"I was watching a special on the situation in France and the thing that struck me the most was the complete lack of upward mobility in their society. People expect to get a job out of school, and they expect to have that job until they retire."
What's wrong with that? Things used to be similar in this country until people began to accept being laid off every few years. To me, it looks like the French know something most Americans don't--money isn't everything. Who cares if you make millions; you can't take it with you when you die anyway. As long as I make enough money to support myself and my family, that's plenty. To modify a Ben Franklin quote: Work to live, not live to work.
Of course, the corporations would love it if we went back to the days of 6 day/12 hour work weeks. They're getting us there, bit by bit (witness increasing average workweeks at the same time as declining real world wages).
J_A_B