Time flies and all good things come to an end in Argentina as well. But the ending this country had after it was ruled by the last military regime (1976-83), the presidency of Raúl Alfonsín (1983-89), which ended with hyperinflation, and another character Carlos Menem (1989-1999) leaves a lot to be desired.
Menem privatized almost everything that was state-owned. His economic policy didn’t open up a new era of greatness for the country. On the contrary, his policies impoverished Argentina and forced coruption to rocket due to the sale of state-owned companies.
In Buenos Aires, as elsewhere, defeat is alive and kicking today. Some of my countrymen have been so humbled by events in the past thirty years that they have lost the ability to care for their countrymen.
In a country that exports beef, grains and other agricultural products isn’t it a shame that some Argentines die of malnutrition?
An Argentinean friend who had lived through the country’s most difficult periods asked me if I saw a change in the Argentineans since I last visited the country 10 years ago.
I told her that the poverty that has descended on Argentina is like an ogre that has robbed the people of its innocence. People are nice to you as long as your strong or have money. Without those two things you aren’t worth anything in these parts.
“People are nice to you as long as you’re strong or have money.”
Sounds like Finland to me.
I know this is a little or perhaps totally off *track*, however! Did you hear about the tax benifits to pensioners in Finland. Those who have an annual fifteen thousand euro pension and more get the benifit. (no it’s not a joke)
Imagine, I do anyway, that most “Joe-soaps” get under fifteen thousand euro pension annually.
What brilliant Finnish (right wing) politician came up with that idea- to give more to those who have more.
Perhaps not so off the *track*
Welcome back to moron land / I mean, Finland.
Y;-) Paddy