Who is Argentina's new President?
Javier Milei: Savior or "danger to democracy?"
My golf buddy leaves a 20 foot putt 2 inches short and says “A South American putt. You know, it needed one more revolution.” There is a little more flair, a lot more drama and showmanship in our Southern neighbors. After decades of failure, leftists still appeal to people with their claim of being “for the people.” This chainsaw wielding former Rolling Stones cover band singer is now president and is very popular. And he has plenty of flair. He is a force. A force for the good of Argentina. We hope.
Javier Milei was elected last fall as the new president of Argentina. He has a chance to make the “clown car driving in circles,” the Argentinian government, into something completely different with his libertarian and small government, low spending views.
He is determined to put the power back in the hands of the people and to build national pride and and economic success which was achieved in the past.
Milei has been seen with a chain saw during some appearances. This is his symbol for the drastic cuts he is making to government spending to help bring the inflation rate down. Argentina has suffered enormously. During the period from 1980 to 2022, the average inflation rate was 206.2% per year. Overall, the price increase was 902.38 billion percent. An item that cost 100 pesos in 1980 costs 902.38 billion pesos at the beginning of 2023. Argentina leftists defaulted on their sovereign debt nine times. The US, always looking for a savvy investment lost $132 billion in 2001 dollars or about $270 billion in today’s dollars.
The Usual left wing suspects protest Milei’s call for austerity. Think of it. People making $4,600 a year protesting because they have to feel pain for a while to have a chance at true prosperity.
A Little Background
1860-1930 is considered the golden age of Argentina. The economy was strong and growing by mechanizing farming and from a large influx of European immigrants.
On the eve of World War I, the future of Argentina looked bright. Since its promulgation of the 1853 Constitution, Argentina had experienced strong economic growth and institutional modernization, which had propelled it into the ranks of the 10 wealthiest countries in the world by 1913.Argentina has a collectivist mindset to this day and is continually lured by the plea of “help for workers,” and better pay, etc. But in all this time of thinking socialism is the cure, they now have an average annual income of $4,600. They went from electing conservatives and prospering (1896-1916) to electing an anarchist president which quickly lead to the takeover of dictators for the next 53 years. That period includes the infamous Peron team of Juan and Evita.
An interesting aside: Evita only lived until 33 when she died of cervical cancer. She had created a massive army of women committed to her socialist views. In the months before her death a lobotomy was performed on her. There is conjecture that this was for the pain of the cancer while some said it was to control her increasing aggressive and violent behavior. Either way, she was an impressive force.
So this is the backdrop for the rise of Milei. He faces people who have only known collectivist thinking. They have forgotten the national pride when they were a major world player.
Milei leaves them speechless at Davos
Argentina’s Milei Gives the Davos Crowd a Spine Transplant
He warns the elites what can happen if the West stays on today’s socialist ‘path of servitude.’
The Wall Street Journal editorial board January 18, 2024
Javier Milei dismantles the Davos groupthink- Kate Andrews the Spectator
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/javier-milei-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air/
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights. The entire speech can be found here in video dubbed into English along with the printed transcript: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/javiermileiworldeconomicforum54.htm
Let’s look at some of the highlights.
"We are here to tell you that collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world, rather they are the root cause."
"Given the dismal failure of collectivist models, and the undeniable advances in the free world, socialists were lead to change their agenda. They left behind the class struggle based on the economic system, and replaced it with other supposed social conflicts, which are just as harmful to life as a community, and to economic growth."
"They say that capitalism is evil because it's individualistic and that collectivism is good because it's altruistic, of course with the money of others."
"Those who promote social justice, they advocate the idea that the whole economy is a pie that can be shared in better ways, but that pie is not a fixed given, it's wealth that gets generated.
"The capitalist, the successful entrepreneur, is a social benefactor, who far from appropriating the wealth of others, contributes to the general well-being of all. Ultimately, a successful entrepreneur is a hero."
Milei is one of us. Us are the people who know freedom brings prosperity. Argentina has been a disgrace for its people and life is not good. The left continues to assail him in much the same way as they did Trump. Let’s hope that Milei does not wilt under the pressure of the left to keep Argentinians believing the government is their only hope. Right now he still has 60% of the people rooting for him. Let’s give this intelligent, energetic, patriotic man a chance. Viva Milei!
Thanks for reading The Tangled Web.
See you soon,
Craig