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Richard Helppie's Common BridgeAuthor: Richard Helppie
The problems we have in the country are solvable, but not solvable the way were approaching them today, because of partisan politics. Richard Helppie, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist seeks to find a place in the middle where common sense discussions can bridge the current great divide. Language: en-us Genres: News, News Commentary, Politics Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 352- When Benefits Pay Better Than A Job. With Robert Greenfield
Episode 352
Saturday, 31 October, 2026
Paris and Marseille don’t erupt overnight. When we look past the headlines, the unrest in France starts to feel less like a single protest “about schools” and more like a stress test for the modern European welfare state. We talk with Robert Greenfield, a longtime American abroad now preparing to move back to the United States, about what he’s seeing on the ground and why he believes Europe is drifting toward a multi-layer crisis.We unpack how France’s deep protest culture can flip from performative marches into real street violence, and why the government can sometimes suppress the riots quickly yet still fail to solve the underlying problem. From there, we get specific about incentives: unemployment rules, the 35-hour workweek, and the way benefits can unintentionally make formal work feel irrational. We also talk about French entrepreneurship, heavy regulation, and why bureaucracy can choke ambition even in a country packed with small business builders.Immigration and integration pressures come up, too, not as a single-cause explanation, but as part of a broader mix of public housing, informal side jobs, and a shrinking base of taxpayers carrying bigger promises. Finally, we zoom out to European politics: the drift toward the center-right, anger at corruption, Marine Le Pen’s changing image, and what the “unrepresented middle” wants from leaders who still have to govern in coalition-heavy democracies.If you care about France riots, European politics, immigration policy, welfare reform, productivity, or what happens when a society stops rewarding work, this one will give you a framework to think clearly. Subscribe, share this with a friend who follows global current events, and leave us a review. What policy change would you try first?Support the showEngage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!
