http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124078829185157449.html
Just days after Hugo Chávez gave President Barack Obama a copy of "Open Veins of Latin America" in Trinidad last week, the English-language version of the book shot to the No. 2 slot on Amazon.com.
Americans seemed to be curious about Mr. Chávez's reading tastes. But in Latin America, "Open Veins" is a well-known rant by Uruguayan Marxist Eduardo Galeano. And it also has another distinction that Mr. Chávez may be less inclined to publicize: It is widely regarded in free-market circles as "the idiot's bible."
The book was tagged with that moniker in the 1996 best seller, "The Manual of the Perfect Latin American Idiot." Penned by three Latin American journalists -- Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza, Carlos Alberto Montaner and Alvaro Vargas Llosa -- the "manual" is a witty assault on the populist, militarist, caudillo mentality that has dominated the region for hundreds of years (so its not a surprise that chavez would be reading that book).
Chapter three is dedicated to explaining the importance of Mr. Galeano's book for the idiot: "For the past quarter century the Latin American idiot has had the notable advantage of having at his disposal a kind of sacred text, a bible filled with all the nonsense that circulates in the cultural atmosphere that the Brazilians call the 'festive left.' Naturally we refer to Open Veins of Latin America."
But Mr. Galeano remained an icon of the revolutionary left and a rich source of ideological hatemongering. Chilean novelist Isabel Allende wrote the foreword for the 25th anniversary edition, bemoaning the fact that her cousin Salvador's effort to convert Chile into another Cuba had been thwarted.
Equally amazing was Ms. Allende's praise of Mr. Galeano's "stupendous love of freedom." Of course, not for those engaged in voluntary exchange. Mr. Galeano condemns this guilty group: "The more freedom is extended to business, the more prisons have to be built for those who suffer from that business."
Confused? Novelist Mario Vargas Llosa explains in the foreword for "The Manual of the Perfect Latin American Idiot": "History" for the idiot "is a successful conspiracy of the evil ones against the good, in which they always win and we always lose." In other words, exchange is a zero-sum game. This may sound like parody, but it is precisely Mr. Galeano's reasoning.
Originally posted by generalissimo"People were in prison so that prices could be free."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124078829185157449.html
Just days after Hugo Chávez gave President Barack Obama a copy of "Open Veins of Latin America" in Trinidad last week, the English-language version of the book shot to the No. 2 slot on Amazon.com.
Americans seemed to be curious about Mr. Chávez's reading tastes. But in Latin America, "Open ...[text shortened]... y sound like parody, but it is precisely Mr. Galeano's reasoning.
-Eduardo Galeano
Originally posted by generalissimo???
Well, no1murderer was very impressed by chavez's influence (because of the rising sales of the book, on amazon.com), so it wouldn't be a surprise if he actually believed what the book says.
I, too, am impressed by Chavez's influence on book sales. It's not the first time he's done it either. He also boosted sales Noam Chomsky's book, Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, when he mentioned it during one of his speeches at the UN. The speech where he rightly called Bush 'the devil.'
Originally posted by rwingettBush wasn't the devil, he may have been stupid, but calling him the devil was just silly.
???
I, too, am impressed by Chavez's influence on book sales. It's not the first time he's done it either. He also boosted sales Noam Chomsky's book, Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, when he mentioned it during one of his speeches at the UN. The speech where he rightly called Bush 'the devil.'
Originally posted by generalissimoAnother friend of Pinochet and fascism:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124078829185157449.html
Just days after Hugo Chávez gave President Barack Obama a copy of "Open Veins of Latin America" in Trinidad last week, the English-language version of the book shot to the No. 2 slot on Amazon.com.
Americans seemed to be curious about Mr. Chávez's reading tastes. But in Latin America, "Open ...[text shortened]... y sound like parody, but it is precisely Mr. Galeano's reasoning.
Chilean novelist Isabel Allende wrote the foreword for the 25th anniversary edition, bemoaning the fact that her cousin Salvador's effort to convert Chile into another Cuba had been thwarted.
The wishes of the Chilean people were overridden by the military which then imposed a dictatorship that adopted the "free market" policies espoused by Milton Friedman. That's a textbook example of what Galeano was talking about.
Originally posted by spruce112358Utter nonsense. It was an economic basket case, esp. for the working classes, until the fascists were overthrown.
...and went on to become a relatively prosperous nation (totally unlike Cuba) -- much to the frustration of the Left!
Good ol' Milton.
Are you now espousing military dictatorships over democracy, spruce?
For you, spruce and others who have been duped by those who claim Chile was an "economic miracle" under Pinochet:
Between 1973 and 1989, a government team of economists trained at the University of Chicago dismantled or decentralized the Chilean state as far as was humanly possible. Their program included privatizing welfare and social programs, deregulating the market, liberalizing trade, rolling back trade unions, and rewriting its constitution and laws. And they did all this in the absence of the far-right's most hated institution: democracy.
The results were exactly what liberals predicted. Chile's economy became more unstable than any other in Latin America, alternately experiencing deep plunges and soaring growth. Once all this erratic behavior was averaged out, however, Chile's growth during this 16-year period was one of the slowest of any Latin American country. Worse, income inequality grew severe. The majority of workers actually earned less in 1989 than in 1973 (after adjusting for inflation), while the incomes of the rich skyrocketed. In the absence of market regulations, Chile also became one of the most polluted countries in Latin America. And Chile's lack of democracy was only possible by suppressing political opposition and labor unions under a reign of terror and widespread human rights abuses.
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-chichile.htm
Originally posted by no1marauderNot at all. I am against all dictators of any stripe.
Utter nonsense. It was an economic basket case, esp. for the working classes, until the fascists were overthrown.
Are you now espousing military dictatorships over democracy, spruce?
But this sounds extremely positive and free-market oriented:
"Chile has pursued generally sound economic policies for nearly three decades. The 1973-90 military government sold many state-owned companies, and the three democratic governments since 1990 have continued privatization, though at a slower pace. The government's role in the economy is mostly limited to regulation, although the state continues to operate copper giant CODELCO and a few other enterprises (there is one state-run bank). Chile is strongly committed to free trade and has welcomed large amounts of foreign investment. Chile has signed free trade agreements (FTAs) with a whole network of countries, including an FTA with the United States, which was signed in 2003 and implemented in January 2004."
So I am not surprised Chile has done well.
Originally posted by spruce112358It's done very well for the rich, not so well for the average worker.
Not at all. I am against all dictators of any stripe.
But this sounds extremely positive and free-market oriented:
"Chile has pursued generally sound economic policies for nearly three decades. The 1973-90 military government sold many state-owned companies, and the three democratic governments since 1990 have continued privatization, though at a ...[text shortened]... igned in 2003 and implemented in January 2004."
So I am not surprised Chile has done well.
Originally posted by spruce112358Funny, the gini coefficient for Chile was below 0.5 before Pinochet and rose to 57.9 in 1989. http://econ.tu.ac.th/archan/somboon/EC%20402%20_2008_Materials%20for%20Reading%20New%20Institutional%20Economics%20articles/robinson%20inequality%20LA.pdf
Most of South America has gini coefficants above 0.5, so that is not unique to Chile.
Chart on p. 14
Originally posted by no1marauderHave you ever read The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Kline? My wife is reading it now. She says it gives a very good account of what you're talking about here.
For you, spruce and others who have been duped by those who claim Chile was an "economic miracle" under Pinochet:
Between 1973 and 1989, a government team of economists trained at the University of Chicago dismantled or decentralized the Chilean state as far as was humanly possible. Their program included privatizing welfare and social prog ...[text shortened]... terror and widespread human rights abuses.
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-chichile.htm
Originally posted by rwingettI picked up the Kline book and have read about a 100 pages. Her metaphor comparing the "scientific" methods of torture to the free market policies imposed on the world's population in the aftermath of disasters is quite interesting.
Have you ever read The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Kline? My wife is reading it now. She says it gives a very good account of what you're talking about here.
The discussion regarding how the "developmentalist" policies that showed so much promise for developing nations were destroyed by military dictators in so many countries brought back a lot of memories of debates in the 1980s. I was a big fan of Prebisch.