TED JENKIN: Europe is burning because people can't pay their bills. America should pay attention

In 1789, angry French citizens didn't have Facebook, Instagram or TikTok to complain about the cost of living.They had pitchforks.

And torches.When bread prices became unbearable, thousands of women marched on the Palace of Versailles, demanding answers from King Louis XVI.They weren't marching because the stock market was down.They were marching because they couldn't afford to feed their families.GORDON SONDLAND: FRANCE IS BURNING, EUROPE'S BROKE, AND THE REVOLUTION IT REALLY NEEDS ISN'T VIOLENTMore than 230 years later, France is once again witnessing angry crowds in the streets.

Italy has seen tens of thousands of workers and students protesting over wages, housing and living costs.This photograph shows a fire burning and destroying the city hall after a group of individuals forced entry into the building during ongoing protest action against the "high cost of living," in Limoges, France, on Oct.17, 2026.

The circumstances are different.The frustration sounds remarkably familiar.

People are working, collecting paychecks and wondering why they still can't afford their lives.MELONI CONDEMNS ‘GANGS OF THUGS’ AFTER PROTESTS TURNED VIOLENT ACROSS ITALYAnd America had better pay attention.Politicians love talking about economic growth, unemployment rates and inflation statistics.But here's a little secret.

Most Americans don't wake up in the morning wondering what happened to GDP.They wonder whether they can afford groceries, pay the electric bill and make their mortgage payment.And there's an enormous difference between what economists call a healthy economy and what families experience at their kitchen tables.MEHEK COOKE: REPUBLICANS FAILED THE AFFORDABILITY TEST.

THIS IS HOW TO WIN VOTERS BACKInflation might fall from 8% to 3%.Wonderful.

That doesn't mean your $200 grocery bill goes back to $150.It means prices are generally rising more slowly.

Your paycheck may have increased, but so have your insurance premiums, property taxes, utilities and rent.The r...