President Emmanuel Macron of France is learning it doesn’t pay to anger his retirement age citizens.

France has been embroiled in strikes and daily demonstrations following Macron’s attempt to enact a pension bill that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

The French have reacted with anger. Unions and opposition politicians want the proposal withdrawn — tout suite. Garbage workers in Paris went on strike leaving the streets of the capital filled with trash. Dock workers in Marseille have walked off the job. Normandy refinery workers also refused to work and set up blockades causing fuel shortages.

Angry demonstrators in Paris have clashed with police who responded with tear gas and water cannons.

Macron hasn’t backed down saying the retirement system needs to be modified to keep it financially solvent. The protesters and strikers remain equally adamant that the proposal is not going to become law.

American lawmakers, many of whom for years have repeatedly tried to cut Medicare and Social Security, move toward privatizing one or both programs, and raise the Social Security retirement age and Medicare eligibility age, should be warned by the turmoil in France.

Recently, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said: “One thing that you probably haven’t ever heard from a politician: It will be my objective to phase out Social Security. To pull it up by the roots, and get rid of it.”

Florida Sen. Rick Scott is championing a plan to put Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security on the chopping block every five years, which would put the health and economic security of 63 million Medicare beneficiaries, 69 million Medicaid beneficiaries and 65 million Social Security beneficiaries at risk. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin proposed sunsetting these laws every year.

These so-called “budget warriors” should realize older Americans vote as a block, organize quickly and take a dim view of lawmakers turning their retirement livelihoods into a political football by the far-off nabobs of Washington.

They may not take to the streets but they will head to the voting booths.

— EKF