at the first winery on our tour there was a giant red banner with communist symbol and name of the workers union. the workers had gone on strike for higher pay at the crucial moment of the grapes being ready to be picked or all would be lost. the manager and tour guide told me, when I asked them about thism that they do it every year. when i said that in asia no one would ever think of holding the food and crops hostage to gain a higher salary, that would be an anti social act against the community and they would be fired immediately and be shamed, he said that in France the government makes it impossible to fire or replace them during the strike, even pays them while they are doing strike. he said that the owner of the winery was going to sell it to someone, anyone. They had had enough of these workers. as we left we were bid farewell by hostile glare of the workers at the gate, all very well dressed and their cars occupying the employee parking lot all very new and shiney. this, it was all I needed to know never to put one single cent into anything in that country. but I will say the bread is good there. better than the wine, for sure.
You mention your intention to exploit the labor of some countries to flood our markets. I must tell you that this calculation wrong and short-term and will sooner or later face a justified reaction.
http://www.tresor.economie.gouv.fr/file/327000
The presence of French companies in the world continues to grow. According to the "Subsidiaries Survey" conducted by the French Treasury (DGTPE), there were more than 30,000 French establishments around the world in 2006, up from 28,000 in 2004. They employed six million people and generated some €850 billion in turnover, i.e. more than twice as much as France earned from exports.
Presence in emerging countries is more limited, particularly in terms of turnover, but this is growing rapidly (see map below). French firms view a presence in these areas above all as opportunities to penetrate high-growth markets and, to a lesser extent, as means for keeping down production costs, particularly manufacturing costs.
There is quite the dichotomy between France and China. The West has yet to come to grasp the implications of a college grad earning around $3K. One has to wonder the inflation adjusted per capita incomes 10 years hence. We know the direction of the numbers.