First off, a wise old woman once said, "Never move in the middle of winter!"
"Especially if you don't have a car!"
(For those of you who may not be aware of it, in the Southern Hemisphere we are in the middle of winter right now)
"And never, under any circumstances get a puppy while living in temporary quarters, and while adjusting to a new country, language, and culture!" ...More about this in my next post.
So now for today's topic. I really don't want this to be about politics, but this has to do with what life is like here in Argentina, so just for today.
I feel like we are making a choice as to the future of America with this Presidential election. I realize that is the case with every election, but I believe with this election we are truly at a crossroads. Romney and Obama have very different ideas about what kind of country we should be.
The reason I feel this way is I believe President Obama is a Socialist at heart, and if re-elected, our country will further "Bolt" (that guy can run!) that direction. I say further, because if you look at Obamacare, and the advertising and promotion that has gone into the SNAP program, you'll see that another four years, and we won't be able to turn back. Once you start a program that is bigger than the government itself, it's almost impossible to do away with it.
The reason Socialism is on my mind is because Argentina is a Socialist country. I've only been here for three weeks, and I've noticed the effects of it.
In an effort to bolster the Argentine peso (their form of currency), the government recently passed a law stating that Argentine citizens traveling to the U.S. can only exchange pesos for dollars in the amount of $75 a day. Can you even get a hotel for that? And who is the government to tell you how much and where you can spend your money?
This is all in an effort to stop people from going to the States and converting their savings of pesos to the more-secure dollar. They had already stopped them from doing it here in Argentina, now they are reaching out and stopping them from doing it in America as well.
This manuever is a sort of shadow. About ten years ago, also in an effort to bolster the Argentine peso, the government reset the peso to a 1:1 ratio with the dollar. They just declared it. So all of the Argentines who had any dollars in the bank were forced to convert them to pesos at a 1:1 ratio.
Right now the exchange rate is about 5:1, so two dollars is equal to ten pesos. As an Argentine, if you had $1000 in your bank account, it's as if the government came in and said, "Your money is now worth $200."
In my opinion, that is way too much government control.
From what I can see, the result is a society made up of mostly lower class, and a small wealthy upper class, with not much in between. Essentially it kills the middle class.
Not only does it kill the middle class, but it kills the desire to do and be more.
For example, let's look at toilet paper. I had heard before coming that I needed to bring extra toilet paper. Now I know why. Basically everything you buy is like the commercial crepe paper toilet paper you find at public restrooms. Not only is it a terrible product, it is very expensive! About 3-4 times more expensive than Charmin in the States.
Why hasn't someone stepped up and made better toilet paper!?!
Because of limited ACCESS to resources, and limited power in the hands of the people. Government regulations have killed resourcefulness here!! It's ten times harder to get anything done here, because instead of a government that supports business growth, it stifles it with regulations.
Okay, I hope I didn't bore you to death! And lest you think I am just a greedy Capitalism freak, I do see the Utopian side of a Socialist government. I really do, I just think that for it to work, you need a HIGHLY virtuous, self-motivated, altruistic society.
Until next time ... Adios!
Friday, August 17, 2012
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