Obama, who just ended his highly criticized vacation in Brazil with his Marxist bedfellow (a former guerilla), has made his way to Chile where he praised the economic success of the country as a model to be followed for everyone else. He said: "The Chilean experience, and more particularly its successful democratic transition and sustained economic growth, is a model for the region and the world. ... It is also a powerful example of how the opportunities of today can and must be seized."
Following the disasterous socialist/collectivist policies of Salvador Allende, Pinochet took over in 1974 and his University of Chicago trained advisors implemented a series of drastic free market policies that allowed Chile to become the shining city on the hill of South America.
The reforms were concentrated mainly in three areas: fiscal control (ended government subsidies, cut the size of government by 20%, and made the central bank an independent body), privatized the country's retirement system to help balance the budget (the new voluntary system which 97% of Chileans switched to outperformed the state system by a factor of ten), and institutes free trade policies (making Chile the country with the most free-trade pacts signed in the world).
The end result of these reforms is indisputable: Chilean economy, that was a basket case prior to 1974, grew by 32% between 1974 and 1977. Today, GDP per capita has risen to $14,400, firmly placing the country among the top three on the continent, and on the top spot for Gross National Income ahead of Uruguay and Brazil.
Absent other questions from the adoring media that are sorely in need for an answer, such as what was the President doing vacationing in Brazil when U.S. started hostilities in Libya, what are our national interests, and why his administration sought a U.N. resolution (permission) but he never consulted with congressional leaders ahead of the action, someone needs to ask his highness why what is good for the goose is not good for the gander?
1 comment:
Good post. It's only wrong when the RIGHT does it. Libs have different standards than everyone else.
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