Health on the ballot as Argentina poised to elect ‘anarcho-capitalist’ bent on slashing social protections (theconversation.com)
from jeffw@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 02:55
https://lemmy.world/post/6422288

#world

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OttoVonNoob@lemmy.ca on 07 Oct 2023 03:25 next collapse

This all sounds so stupid, Idiocracy incarnate. Anarcho capitalism is going to lead to a weak base for your country and you’ll be bought out by China or USA.

ANIMATEK@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 05:21 next collapse

I don’t think the author understands Argentinian politics or even Milei’s proposals.

He does not want to end public health care or public education, but rather the overly generous system in place. If you are a foreigner visiting the country, you can get both for free. That’s nuts, that’s the average taxpayer subsidizing your holidays or education. Of course we have a lot of people coming from all over South America to study and leave.

Milei also is not attacking science, but the author seems to interpret his desire to reshuffle the CONICET as the issue. This used to be a very serious and science focused entity that nowadays has been a public laugh since some studies over movies like Star Wars and The Lion King between other crap were made public. People don’t like their tax money spent in this bs.

And his most important proposal, barely mentioned here, is to dollarize to end inflation and prevent future governments to increase spending again (i.e. print money). Countries that have done this are proof that this works.

The author also seems to look at Perón through some pink glasses, when in reality the country problems (huge spending, protectionism) started with him in power and have plagued Argentinian politics ever since. He was also a dictator and a pedophile.

More than 6 out of 10 Argentinians work for the Government in some way. Some services companies have over 100% taxation, look it up. Go cry to your first world country with this bullshit piece of journalism.

Guajojo@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 06:49 next collapse

You’re wasting time brother, the article is propaganda fueled by people outside of the Argentinean reality.

goldenbug@kbin.social on 07 Oct 2023 07:54 next collapse

Could you expand on the dollarization as the right strategy for other countries?

ANIMATEK@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 09:56 collapse

Biggest example is Ecuador. Since adopting the dollar in 2000 they have sometimes even lower inflation that the US itself. Also when Correa was elected he could not increase spend like crazy because he lacked monetary authority. He even acknowledged that and said that the dollarization was an error LOL. He still managed to fuck the economy, but arguably it could have been a lot worse.

amenotef@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 08:13 next collapse

I don’t think that switching to USD is the best solution. But at least it should limit the ridiculous amount of money printed. The inflation in Argentina is crazy.

In Spain if we were the only owners of the Euro we would be printing money to solve absolutely any problem. Generating even more inflation.

FireTower@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 09:09 collapse

I agree I wonder what his reasoning is for changing to the dollar over say going backed by gold or silver.

amenotef@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 10:07 collapse

USD It is the second most popular currency in Argentina.

And the first choice for savings.

(I’d prefer EUR rather than USD as it’s more decentralised).

potustheplant@feddit.nl on 07 Oct 2023 14:50 collapse

Funny that you mention someone elses ignorance and then go on to say that CONICET is not a serious investigation organism. I presonally know very intelligent doing good work there with the very scarce resources they are given.

On top of that, Milei’s ““reasoning”” is that the private sector should be the one that funds this type institution. Good luck getting private companies to fund pollution studies for example. Having a good state funded scientific research center is incredibly valuable.

PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee on 07 Oct 2023 16:42 collapse

Sure, but its valuable to dirty poor people. Privitisation is valuable to the wealthy.

Honestly, he sounds like a pretty generic right wing politician to me.

Wants to cut public services to the bone because he doesn’t need them nor have any respect for those who do. His solution involves letting the private sector charge twice the cost for half the service with the wealthy skimming as much as they can off the top before the inevitable collapse and bail out.

Sure, he’s put the pig in a different dress to round up the reactionary, idiot and religious nutjob votes but under it is still the same bullshit neoliberalism that has been failing the 99% for decades.

potustheplant@feddit.nl on 07 Oct 2023 21:38 collapse

100%

Regardless, he has 0 political structure behind him to push his dumb ideas to fruition and no resources to actually dollarize the economy. He’ll either lose or retire before completing his term.

Anamnesis@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 07:22 next collapse

Good thing Chile went the opposite route. It’ll be a fun A/B test.

jantin@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 08:04 next collapse

Did it? I somehow stopped seeing updates after the constitution referndum failed and capitalist and pinochetan cronies got elected into the council drafting the next version of the constitution.

darkghosthunter@lemmy.ml on 07 Oct 2023 13:59 next collapse

Here is still business as usual, and the next version of the constitution is still not even out to reject it. Nothing has changed, for better or worse, in the political mechanisms.

Anamnesis@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 22:35 collapse

Honestly I think I’m behind the news on this one. I’m just an ignorant American

maporita@unilem.org on 07 Oct 2023 16:00 collapse

Colombia too, and so far Petro is doing a pretty good job . The peso is stronger and the economy is doing well, he’s negotiated and end to the flighting with some armed groups and he’s serious about social justice and land reform. I have my fingers crossed… we need some left of center success stories in Latin America to counter the narrative that all socialist policies lead to Venezuela style collapse.

Having said that I understand fully why Argentines would elect this guy … they’ve had a bunch of corrupt and incompetent idiots for far too long.

FireTower@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 09:27 next collapse

I tried to look up this guy’s policy but every other paragraph on his Wikipedia page is a quote from. Someone describing him as various economically conservative candidates from around the world.

Here’s what I got

-Wants to adopt the US dollar

-Decrease taxes and size of government

-Free health care and education restricted to Argentinans

-Neutral on LGBT/Trans (but says trans surgery shouldn’t be covered)

-Pro legalizing drugs/prostitution

-Anti Abortion

Any Argentinians please feel free to correct this, my one source was Wikipedia.

Also from an American perspective it sounds like he wants to strengthen ties with the US.

bobman@unilem.org on 07 Oct 2023 10:05 next collapse

How do they get free health care and education while reducing taxes and the size of government?

Always with the reducing taxes…

FireTower@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 10:40 next collapse

Because they seem to already have gov paid health care and education, he just believes that foreigners shouldn’t be able to show up not pay taxes and get free treatment or a free education.

For actual citizens there doesn’t seem to be much change. It seemed to me that he supports both just not for tourists.

bobman@unilem.org on 07 Oct 2023 13:33 collapse

he just believes that foreigners shouldn’t be able to show up not pay taxes and get free treatment or a free education.

I don’t think that should be the case, but I understand their reasons for doing it.

Hadriscus@lemm.ee on 07 Oct 2023 15:33 collapse

also legalize sex work but ban abortion ? how does that make any sense in any universe ?

FireTower@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 15:43 next collapse

Per his wiki I believe he does support sex work (as an individual having agency over their own body) but the abortion topic he views the unborn child inside a mother’s womb as separate from the mother.

Basically he considers life to begin before birth.

Luisp@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 08 Oct 2023 08:46 collapse

Selling children is also on the table, they wanted to be anancap all the way

Terevos@lemm.ee on 07 Oct 2023 13:23 next collapse

I mean. This doesn’t seem all that radical nor bad, depending on your political opinions.

Also, comparisons to Trump are ridiculous. Trump is the furthest thing from libertarianism as you can get.

Xel@mujico.org on 07 Oct 2023 14:29 next collapse

I think they compare him to Trump because of the demagoguery and populism.

potustheplant@feddit.nl on 07 Oct 2023 21:42 collapse

Also because he publicly supports Trump…

FireTower@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 15:14 next collapse

My gripe with the comparison to Trump wasn’t even that they made it. It’s more so that the Wikipedia article does it at least 7 different times right in the middle of the political views and positions sections.

Siegfried@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 16:25 collapse

I wouldn’t take any wikipedia article related to argentinian politics either in spanish or english too seriously.

They are strongly biased and opinion based.

That being said, i think he actually said that he was a Trump-fan…

Say what you want, i live in the future, im already thinking who to vote in February

PoliticalAgitator@lemm.ee on 07 Oct 2023 16:24 next collapse

Aww that’s not fair, he has plenty in common with internet libertarians; he’s greedy, puts his own self-interest above even those he is supposed to love, is obsessed with money and stuffing as much of it into his own pockets as he can, doesn’t think anything through, etc.

Honestly, the highest bidder could have bought his soul and deep down, isn’t that what truly makes someone libertarian?

[deleted] on 07 Oct 2023 22:23 collapse
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potustheplant@feddit.nl on 07 Oct 2023 14:29 collapse

He’s pro-military (his vicepresident was friends with Videla), he doesn’t have the means to actually dollarize the economy and he also has absolutely no political structure or support to implement his idiotic ideas.

Even if he is elected (and that’s a big if) he won’t be able to make any changes and would probably not be able to complete the 4-year term.

IronpigsWizard@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 13:25 next collapse

At this point, I just accept the fact that there are only so many variations of human beings. Therefore, every country has their own version of Donald Trump (unfortunately).

vanontom@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 15:48 collapse

These clowns have always existed. What has changed is masses of very dumb people being brainwashed and organized, thanks mostly to social media “news”. (Plus the decline of respect and funding for actual journalism.) Idiocracy is here.

[deleted] on 07 Oct 2023 14:43 next collapse
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Son_of_dad@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 15:24 next collapse

Argentina is the Texas of South America, they deserve what they vote for

Siegfried@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 16:04 collapse

F u

gmtom@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 20:14 next collapse

Hey Argentina how’s it going?

Jesus Christ.

bigFab@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 21:06 next collapse

Guys guys. Current gvnment is printing money like there is no tomorrow. Anyone that understand inflation realize how dark Argentina’s future is.

Milei is only the lesser evil that can save the day. Ofc you would do it much better, but no one is actually ending the inflation.

Pohl@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 23:39 next collapse

I don’t know about Argentina in any specific way, so I’m only speculating. When national banks start printing money and causing runaway inflation, it’s almost always because they have to service debt denominated in a foreign currency, and have no possibility of doing so. Dollar debt will fucking kill you if the US Fed raises rates which they’ve been doing a whole lot of the last couple years.

Bottom line, you can’t elect your way out that sort of a crisis. Sooner or later you have to pay or default. No magic bullet. No anarcho Capitalist, secret third way. It’s snake oil.

bigFab@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 2023 07:52 collapse

I’m no expert either, but as far as I know american investors have been making millions of profit in Argentina thanks to the local inflation.

They may have debt to pay, but they will have even more to if they continue printing to pay. If you understand inflation and investors taking advantage of it, printing is bread for today, hunger for tomorrow.

Also: they have tried the printing money politics for about forty years already and it’s only getting worse. There also empirical fact.

rambaroo@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 2023 09:13 collapse

Argentina was already fucked but with this guy you’re just going to make things worse.

feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world on 07 Oct 2023 22:51 next collapse

Well first and foremost I should say I don’t support political assassinations under any circumstances.

blackfire@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 2023 08:14 collapse

But…

trolololol@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 2023 00:12 next collapse

His privatization policy does not mean moving towards anarchism. But being fascist means he can twist the truth and scream at people who say reasonable things.

antidote101@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 2023 05:38 collapse

He gets advice from his dogs, who talk to him, in the past he was under the belief that when some of his dogs were together - they formed the spirit of Jesus.

Not even joking… Oh he was also a tantric sex coach, and supports Trump.

Meanwhile Argentina’s currency is pegged to the US dollar.