Severus stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.
There was no point in continuing to discuss Muggles with Lucius Malfoy. Who could expect a blood purist to say anything good about them?
But Lucius had made one good point. Americans today were a little too fond of "those who submit to me prosper, those who defy me perish." Those who obeyed "Great America" and helped them brainwash humanity would live quite well. Those who did not, such as the nations now promoting the Euro, would be persecuted, suppressed, and even subjected to domestic political turmoil. Greece was the ticking bomb they had buried in the Eurozone, one they could detonate by remote control at any time.
Just like the witches of Salem: even if they were not there themselves, they could use ghosts to wield the power of Demon's Hand and drive people mad.
In France, a house represented not only shelter and home, but social welfare as well. Without a fixed address, homeless people lost access to medical services. Who could guarantee they would never fall ill in their entire life?
Yet rents were so high and wages so low that some people were bound to be unable to afford other necessities after paying rent. Getting employers to raise wages was extraordinarily difficult unless workers went on strike. That might improve things somewhat, but just as a metro strike only affected ordinary people's commutes, strikes in many industries had no effect at all on the wealthy. The world they lived in was different from that of ordinary people.
If workers such as underground sewer dredgers went on strike, it would not only disrupt a city's drainage system but could also trigger epidemics. The bourgeoisie had thought of that too, placing them within the civil service system. That way, there