November 2007 strikes in France retire with full pension benefits after 37.5 years rather than 40 years. The Sarkozy administration claims the current pension system allows some public sector workers to retire as early as age 50. The government calculated the cost of these early-retirement benefits at $7 billion a year. President Nicolas Sarkozy felt that his victory in the 2007 presidential election gave him a mandate to carry out labour reforms, stating "I said before I was elected what I would do," and "we will do these reforms because they have to be done." He declared the strikes a test of political will. "I
Office of the Vice President of the United States included an "office of the Vice President" (who at the time was John Nance Garner), under the Executive Office of the President. Vice President Henry Wallace was given actual executive duties during World War II, as was Alben Barkley, who became a member of the National Security Council in 1949. The office of the vice president has been located in the Old Executive Office building since the 1950s, while the Vice President himself has been resident in the West Wing since 1977. Office of the Vice President of the United States The Office of the Vice President includes personnel who