Perhaps El Gringo Viejo should have been born with an arm behind his back, because he tires of reaching all the way around to pat himself on the back. Even with all the fish oil, he still winds up with creaking joints when it's all over.
The point is that the Argentine populace has lost its patience with their "Nueva Evita", and her initiatives to essentially confiscate private pensions, dividends on stocks and bank deposits, and dollars held in private hands. During the past week-end, hundreds of thousands of Argentines marched through the main boulevards of Buenos Aires and other principal cities of the nation protesting against President Cristina's policies and her announced plans for the near future. Usually dependable cannon-fodder people failed to come to her defence, such as many if not most of the major labour unions, many of whom joined in the marches.
Frequently repeated slogans and placards were "We do not want to be Venezuela" and "Cristina, Loan me part of your 70,000,000 dollars". Her wealth level was disclosed to be at that level due to filings that are normally required in Argentina. That is a pretty good hunk of change for girl who was a community organiser, after being a committed armed communist revolutionary during her university and post-university period. Of course, in the way of all communist demagogues, she and the rest....Fidel, Raul, Hugo....actually have much more money slumped away in bank accounts in Spain, France, Mexico, and other countries with capitalist stain. So far, only Fidel has more than five billion dollars stolen and squirrelled somewhere. Shades of Yassir Arafat.
What follows is taken from ABC - Univision from coverage of demonstrations not far from ABC's New York offices.
What follows is taken from ABC - Univision from coverage of demonstrations not far from ABC's New York offices.
Tomas Perez Alati stood proudly with the Argentine flag around his neck and two signs that read, "Cristina: were you able to change dollars for your trip? I couldn't" and "Cristina: Could you lend me some of your U$70,000,000???" His first message was a clear attack on restrictive government measures that prevent people from changing pesos to dollars. The second message refers to Fernandez de Kirchner's personal wealth, which rose to $70,000,000 since the beginning of her first term in 2007.
Pot-Banging and Anthem-Singing Protests Follow Argentina's Fernandez de Kirchner to Columbus Circle, even as far away as New York City.
Signs at the protest against Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. (Univision/Pablo Barrio)
These manifestations are relatively mild compared to what is going on in the homeland. Marches have become longer and more frequent. Frequent strikes, infrastructural problems, and increasing crime are beginning to become more and more the norm.....water, sewer, trains, highway repairs....and many Argentines who have the one-quarter ancestry required are trying now to leave and return to assume Italian citizenship. Rather much like jumping from the frying pan into the frying pan.
Cristina was re-elected last year to a second term, after having done little beyond promising to do something "for the poor and exploited". Like Obama's whisper heard round the world: "After my election, I have more flexibility,” U.S. President Barack Obama told his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, earlier this year, leaning over and punctuating the remark with a reassuring pat on his fellow leader’s arm.
Cristina likewise assured her commie buddies in Argentina that she would begin the "fundamental transformation" in earnest at the onset of her second term, and she did. She went to Caracas to kiss Chavez's big toe and generally pledged solidarity to the Southern Hemisphere Initiative ....a socialist cabal of countries formally known as "developing world" and soon to be known as the "undevelopable world". Within this mess, Brazil teeters and totters. Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Venezuela are already inextricably stuck. The 45 percent are being taxed to death to pay for the 55 percent.
In Argentina, however, Cristina has it fixed up already...very quickly....so that 100 percent of the people pay everything for nothing. "We are going to confiscate your bank accounts, but it won't cost you anything." is the new revolutionary motto. Once again...like Obama. She has already played the "Malvinas Card", which is the shiboleth that Argentine leaders fall back on during times of trouble. Stir up a good little war with the British on the Falkland Islands, and that will distract the people for a while. Then after the war is lost, the leaders can hope for an earthquake.
Just a bit of a progress report for the New World's favourite female despot. Who knows, maybe in 30 years more, Hillary can finally kill all the available witnesses again and make another run for the Presidency of the United States.
El Gringo Viejo
Cristina likewise assured her commie buddies in Argentina that she would begin the "fundamental transformation" in earnest at the onset of her second term, and she did. She went to Caracas to kiss Chavez's big toe and generally pledged solidarity to the Southern Hemisphere Initiative ....a socialist cabal of countries formally known as "developing world" and soon to be known as the "undevelopable world". Within this mess, Brazil teeters and totters. Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Venezuela are already inextricably stuck. The 45 percent are being taxed to death to pay for the 55 percent.
In Argentina, however, Cristina has it fixed up already...very quickly....so that 100 percent of the people pay everything for nothing. "We are going to confiscate your bank accounts, but it won't cost you anything." is the new revolutionary motto. Once again...like Obama. She has already played the "Malvinas Card", which is the shiboleth that Argentine leaders fall back on during times of trouble. Stir up a good little war with the British on the Falkland Islands, and that will distract the people for a while. Then after the war is lost, the leaders can hope for an earthquake.
Just a bit of a progress report for the New World's favourite female despot. Who knows, maybe in 30 years more, Hillary can finally kill all the available witnesses again and make another run for the Presidency of the United States.
El Gringo Viejo
