>>... while average Joe/Josephine has real problems making ends meet, working longer hours, worrying about their jobs, losing benefits, losing pensions and generally losing more and more ground. The gains of the last 20-30 years have been all but wiped out and we're heading fast to 1930 working/class conditions.
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>The Europeans? With all their vacation days and health benefits? I don't know about that.

Maybe that's why the people of France and Holland rejected it... because they see those things ending for them and feel a need to stretch the time until it disappears to as long as possible.

Europe is every bit as much into China (and India) as the U.S. and Canada are, so job displacements are a worry there too.
Vacation days are real nice to have, but not if they come in endless 365 days units.
Health benefits are a wonderful thing too, but they do have to be paid for somehow. With more and more people having their work relocated to China (and India) there is less and less tax money to pay for the health system.

It still looks to me that the politicians have been living in another world (there and here) and the people have given them a chance to wake up and address the real issues. Question is... will they?

cheers