I love the end part. As a bilingual Canadian, I've gotten sick of people constantly shitting on the French.

Bill Maher strikes again. France has its problems, (unemployment, social exclusion in the suburbs, over-centralised government to name but 3), but it's a functioning social democracy, has amazing public infrastructure and remains one of the largest and most technically advanced economies in the world. It's not just US politicians who could learn something from France.

I thought part of the joke was that everyone hates France for no reason in particular?

But Maher has a point: It is a country, not just a punchline.

On the flip side, I hear French people really are quite rude to foreigners (of course, nobody seems to be giving them any reason to change that attitude, eh?)

Frenetic: At least you have to leave the airport in France to encounter rude people. In the US rudeness starts as soon as your plane touches soil. First thing you get when visiting the US these days is the terrorist treatment.

I want to scream every time an american liberal talks so positively about socialist health care systems in europe. they are not positive. just that the US does not have any health care system or regulation besides what the private sector offers doesn't mean socialism is the only solution. it only works for a couple of years and then degenerates. you've got to regulate your private system to fix health care: - prohibiting plans based on individual risks. every insurer has to offer the same plan to every individual - regulate changing health insurer. especially detach the savings to contain the premiums when you're getting old from the health insurance itself so people can take them with them to another insurer. - require every american to have health insurance. - introduce a negative income tax system that makes sure every american can pay for it

I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but this in a nutshell is what the liberal party of my country is proposing. we have a socialist health care system right now.

As an American living in France, I enjoy the quality of life and a progressive state that really tries to protect all of its people. Sure, taxes are higher but we also see real benefits from them which lessens the sting. I could never imagine a US political debate with the same depth or the active involvement of the electorate. There are some social and economic problems down the road in tackling labor reforms, immigration, growth and unemployment. However, that pales in comparison to the current and future problems in the US: healthcare, gap between the rich and poor, and looming national debt that is colossal. France should not be a "dirty" word!

Like Ryan, this strikes close to home with me. Here's to tous les franglais speakers, eh Ryan? Perhaps c'est temps to allons-y and make comme un ... ya, this is probably hurting some eyes, so I'll stop.

Can anyone pinpoint where this whole idea of ragging on the French came from? I can only think of WWII, where the French supposedly rolled over like a trick poodle at the sight of the Nazis.

Maher might want to double-check his facts; the last time I checked, Sweden had the best health-care system and Ireland had the lowest unemployment. (I thought Japan would've taken this category)

True, France does not have the best health care, but it does rank a lot higher than the US. And french people are not rude, they're chauvinist, meaning they prefer to speak their own language in their country and they might roll their eyes when you ask for a Burger King in the culinairy capital of the world.

I hear French people really are quite rude to foreigners

I think this is a stereotype. Contrast to over a dozen countries, I've repeatedly found the French to be the most welcoming, helpful, and genuinely interested.

However, they do not tolerate fat, fanny-pack totting, loud Americans barking out in English. They are rightfully rude to them. I am rude to these types too - and I'm an American!

Always love new rules. any chance of getting other parts of that show up? Interested in seeing Penn.

Matty: http://www.mininova.org/tor/691866

france has had the best composer of one-armed piano music so far by far.

Brilliant!

France will tomorrow decide whether we keep on with our social participative model OR whether we "face reality" aka competition, profit, corporations, et al... Mme Ségolène Royal running for the former , Mr Nicolas Sarkozy for the latter... and i'm afraid he may well win. Many French including me are really scared about him. He's been interior minister for four years and in spite of his poor results, many get caught by his populist media-hyped spin, cleverly wrapped up and unfathomably tricky. Have a look at the results. If Mme Royal is elected,eventhough i must admit she has not been an excellent candidate, then we can remain hopeful, but if he is, well, i'm afraid the shit is going to hit the fan. And i'm one of the 2 million voters who will vote with a computer tomorrow morning, a voting machine they call it. Unfathomably tricky indeed. Keep your fingers crossed!

If you want to get on people's good side, it's a good idea to try speak the fucking language, man... If nothing else, you should at least be able to say, "Excuse me, do you speak English?" in the native tongue. Perdon, esku vu comprone langlay? Sumimasen, watashiwa eigogoga wakarimasen? That is the fucking least you can do. To do otherwise, is rude -- why shouldn't they be rude right back at ya?

Even if you're butchering the language, at least it shows you're trying...

If you want to get on people's good side, it's a good idea to try speak the fucking language, man... If nothing else, you should at least be able to say, "Excuse me, do you speak English?" in the native tongue. Perdon, esku vu comprone langlay? Sumimasen, watashiwa eigogoga wakarimasen? That is the fucking least you can do. To do otherwise, is rude -- why shouldn't they be rude right back at ya?

Even if you're butchering the language, at least it shows you're trying...

What does Maher have against accordeon music?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h...related& search=

A blast from the past in the National Journal: The French were Right. 2003.

"Let's just say this at the start, since this is the beginning, not the end, of the discussion about how to grapple with the post-9/11 world (and because it's the grown-up, big-man thing to do): The French were right. Let's say it again: The French -- yes, those "cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys," as their detractors in the United States so pungently called them -- were right."

http://nationaljournal.com/about...003/ 1107nj1.htm

As to health, providing health care is not the same as making cars, cell phones, and widgets. It is basic responsibility of government, like law enforcement.

Private health insurance companies are vampires living off of the blood of both the ill and the healthy.

Yes yes but Bill Maher seems to be unaware of the last changes in France: the electors are bringing to power a extreme-right leader who wants to look like a big nation's daddy. He's a friend of Italian politician Gianfranco Fini, a follower of Mussolini's fascism. I fear our beautiful social model is fading away to an American like "demo(n)cracy"...

Well the results are in. Looks like France opted to "face reality" aka competition, profit, corporations, et al..." and capitalism!

So as usual, Bill Maher is wrong. He ws too quick to open his yap and anticipate the rusults. Looks like he as well as most liberals in the US have absolutely no clue what is really going on in France. The French are beginning to understand the problems with socialism and political correctness run amuk. Viva la France!