Amen! There are those of us who HOPE that the USA will NEVER be the same as before? Eight years of Bush was enough for any thoughtful person. Ironically he and his ilk are now having to use Socialist economic policies to shore up the bankrupt Republican financial crises. Ah, for the times of economic surplus when Clinton and his party were in office.

Buffy

It’s true that Morales won the recall election. But several of the anti-Morales state governors ALSO won their recall elections. Morales’ popularity is uneven: more among the poor indigenous populations that live in the Andean highlands, and less in the western lowlands, where the population is more European, more sparse, and more wealthy.

It’s true that the Bolivian indigenous population has been marginalized for decades. Morales taps into their frustration, and wins high marks among them with talk of “social justice.” But there are several other popular left-leaning governments in Latin America, such as those in Chile and Brazil, who have also promoted social reform. The difference is that Chile and Brazil have done so while maintaining business friendly policies that allow their economies to grow, and without having to alter the constitution to favor the President. Morales, on the other hand, antagonizes foreign investment and is busy rewriting the constitution. For those who say Morales is not anti-business, I’d say, I don’t consider sending the Army to “guard” foreign company refineries (as Morales did) a business-friendly policy.

If Morales was truly working to benefit his nation (and not himself), why does he need to divert more natural gas profits to his government? Why does he need to change the constitution to allow UNLIMITED Presidential terms? Does he want to lift up Bolivia, or himself?

Just like in Venezuela, it’s not just “the rich,” or the “American agitators” who are protesting against Morales. It’s laughable how Morales accuses the U.S. of being a destabilizing force in Bolivia (and expels the ambassador), yet continues to accept millions annually in US aid.

The truth is that Evo Morales is following in the footsteps of his mentor, Hugo Chavez. And they are both following the footsteps of Castro, down a path that invariably leands to a Cuban-style socialist republic. It’s a path that leads to repression and misery.

Paraphrasing a Cuban blogger (living under Castro): The poor loved Robin Hood because he took from the rich. But they soon realized that Robin Hood knew only how to steal wealth, not how to produce it.

Hope to see you again!

xxx

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gracias-