BoRev.Net

Attention all those stalwart defenders of DEMOCRACY who were OUTRAGED at how Manuel Zelaya of Honduras didn't propose extending his term in office, but, well, sort of sounded like someday someone might change the Constitution, but anyway, who cares, CRIMINAL DESTROYING DEMOCRACY!!!

From Colombia Reports:

Government admits delivering AIS subsidies to supporters of the [Uribe] re-election

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 14:51 | Ashley Hamer

Colombia's national government admitted on Tuesday to delivering agricultural subsidies to supporters of President Alvaro Uribe's re-election referendum.

After a drawn out scandal, the Ministry for Agriculture admitted recognition that Agro Ingreso Seguro (AIS) subsidies had, in fact, been delivered to families and institues that had financially supported the Uribe re-election campaign.

The scandal that has played out over the last months alleged that the Ministry for Agriculture had delivered Agro Ingreso Seguro subsidies (intended for poor, rural farmers) to various notable Colombian companies and wealthy families.

The current Minister for Agriculture, Andres Fernandez, claimed that he recognized the delivery of subsidies but he assured that it had never been illegal, reported newspaper El Espectador.

"[The delivery of subsidies] has never been denied because funds did not only go to referendum supporters, in other words AIS subsidies were delivered to everyone," emphasized Fernandez.

According to the Minister AIS had no political affiliations as recipients of the funds were both supporters and opposers to Uribe.

Fernandez, who refused to stand down when his resignation was called for in early November, is due to answer questions on the government's land policy before the Senate on Tuesday night.

Referring directly to any voting that may take place regarding land policies, the Minister stated that he hoped for the support from legislators.

This is, of course, all the fault of Zelaya, Hugo Chavez, and Daniel Ortega, who used mind control powers to influence federal agencies in Colombia to make it look like Fred Hiatt's perfect Latin American democracy was doing something wrong, which it wasn't, but they will be correcting it soon, because it was obviously rogue criminal elements just trying to make Uribe look bad by getting elected for a 3rd time, though the law originally held that Presidents of Colombia could only hold 1 term. Damn you Zelaya!

Links for CEPR's takedown(s) of F-Rod:

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/how-not-to-attack-an-economist-and-an-economy-getting-the-numbers-right/

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/an-empty-research-agenda-the-creation-of-myths-about-contemporary-venezuela/

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/poverty-reduction-in-venezuela-a-reality-based-view/

Utpal: Yes, the quoted paragraph was from the last few paragraphs of the Post story on the basketball player. I say it like that, because I think one of their editorial hacks read the article and said 'Hey, there's nothing in here that condemns Hugo Chavez as being Stalin-Hitler-Mao, so, go talk to some academic who can tell you they suck.'

@El_Cid: there is a tearing to shreds of that Dominguez article from CEPR (you can find the exchange on their website). Is that paragraph you quoted from the WaPo report? (You can find some old booorevvv posts about that exchange)

Although it is true that the 73 boom also lowered poverty (and yes, many fell back to poverty once the economy stagnated -- per capita GDP actually fell in Vzla over a period of time -- it was only in mid 2008 that Vzla reached (again) the same level of per capita GDP that it had in 1983, for example). Income based poverty measures do tend to depend a lot on per capita GDP, though how much poverty reduction you get for a certain amount of GDP growth can vary a lot.

By the way, Mexico is a huge exporter of oil -- did their poorest classes experience this obvious, pshaw, regular, totally routine uplift from this 'oil boom'?

Hmmm. Apparently the leaders of some of Mexico's largest corporations are getting all socialist and calling for major national development plans over the long term.

El sistema mexicano "está agotado" y en los últimos 25 años ha producido "pocos resultados" en crecimiento económico y generación de empleos, aseguró este lunes el empresario Roberto González Barrera, presidente de Gruma y Banorte.

Planteó que los aumentos de impuestos avalados por los partidos dominantes en el Congreso a propuesta del Ejecutivo "deben considerarse transitorios y sujetos a una revisión de fondo".

Sostuvo que para enfrentar la situación de escaso crecimiento en México se requiere actuar con un enfoque unificado de largo plazo, una política, dijo, que pueda sostenerse al menos 20 años para garantizar tasas de crecimiento de entre 5 y 7 por ciento del producto interno bruto (PIB). "No debemos conformarnos con los pronósticos de 2.5 por ciento" anual, como el anticipado para 2010...

..."Habrá recuperación, pero no será fácil; habrá crecimiento, pero con desempleo y pobreza"

So, unlike that shitty Venezuelan economy which, yeah, helps some poor people 'cause of this 'oil boom,' one of the largest corporate leaders in Mexico says that over the past 25 years the Mexican economic model has produced "few results" in terms of growth or job creation.

In the meantime, there are positive signs of general economic growth, albeit "along with poverty and unemployment."

YAY!!!

Wow. Talk about damning with faint praise.

Francisco R. Rodríguez, assistant professor of economics and Latin American studies at Wesleyan University, wrote in Foreign Affairs in spring 2008 that there has been no significant improvement in health and human development beyond that which is normal in the midst of an oil boom.

I guess all societies who produced oil had their poorest classes benefit so dramatically during an "oil boom"?

I mean, like, Venezuela, for example, which produced oil even before Hugo Chavez came to power.

I guess there must have been all these other time periods in which so many people were lifted out of the brutest poverty, right? And then they just fell back?

What's with all these commies in Basketball?

A Canadan socialist named "Steve Nash" urges me to read a "worthwhile" interview with Chavez:
http://twitter.com/the_real_nash/status/1346745519

Now this "Greivis Vasquez" (probably Venezuelan for "Ricky Gervais") urges me to recognize Chavez as "his" legitimate President of Venezuela:
http://lasarmasdecoronel.blogspot.com/2009/11/devendra-banhart-and-greivis-vasquez.html

With all these KGBallers flying around the court, you can't trust the league anymore.
I REFUSE THE RECOGNIZE THE RESULTS OF THE NBA FINALS!!
I DEMAND A RECOUNT!
I WANT THE EU & OAS!

What?
The results were legit?!
FUCK THE EU & OAS!!!

The busrides are definitely free. Again, fair enough.

Oppos don't tend to be bused in as much since they all live in East Caracas anyways.

Think I'll send him a letter.

The busride is free though, I think.

I bet the $23 is just bus fare anyway.

BTW, cute guy!

Vincent: send 'em a letter.

I thought the oppo folks bus in people in favor of its agenda too, no?

From the article:

"The government routinely buses in thousands of people to march in favor of its agenda. Participants are handed free lunches, 50 bolivares (about $300) and T-shirts with "Sí" on the front."

Since when is 50 bolivars $300? Christ people, that one can be done on the Google homepage. 50 Bolivars is about $23 at the official exchange rate, and like $11 at the unofficial rate, which is the rate everyone always uses in media coverage. (Because that's what rich people have to pay if they haven't paid their taxes).

And they don't give them money anyways. Yeah, they give them a sandwich and a t-shirt, but that's fair enough. It's only polite to feed people at an event far from home.

And no - I didn't read the entire article, I just skipped to the end for the part about Chavez.

Am I the only one watching this page garbled? Like, two videos right one after another without any break in between?

I thought Hector Rodriguez (the student leader who "debated" in absentia Goicoechea and gang in the parliament) was your future bf. Which is good, cuz he's mine. You can have Greivis (Vzlans sure have weird names).