Dear Friends,
It is raining again today. I have to say the weather so far this year has been windy, rainy and dreary. When added to Jane's illness and my bad cold, it has been rather depressing.
Last Saturday, we were planning on playing pétanque even though we were not feeling all that well because it would be a fun outing. Needless to say it rained Saturday morning and even though it cleared a little later in the morning, we could not play pétanque. We went shopping and even the Saturday market was small and rather unexciting. We did, however, splurge and buy six beautiful big red strawberries. They were not like the big strawberries we get in the supermarkets in the United States. These were all red and tasted really good. They were a day brightener.
As we were walking home, three friends who are attending the Institut for two weeks arrived by taxi from the airport. It was great to see them. We left them to unpack and sleep because we were meeting them for dinner at Le Serre. At least the sun was shining when they arrived. Jane and I went to dinner with them and one other person that night. There were 5 women and me. So that was another day brightener. We ran into our landlady at Le Serre, and she said that Hotel Welcome was having a jazz trio that night. Much to my surprise all five women wanted to go even those who had just arrived from the United States.
The Hotel Welcome is the most famous hotel in Villefranche. It has been on the water forever and many famous writers, artists and others have stayed there. So at the end of dinner at Le Serre, we skipped their limoncello which is delicious and costs about 4 euros so we could go to the Hotel Welcome and have limoncello for 10 euros. Of course the limoncello came in a fancier glass with ice cubes in a silver bowl and a slice of lemon and the music as well. The music was good and not so loud that we could not talk. The limoncello, however, was nowhere near as good. At about 9:30 the recent travellers all faded so we left. The evening was a nice respite from the dreary weather.
Sunday, we were going to go on an outing with the new arrivals and agreed to start around 11. The weather was threatening rain, and the wind was blowing hard. We decided to go to Beaulieu, pick up some things at the Super U (think small super Target) and have lunch at the Gran Caffe. We also decided to take the bus rather than walk which is what Jane and I usually do. The group did not move quickly or with any sense of urgency which was too bad because we missed two buses and had to wait 20 minutes for the next one. That was actually lucky because later in the day the wait could have been closer to an hour.
We got off the bus in Beaulieu at a fancy market so had to wander through it for awhile. We then headed off for the Gran Caffe. We walked past the Super U where several of the new arrivals wanted to get some supplies but decided it would be better to get them after lunch and walking around. When we arrived at the Gran Caffe, it was closed for some reason. In all the times we have gone there for lunch, it has never been closed. Oh well on to a different restaurant. We found one that was fancier than we were looking for but decided it was our best chance. Even by French standards the server showed no urgency. It turned out the food was quite good and since the weather was bad why not spend a couple of hours eating and talking.
After lunch we returned to the Super U only to discover that it is closed on Sunday afternoons. We could have read the sign first time we were there, but live and learn. It is right next to the train station so we decided to take the train home. First we had to figure out which side of the tracks we needed to be on to go to Villefranche and not Monaco. The train system in France was initially designed by an Englishman so the trains run on the tracks the way the British drive.
We were proud of ourselves that we found the tunnel to the other side of the tracks before a train arrived, only to discover that there was not distributor of tickets on that side. The small stations do not have ticket offices with people, just machines. So we returned to the other side. Fortunately I had tried to use the machine before because it is not completely intuitive. I got to the end and put in my American Express card which of course was not accepted by the machine, only Visa. So I had to start over with five women looking over my shoulder and making helpful suggestions. To give my kibitzers more confidence, I switched the language to English. Unfortunately when it came time to type in our destination, the english keyboard didn't work so I had to start over. This time I did it in French and used my Visa card, and it worked. I led the group back through the tunnel to the other side and the train arrived as we were walking onto the platform. The preparation for the trip took 10 or 15 minutes but the trip only took about 2 minutes.
Yesterday and today I was able to get the shopping done between periods of rain. Unfortunately we are about to return to the doctor since while feeling a little better, Jane is still not well, and it is raining.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Monday, January 8, 2018
Villefranche-sur-mer Winter 2018 - 1
Dear Friends,
We arrived in Villefranche on December 28, thanks to my typo, one day before our landlady was expecting us. As a result, there was no taxi to meet us at the airport in Nice, also our apartment was not completely ready. Our landlady who was giving a luncheon at her house at the time told us to just get a taxi at the airport which we did and that someone would meet us to help with our bags and finish the cleaning of the apartment. We took a taxi to Place de la Paix, the closest place to our apartment where a car can go. Sure enough we were met by Danny, the husband of one of the cleaning ladies. He was very strong, grabbed our two big suitcases (almost 50 lbs each) and carried them to our apartment. It is two steep blocks downhill to our apartment then two steep flights up stairs.
We were impressed. As our landlady had told us they were doing "spring cleaning" on our apartment. All the seat covers, cushion covers, slip covers, etc. had been washed along with all the regular things like sheets, towels, etc. They were all over the place drying when we arrived. We left Danny, at his urging, with everything and went to lunch. When we returned two hours later, the place was immaculate. Normally we would have been met with a bottle of rosé and flowers, both of which were missing but an amazing welcome considering we arrived a day early.
We went to lunch at Lou Bantry, a restaurant on the water. It was nice. As usual, I started my stay with moules frites. Place Amélie Pollonais which is right by the water and normally has three restaurants, a gift shop, an ice cream store and a couple of bars is being renovated so nothing is there now and will not be for a couple more months. Consequently we could not have lunch at Le Cosmos or Les Palmiers where we would normally have had our first lunch.
We were in no hurry to provision so we ate dinner at Le Serre, our neighborhood casual restaurant about half a block away. We ran into our landlady, her husband and a couple who were their friends who had just purchased an apartment in Villefranche and were beginning to furnish it.
The next day we had to actually get down to shopping. We had forgotten a few essentials, like Jane's pjs, and we needed some essentials like the Nespresso capsules for our coffee. Fortunately we had left a couple in our box in the apartment from the fall so we had some the first morning. As we got on the bus to go to Nice, we ran into the couple we had met the night before who were also on their way to Nice. Despite the fact that they had lots to do to furnish their new apartment, their first stop was their favorite chocolate store, Florian. It is nice when people have their priorities straight.
While in Nice we made great progress at becoming truly French. We now are members of the Nespresso loyalty group which apparently means I can get lots of emails from them. We are also members of the Galleries Lafayette (large French department store) loyalty group which meant that we got 40% off the items we bought that day.
The next day was Saturday, and it was a beautiful day. Of course Saturday means ex-pat pétanque. It was a small group, only six, including one new person. I am happy to report that my team won, rather handily I might add. The Saturday market was small but had all the things we needed - vegetables, fruits, flowers and patés.
Unfortunately later that day our return to Villefranche began to turn bad. As usual we were both tired as a result of jet lag and the stress of Christmas, moving to a new condo and packing, but this time Jane was sick. On the airplane she turned on the air and was blasted with every germ known to mankind as it was towards the end of the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. Then a couple of days later while using nasal spray she coughed involuntarily and inhaled the spray and who knows what else. She kept getting worse. All the while I was developing a bad cold. We really did not eat much and had no energy. Our New Year's Eve was pizza by ourselves feeling miserable in front of the tv instead of a gourmet dinner at La Belle Étoile with friends.
On Tuesday our french teacher gave us the name of two local doctors and explained how to go see them. They share an office with one there in the morning and one in the afternoon. You do not need an appointment. The office is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. So mid-afternoon, we set out on an adventure to see the doctor. When you walk in the door, there is a waiting room with no receptionist. The patients just sit down and are seen in the order in which they arrived. The doctor was seeing one patient when we arrived and there were two others ahead of us. When he was finished with the patient he was seeing when we arrived, he came into the room and simply said "Allons y" let's go. The next patient got up and followed him out of the waiting room. He was a middle aged man wearing jeans and a blue checked shirt.
When it was Jane's turn, we dutifully followed him into a nice, clean and very simple office with an adjacent examining room. We had prepared for a discussion in French. Jane said, "We are Americans." He replied in perfect English, "Everybody has something." By which he meant, being an American was a problem, but he said it with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. He said it had been a long day so let's speak in English. He asked all the right questions and actually listened carefully to the answers. He examined Jane, not by taking blood and running tests but by listening to her heart and lungs. He then announced that she had a small infection in her lungs which he would treat with a course of antibiotics. He then proceeded to give her a prescription for the antibiotic, a steroid, a cough suppressant and a nasal spray. He also gave us a bill for 30 euros and a paper for our insurance. The entire time elapsed while waiting and seeing the doctor was less than an hour.
Jane went home to bed, and I proceeded to the pharmacy. The total bill for all four of the prescriptions was 30 euros. The pharmacy also gave me a paper for our insurance. Thus began a long road to recovery which is still going on today, almost a week later.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
We arrived in Villefranche on December 28, thanks to my typo, one day before our landlady was expecting us. As a result, there was no taxi to meet us at the airport in Nice, also our apartment was not completely ready. Our landlady who was giving a luncheon at her house at the time told us to just get a taxi at the airport which we did and that someone would meet us to help with our bags and finish the cleaning of the apartment. We took a taxi to Place de la Paix, the closest place to our apartment where a car can go. Sure enough we were met by Danny, the husband of one of the cleaning ladies. He was very strong, grabbed our two big suitcases (almost 50 lbs each) and carried them to our apartment. It is two steep blocks downhill to our apartment then two steep flights up stairs.
We were impressed. As our landlady had told us they were doing "spring cleaning" on our apartment. All the seat covers, cushion covers, slip covers, etc. had been washed along with all the regular things like sheets, towels, etc. They were all over the place drying when we arrived. We left Danny, at his urging, with everything and went to lunch. When we returned two hours later, the place was immaculate. Normally we would have been met with a bottle of rosé and flowers, both of which were missing but an amazing welcome considering we arrived a day early.
We went to lunch at Lou Bantry, a restaurant on the water. It was nice. As usual, I started my stay with moules frites. Place Amélie Pollonais which is right by the water and normally has three restaurants, a gift shop, an ice cream store and a couple of bars is being renovated so nothing is there now and will not be for a couple more months. Consequently we could not have lunch at Le Cosmos or Les Palmiers where we would normally have had our first lunch.
We were in no hurry to provision so we ate dinner at Le Serre, our neighborhood casual restaurant about half a block away. We ran into our landlady, her husband and a couple who were their friends who had just purchased an apartment in Villefranche and were beginning to furnish it.
The next day we had to actually get down to shopping. We had forgotten a few essentials, like Jane's pjs, and we needed some essentials like the Nespresso capsules for our coffee. Fortunately we had left a couple in our box in the apartment from the fall so we had some the first morning. As we got on the bus to go to Nice, we ran into the couple we had met the night before who were also on their way to Nice. Despite the fact that they had lots to do to furnish their new apartment, their first stop was their favorite chocolate store, Florian. It is nice when people have their priorities straight.
While in Nice we made great progress at becoming truly French. We now are members of the Nespresso loyalty group which apparently means I can get lots of emails from them. We are also members of the Galleries Lafayette (large French department store) loyalty group which meant that we got 40% off the items we bought that day.
The next day was Saturday, and it was a beautiful day. Of course Saturday means ex-pat pétanque. It was a small group, only six, including one new person. I am happy to report that my team won, rather handily I might add. The Saturday market was small but had all the things we needed - vegetables, fruits, flowers and patés.
Unfortunately later that day our return to Villefranche began to turn bad. As usual we were both tired as a result of jet lag and the stress of Christmas, moving to a new condo and packing, but this time Jane was sick. On the airplane she turned on the air and was blasted with every germ known to mankind as it was towards the end of the flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam. Then a couple of days later while using nasal spray she coughed involuntarily and inhaled the spray and who knows what else. She kept getting worse. All the while I was developing a bad cold. We really did not eat much and had no energy. Our New Year's Eve was pizza by ourselves feeling miserable in front of the tv instead of a gourmet dinner at La Belle Étoile with friends.
On Tuesday our french teacher gave us the name of two local doctors and explained how to go see them. They share an office with one there in the morning and one in the afternoon. You do not need an appointment. The office is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. So mid-afternoon, we set out on an adventure to see the doctor. When you walk in the door, there is a waiting room with no receptionist. The patients just sit down and are seen in the order in which they arrived. The doctor was seeing one patient when we arrived and there were two others ahead of us. When he was finished with the patient he was seeing when we arrived, he came into the room and simply said "Allons y" let's go. The next patient got up and followed him out of the waiting room. He was a middle aged man wearing jeans and a blue checked shirt.
When it was Jane's turn, we dutifully followed him into a nice, clean and very simple office with an adjacent examining room. We had prepared for a discussion in French. Jane said, "We are Americans." He replied in perfect English, "Everybody has something." By which he meant, being an American was a problem, but he said it with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. He said it had been a long day so let's speak in English. He asked all the right questions and actually listened carefully to the answers. He examined Jane, not by taking blood and running tests but by listening to her heart and lungs. He then announced that she had a small infection in her lungs which he would treat with a course of antibiotics. He then proceeded to give her a prescription for the antibiotic, a steroid, a cough suppressant and a nasal spray. He also gave us a bill for 30 euros and a paper for our insurance. The entire time elapsed while waiting and seeing the doctor was less than an hour.
Jane went home to bed, and I proceeded to the pharmacy. The total bill for all four of the prescriptions was 30 euros. The pharmacy also gave me a paper for our insurance. Thus began a long road to recovery which is still going on today, almost a week later.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Capitalism in America, Part 3
Dear Friends,
In the previous two posts, I have argued that capitalism as practiced in the United States has failed us both politically and economically. I have also taken the position that the ultimate goal of any economic system must be to advance the economic interests and provide better living conditions for all in a sustainable manner. In order to achieve this goal there must be a true equality of opportunity. Obviously in some ways there cannot be true equality of opportunity. We are each born with certain abilities and limitations and not all parenting is equal. However, as a society we must do all that we can to provide true equality of opportunity.
In my view there are certain things without which there can be no true equality of opportunity:
love and inclusion
food, shelter and clothing
health care
education
security
I want to examine each of these necessities and how they can be provided within a capitalist system.
Love and inclusion
When discussing basic necessities, love and inclusion are often overlooked, but the importance of these necessities cannot be overstated. Historically, these necessities have been provided by family and community. In America, we have seen an increase in gang activities, I think because the society is failing to provide people with love and inclusion in more traditional and helpful ways. If you do not feel loved and included, you cannot achieve your potential, you will not feel the support you need to work to achieve your goals, and you will find no meaning in your life. A society can be one that welcomes all regardless of similarities and differences, that celebrates diversity.
In the United States and many other countries, we are not inclusive and those in power maintain and enhance their power by dividing and not uniting. Capitalism as an economic system cannot ensure that all people are loved and included, but capitalism as it is practiced in the United States has encouraged the creation of classes of people with artificial distinctions based on who is "entitled" or who has "earned" while at the same time creating an environment where those with wealth and power (and their offspring) retain and amass more power and wealth and those without (and their offspring) have less and less of each. This terrible cycle of increasing wealth and power disparity and increasing exclusion of "others" can only be broken by providing everybody with equal opportunity. To achieve that goal will require a significant change in capitalism as practiced in the United States.
Food, shelter and clothing
Capitalists argue that capitalism is the best way to provide goods and services, that a free market will create and allocate goods and services in the most efficient manner and that competition will ensure the appropriate pricing of them. If there were such a thing as a completely free market and if everybody had true equal opportunity, I would agree with that argument. Unfortunately, there can be no logical or intellectually honest argument that there is anything that remotely resembles a free market or equal opportunity in the United States today.
I believe that everybody in the United States should have these basic necessities and that the society should provide them by providing each person with a minimum income with which to purchase them. I also believe that with appropriate controls, a capitalist economic system could facilitate the creation and allocation of these goods and services. Today the United States fails miserably in providing these necessities. Everybody must have good, healthy food; safe, comfortable and secure housing; and clothing that is appropriate for the climate and the society.
Healthcare
The United States spends more per capita and a larger percentage of GDP on healthcare than any other developed country in the world and yet has worse outcomes (here). Clearly a capitalist economic system is not successful at creating and allocating healthcare goods and services. Consequently we need to move to a Medicare for all type system to provide healthcare for all people. There are many models around the world for accomplishing this result all of which do a better job than the current United States system. Some of those systems have care provided by private clinics, hospitals, etc. but in all case all people receive at least a minimum level of health care.
Education
Without great education for all, we can never have true equal opportunity. The United States today has a system of public education that fails those who are not born with wealth and power and enhances the wealth and power of those who are born with them. The wealthy can afford to send their children to private schools and rich communities can afford great public schools. We need all public schools to be great schools. No capitalist system will do that, the government must provide great schools.
In addition, great and free public education must begin well before a child is 5 or 6 years old and must continue at least through a college degree. The data is clear that providing early childhood education is critical to long term learning. It is just as clear that a high school diploma is no longer sufficient to provide access to good, well paying jobs. The government must provide great free education pre-K through a college degree.
Security
We all need to feel secure in order to do our best. Security includes the obvious things like police and fire protection and national security which no capitalist system will provide to all so they must be provided by government at various levels. In addition, we must feel economically and emotionally secure. Capitalism as practiced in the United States has clearly failed to provide any emotional or economic security to all. People will feel these kinds of security if the essentials listed above are provided.
While well regulated capitalism can play a role in provided basic goods and services, a capitalist system will never actually provide the necessities for true equality of opportunity. So why am I not joining the Democratic Socialists of America? Maybe we will all find out when I write the next post.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
In the previous two posts, I have argued that capitalism as practiced in the United States has failed us both politically and economically. I have also taken the position that the ultimate goal of any economic system must be to advance the economic interests and provide better living conditions for all in a sustainable manner. In order to achieve this goal there must be a true equality of opportunity. Obviously in some ways there cannot be true equality of opportunity. We are each born with certain abilities and limitations and not all parenting is equal. However, as a society we must do all that we can to provide true equality of opportunity.
In my view there are certain things without which there can be no true equality of opportunity:
love and inclusion
food, shelter and clothing
health care
education
security
I want to examine each of these necessities and how they can be provided within a capitalist system.
Love and inclusion
When discussing basic necessities, love and inclusion are often overlooked, but the importance of these necessities cannot be overstated. Historically, these necessities have been provided by family and community. In America, we have seen an increase in gang activities, I think because the society is failing to provide people with love and inclusion in more traditional and helpful ways. If you do not feel loved and included, you cannot achieve your potential, you will not feel the support you need to work to achieve your goals, and you will find no meaning in your life. A society can be one that welcomes all regardless of similarities and differences, that celebrates diversity.
In the United States and many other countries, we are not inclusive and those in power maintain and enhance their power by dividing and not uniting. Capitalism as an economic system cannot ensure that all people are loved and included, but capitalism as it is practiced in the United States has encouraged the creation of classes of people with artificial distinctions based on who is "entitled" or who has "earned" while at the same time creating an environment where those with wealth and power (and their offspring) retain and amass more power and wealth and those without (and their offspring) have less and less of each. This terrible cycle of increasing wealth and power disparity and increasing exclusion of "others" can only be broken by providing everybody with equal opportunity. To achieve that goal will require a significant change in capitalism as practiced in the United States.
Food, shelter and clothing
Capitalists argue that capitalism is the best way to provide goods and services, that a free market will create and allocate goods and services in the most efficient manner and that competition will ensure the appropriate pricing of them. If there were such a thing as a completely free market and if everybody had true equal opportunity, I would agree with that argument. Unfortunately, there can be no logical or intellectually honest argument that there is anything that remotely resembles a free market or equal opportunity in the United States today.
I believe that everybody in the United States should have these basic necessities and that the society should provide them by providing each person with a minimum income with which to purchase them. I also believe that with appropriate controls, a capitalist economic system could facilitate the creation and allocation of these goods and services. Today the United States fails miserably in providing these necessities. Everybody must have good, healthy food; safe, comfortable and secure housing; and clothing that is appropriate for the climate and the society.
Healthcare
The United States spends more per capita and a larger percentage of GDP on healthcare than any other developed country in the world and yet has worse outcomes (here). Clearly a capitalist economic system is not successful at creating and allocating healthcare goods and services. Consequently we need to move to a Medicare for all type system to provide healthcare for all people. There are many models around the world for accomplishing this result all of which do a better job than the current United States system. Some of those systems have care provided by private clinics, hospitals, etc. but in all case all people receive at least a minimum level of health care.
Education
Without great education for all, we can never have true equal opportunity. The United States today has a system of public education that fails those who are not born with wealth and power and enhances the wealth and power of those who are born with them. The wealthy can afford to send their children to private schools and rich communities can afford great public schools. We need all public schools to be great schools. No capitalist system will do that, the government must provide great schools.
In addition, great and free public education must begin well before a child is 5 or 6 years old and must continue at least through a college degree. The data is clear that providing early childhood education is critical to long term learning. It is just as clear that a high school diploma is no longer sufficient to provide access to good, well paying jobs. The government must provide great free education pre-K through a college degree.
Security
We all need to feel secure in order to do our best. Security includes the obvious things like police and fire protection and national security which no capitalist system will provide to all so they must be provided by government at various levels. In addition, we must feel economically and emotionally secure. Capitalism as practiced in the United States has clearly failed to provide any emotional or economic security to all. People will feel these kinds of security if the essentials listed above are provided.
While well regulated capitalism can play a role in provided basic goods and services, a capitalist system will never actually provide the necessities for true equality of opportunity. So why am I not joining the Democratic Socialists of America? Maybe we will all find out when I write the next post.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
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