Peter Schrag: August—Time for Californians to Take a few French Lessons

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Peter Schrag

Today, is the day when toute la France heads off on its month-long summer holiday. No, it's not everybody. Somebody has to drive the trains, keep the nuclear power plants running, staff the seaside hotels and patrol the autoroutes.

But they'll all get their turn -- an average 37 days vacation per worker per year, compared with an average of 13 days in the United States, which is the lowest in the modern world. (Those hard-working Japanese take 25 days). French law guarantees every worker 30 days. Paid sick leave is standard. Americans are guaranteed nothing.

All this is particularly relevant now because the French and their arrangements are back in fashion. Freedom fries are off the menu. But if you read the national pundits or go see Michael Moore's latest movie, you know that French health care is in; so are French trains, French children's services, French social welfare, French education and French technology.

By now it ought to be no secret that every modern society on Earth provides better health care to its citizens at less cost than we do. Only an insane genius would design our inefficient crazy-quilt system. Where else would a national leader be able to say, as President Bush did the other day, that increasing funding for children's health care would make us too dependent on government, and is unnecessary anyway because the kids can always seek treatment in hospital emergency rooms?

But it may be news to Californians that French roads -- not just the pricey toll-supported autoroutes, but most of the regular toll-free national highways as well -- are smoother and easier to drive than our crowded, cracking freeways and bridges.

California roads were once supposed to be models to the world, but are now rated among the worst even compared with the rest of this country. Come back from a couple of weeks driving in France and your shocks quickly remind you that you're back on Interstate 5 or Interstate 80.