Posted on 02/16/2014 4:50:38 PM PST by Kartographer
Why dwell on a single national tragedy? When people consider the worst that could happen to their country, they think of totalitarianism. Given communism’s failure, that fate no longer seems likely. If Indonesia were to boil over, its citizens would hardly turn to North Korea as a model; the governments in Madrid or Athens are not citing Lenin as the answer to their euro travails. The real danger is inadvertently becoming the Argentina of the 21st century. Slipping casually into steady decline would not be hard. Extremism is not a necessary ingredient, at least not much of it: weak institutions, nativist politicians, lazy dependence on a few assets and a persistent refusal to confront reality will do the trick.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
On Argentina, Venezuela and what happened in Bosnia a week or so ago.
*crickets*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_unrest_in_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina
The resources of Argentina should be owned by people in Argentina, and they should be free to produce from those resources. The same goes for the U.S.A. But that’s not the case.
Gracias! Is your estimation based on us exiles or have you been to Cuba?
I like to tell people that we Cubans are like “the Jews of the Caribbean”. Well educated, ambitious, religious and, deprived of our homeland we thrive wherever we escape to.
Well, that is at least those of us who remember what Castro really is.
50+ years ago I was taught Keynesian economic theory. It sounded very logical but I can recall telling the professor that it was flawed in real life, for one simple reason! All governments seek to keep their "subjects" from overthrowing them (either through elections or revolutions) thus, they ALWAYS spend more than they have.
Keynes had a simple adaptation of the Biblical admonition of storing provisions during the "7 years of plenty" to tide one over during the "7 lean years". Governments NEVER do this, they only adhere to Keynesian spending, NEVER saving.
Human nature being what it is, Keynes' theories do not work in the long run (but then he is often quoted as quipping that, "in the long run we are all dead!"
LOL, you are very welcome.
I’ve never been to Cuba, but someday maybe I’ll be able to go there. I think Cuba will come roaring back at some point. To borrow a phrase from Oprah Winfrey it’s not going to be until some people die that that happens.
I think you’re an optimist.
They are ignoring Argentina and Venezuela because they are giving cover to the socialists.
Haven’t been to Cuba but I’ve been to East Germany before and after. They’ve culled the herd from those who have the entrepreneurial spirit and degraded any work ethic, it seems to me. (Looks like that’s happening here too.) I wonder how other countries that have also done this would come ‘roaring back’?
“I wonder how other countries that have also done this would come ‘roaring back’?”
In the case of Cuba I’m thinking of American investment. And my impression is that East Germany is greatly improved since commie days.
But, you know, we could all just be doomed, I’m willing to believe that too. The re-election of Obama may prove to be one of the worst things that ever happened to this nation, and the world, for that matter.
I dunno. Colombian women are just smoking hot.
-——Mercosur——
Now there’s a blast from the past. I thought Mercosur was dead and gone a long time ago.
Meanwhile, in the Gulf, the Mercosur inspired Gulf Cooperation Council is thriving on the internal trade resulting from dropping rivalries and tariffs.
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