Worse, Argentina has one of the best social infrastructures in the world and he’s campaigning against it. They are voting in someone who is going to remove free healthcare and universal pensions.
Not to defend Milei (he’s a total knob), but one could argue that Argentina’s social infrastructure is a big part of the problem. The state has been notorious for spending much more money than it makes for decades… and still poverty is rampant and rapidly increasing in many parts of the country. It’s obvious that the established system simply doesn’t work, and hasn’t worked for decades.
Doing away with corruption would obviously be a great thing, but the fact remains that too many people are dependent on some kind of government subsidy either because it’s the easiest way (heavily subsidised parts of the economy, cozy government ‘job’, …) or because they simply have no other option due to the bad economy.
The Argentine constitution states that healthcare is a human right. This is the philosophy on which the country operates. Putting millions off of healthcare will never be a great thing.
I agree that their financials are a mess. The problem is really incompetence more than anything. The NIMBY problem exists in its own special level there and basically those with don’t want to support those without, which is how they are voting. It’s an empathy problem.
You can certainly have a single payer system work efficiently, many countries do. It is not the cause of Argentina’s problems.
I agree with you on the healthcare, but that’s not where I’d start changing things. The main problem I see (and our friends/relatives in Argentina tell us about) is that the state is expected to pay for a lot of basic necessities because people, even those with a full-time job, can’t afford them… and the various governments have a habit of doing the worst possible thing.
For instance when electricity prices exploded in 2019/2020, the government apparently paid out 5000 pesos to every household but did nothing to address the root cause. Another time retired people got a flat fee of 6000 pesos. No money went into improving the country’s electricity grid or power efficiency (or no money that wasn’t somehow ‘lost’ underway, anyways).
The same goes for unemployment money. While it is important, in the long term it would make more sense to create an environment where the economy can prosper instead of paying the unemployed what is frankly a pittance. Most unemployed people would rather work than live off welfare, if given the chance.
But then there’s the challenge of transforming the existing economy, especially industry, into something sustainable that could survive without heavy government subsidies. But that discussion is going to lead to a fundamental discussion about peronism, so let’s not go there please.
A lot of these things are probably at least partially caused by incompetence, but that’s not a valid excuse IMO. If you run for office, you should bring the necessary qualifications, and also be able to judge the qualifications of the people working for you
Just for reference, I went to grad school in Buenos Aires and lived there for about 5 years, which is where many of my opinions come from. I really feel like there is an endemic problem where people simply won’t vote in those who really are competent and can fix things. It’s really about the politics of name recognition and such. It’s a bit like what the GOP does int he US–that is, nothing useful. I remain hopeful but doubtful that the people will eventually pick up on this and change tactics.
I remain hopeful but doubtful that the people will eventually pick up on this and change tactics.
Same here. I’m not going to hold my breath though - I personally know too many people who voted for Fernandez/Kirchner even though the Kirchner clan is arguably the apex of corruption and directly responsible for one of the worst bankruptcies in the country’s history… just because they were unhappy with Macri’s budget cuts (which funny enough were way less far-reaching than what Milei wants to do) and Kirchner double-pinky promised to do better this time.
I’m not going to pretend to have the answer to all (or even most) questions. It’s just insert adjective for ‘argh!!!’ here to watch a country with such natural riches and resources so skillfully flush itself further and further down the crapper. But I’m going to have to agree with your assessment and there’s probably not much that can be done from outside the country.
On the upside: thanks to Western Union basing its exchange rates on the dólar blue, supporting my niece’s studies now costs five times less than what it cost two years ago, so there’s that!
I went to grad school in Buenos Aires and lived there for about 5 years
This is a bit off-topic and just personal curiosity: what made you choose Argentina, resp. Buenos Aires? Do you know somebody there, did you want to see the city/country, or is it just the logical choice where you’re from?
Re: grad school, I studied linguistics and Spanish as an undergrad and wanted to do grad school somewhere Spanish speaking. I spent time researching countries and universities and the Universidad de Buenos Aires was clearly the choice for affordability, quality, and being in a very large cosmopolitan area. I really did enjoy my time there and would still be there if it weren’t for the economic collapse. I had been working and got laid off, literally a couple courses shy of finishing. I got married there and my husband now lives with me in the US.
Aw man, having to quit when you can already smell the finish line is extra mean. I hope you were still able to finish your courses, even if it had to be elsewhere. But…! Spectacularly belated congratulations for the happy couple! If the festivities were in Buenos Aires it must have been quite an event.
This probably also gives you a unique insider view of the country from the outside, the culture and the people. I would imagine it to be quite interesting to get you talking over a good Merlot (or a still water if you prefer) and some empanadas (make mine jamón y queso).
Save for a short one-day stop between flights in September, we’ve last been in Buenos Aires around New Year 2019/2020. It is an impressive city in many aspects. My sister-in-law who is a cop accompanied us. Even then, we were advised to leave La Boca before 5 pm. I’m not sure I’d want to go there at all in the current climate, even though it was one of the more enjoyable and pretty parts of town. But then again, everywhere I go there’s that huge imaginary billboard hovering above my head that says “Gringo with money who’s unfamiliar with how things work here” in huge letters. Or maybe I’m just slightly paranoid.
"All the stores are closed or destroyed," said Raul Busto Ramirez, 76, an engineer who works at Acapulco's airport. He blamed looting on shortages and said ATM machines were out of action, leaving people with no cash.
Lol but the article isn’t painting anything in a bad light? Just me?
Gaza is in this position because of Gaza right? And Hamas isn’t helping because they’re bad guys ooh spooky.
Doesn’t mention Israel forcing Palestine to this point with restricting aid and overall self autonomy. Doesn’t matter this crisis is happening because Israel is attacking and also not allowing citizens to leave Gaza. None of that matters.
Palestine has been forced to this point by Israel. Hamas is doing what a fighting force would do which is shitty but is more justifiable than what Israel is doing.
Why does Microsoft buy up patents and pull monopolisation tricks?!
Nah, China and Russia lost respect for the US when they elected Donald Trump. Imagine having to treat that baboon like a peer. International hostilities is the obvious outcome.
Pretty cynical when Hamas and Islamic Jihad could release the hostages and surrender and end all the fighting instead of giving people a choice over how they die
Mostly concern that it weakens their position militarily. Get a genuine willingness for peace from a posr-Hamas Palestinain government and some sort of land-for-peace becomes thinkable
Do you mean weakens the Hamas position militarily? Or do you mean weakens the Israeli position militarily?
I understand WB is Fatah controlled who are more inclined towards a 2SS which is why Bibi supported Hamas (until it backfired on Oct 7).
I also read a Reddit comment about how taking land from settlers and returning it to Palestinians would make the border larger and Israel more vulnerable but I don’t understand how that is so.
Total return weakens Israel. Basically because it leaves the country as a fairly narrow strip that’s easily cut apart in an attack.
Getting land in the west Bank returned means significant security concessions from whatever government is left. Last time this was tried it led to Hamas winning an election
For both Israel and Hamas, those numbers are just statistics - an unfortunate, but acceptable sacrifice to get their political ends. And the rest of the world has a limited capacity to grieve.
The world according the Fediverse : Nazis, bad, Muslim Terrorist Jew Rapers, Killers, and Burners, good. Those poor poor "palestinian" cinnamon rolls, oh come here lemme help you up, what did those bad Jews do to you now. The cognitive dissonance and purposeful selective outrage, kills Jews. Always has, always will.
This has opened my eyes to one thing: jewish people do need a state where they are majority, and the ability to defend themselves. The world will never change I’m afraid.
Outside of maybe Hexbear and Lemmygrad, which I blocked some time ago, I don’t encounter these extreme opinions much at all here. How are you justifying painting the entire fediverse with such a broad brush?
Those poor poor “palestinian” cinnamon rolls, oh come here lemme help you up, what did those bad Jews do to you now.
this is an incredibly weird thing to say about a bombing campaign that has disproportionately killed people who have literally nothing to do with Hamas. let’s not.
It could also be a lot worse. Ever heard of Hiroshima - or about the carpet firebombing of Dresden?
“it’s bad but worse war crimes have happened in world history so it’s fine actually” is such an incredibly bad and disgusting argument to make for killing hundreds of people–many of which are children–a day who, again, have done nothing but be born in a place that a terrorist group operates and from which they cannot leave because Israel (and to a lesser extent Egypt) will not let them. any further attempt to justify the course of action Israel is taking on these grounds will get you banned from this instance.
the sheer scale here strikes me as unsurprising in Spain given the mount of power it had in the country for most of the 1900s and the authorities governing the country. perfect recipe for incredible amounts of unreported and unprevented sexual abuse.
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