Français · English · Português · Español · Deutsch · Українська · Русский · العربية
To the President of the National Assembly
Madam President,
First, allow me to tip my hat to you.
It took some nerve — indeed, a pharaoh’s sheer audacity — to dare declare that you do not “live off the state.” And yes, the reference to a pharaoh is deliberate: when you enter the National Assembly, an entire ceremony worthy of an Egyptian sovereign gets under way. The ushers bow, the microphones come on, everyone rises, and all that is missing are incense bearers and music fit for Ramses to complete the picture.
Yet all this republican splendour, which you seem to consider perfectly natural, is paid for by the French people.
The very people who live on €1,500 a month and count every cent at the supermarket while you receive:
– €7,637 as a basic allowance,
– €7,699 as an allowance for your office,
– €5,960 for your expenses,
– €11,118 for your assistants,
– and €325 for childcare.
A total of €37,278 a month in public resources at your disposal. Not to mention supplementary health insurance, rail travel and flights — all free, of course.
But no, rest assured, you do not live off the state: you merely feast amid its tentacles.
And then there is your famous remark about inheritance supposedly “falling from the sky.”
Ah, what exquisite drawing-room poetry!
The French people who spent forty years paying off their homes, saving penny by penny and paying taxes to the very last day will appreciate the metaphor.
For them, nothing falls from the sky, Madam — except, sometimes, the rain, when the roof leaks and there is no longer enough money to repair it.
You live in a world where privileges justify themselves, where politics becomes a career, and where other people’s work is merely an abstract concept.
But make no mistake: out in the real country, the French people see, understand and do not forget. No, Madam Braun-Pivet, you do not “live off the state.” You reign over it — with all the ceremony, gilded splendour and detachment that go with it.
With respectful yet disillusioned regards,
A French citizen who has never had a red carpet rolled out for him, but who knows what merit means.
This message is, of course, meant to be shared…
Mercidevoscommentaires