Posted On: Wednesday - January 24th 2024 10:27PM MST
In Topics: Commies Immigration Stupidity Liberty/Libertarianism Socialism/Communism
This guy, Javier Milei, has been President of Argentina for some months now, and Peak Stupidity hasn't even noted it. What a change this is from the usual back-and-forth Allendes and Perones. That back-and-forth Commie-hard-line-dictator-Commie bit is a Latin American thing that Peak Stupidity commented on in a long ago post - Mormons, Commies, Shitholes, and Crown Jewels. From that post:
Let me tell you about South America, though very generally, and about Venezuela. Back in the 1980's that country was the "crown jewel" of the continent. For various reasons, probably good stuff for another post, all the countries in Latin America has have been run badly for most of their histories. Simon Bolivar was the guy who liberated more than 1/2 the countries in South America from the Spaniards, who were no Magna Carta-drafters or Constitutional scholars themselves. Subsequent to these liberations, the mixed native-Spanish people have been running these semi-shitholes into the ground, pulling them out of the ground and back, in 10 - 50 year cycles. Some have been in the shithole phase for their entire histories so far - bad timing, that, huh? In general, down there, military juntas come and go, Commies take over for long periods, death squads try to get rid of the Commies, along with other people they never did like and so forth.It's odd to see a hard-core Libertarian, very likely a Reason magazine reader, try to run one of these places. It's been fun to watch so far, if nothing else ... and I don't know if there'll be anything else. Can you actually go in a Libertarian direction with the current population demographics of Argentina?
The following video is a bit different from our usual stuff. I am not too much a fan of AI. This video has an AI translation of Mr. Milei's speech in Spanish to English, in his own accent*, and that's pretty helpful.
Yeah, even as a solid Libertarian, I am not thrilled with this talk. Yes, Communism is economically, along with socially, destructive. Yes, Socialism often is nothing but a precursor to Communism. Free markets have been much better for the world. However, all the stats about "GDP increasing ... blah, blah..." was too long and too much. It was like an AI summary of 10 years of Reason magazine He was missing something, as is Reason magazine.
Starting at 07:52 we hear that:
"Thanks to Capitalism, the world is currently in its best moment. There's never been a moment in history with greater prosperity than the one we live in today. Today's world is freer, richer, more peaceful, and more prosperous than ever before."What's this guy smoking!? Whatever it is, it's his business, of course.
Starting at 09:47 we hear that:
"This is the model that we are proposing for the future of Argentina, a model based on the fundamental principles of Libertarianism, the defense of life, freedom, and property."... in Argentina, by Argentinians in their current demographic state? Mr. Milei noted that it's been a century since Argentina went away from free market Capitalism and got poorer and less free. Why exactly DID Argentina go in this direction a century ago? Neither Vladimir Lenin nor Leon Trotsky set up shop there. Perhaps there is a root cause that lies within the demographics of the population.
A century ago is when immigration of Spaniards and Italians into Argentina slowed down. Post-Columbus, starting with a mixture of the small number of Spaniards and the natives, the country of Argentina became Whiter until a century back. Now, most immigration is from neighboring countries which are less White, and I don't know how much of the population is up for reading an AI-translated Reason magazine.
The reader may well argue that White countries have been the first and mostly the biggest to fall to Communism. True, I don't see Latin America countries with standard Latin American demographics having been bastions of free market Capitalism and property rights.
Now, there's this guy. I like him and wish him all the luck. I especially like his dressing down of the Commies of the World Economic Forum. Will he be invited back to Davos next year?
* It also looks like the speaker's lips are moving perfectly for this English version of his speech. I don't know if that's the AI too or my imagination.
Comments:
MBlanc46
Friday - January 26th 2024 11:27AM MST
PS Markets need protection, historically by the local lord or even the king. They can be as free as the protector wants them to be, within the limits of his authority. Capitalism is the system in which one of the factors of production—capital—dominates the two other factors—labor and land. There’s simply no intrinsic connection between free markets and capitalism. As Adam Smith has it, whenever tradesmen get together, they conspire to fix prices, the very antithesis of a “free market”. With higher IQ, etc., people, who can grasp the larger economic picture, the conspiring will likely be more moderate than with lower IQ, etc., people.
Dieter Kief
Friday - January 26th 2024 2:36AM MST
PS
Hey Alarmist - you're a Christian humanitarian deep down at your heart: Tow 'em back - on our expense! - I mean: More generous than one might have thought. I guess though, that philosopher Immanuel Kant might not agree here. - Even though we are told millions of times over: Kant was for open borders.
Which is true.
He .q.u.a.l.i.f.i.e.d. this claim though and this is the part you don't hear at all because the overlords of the public discourse are unwilling to let the sheeple know the following about Kant's open borders idea:
1) No vivitor from abroad shall come at the expense of the people visited.
2) The right to visit other countries is limited to - - - two weeks, - unless the visited country is explicitly willing to expand it.
3) All (!) costs of the visit are to be paid by - - - the visiors.
I mean - come on! - That would do just fine as the basic law of a Global World Order, wouldn't it!? -
PS
Now let's talk about the cost for the tow-back, hehe.
Hey Alarmist - you're a Christian humanitarian deep down at your heart: Tow 'em back - on our expense! - I mean: More generous than one might have thought. I guess though, that philosopher Immanuel Kant might not agree here. - Even though we are told millions of times over: Kant was for open borders.
Which is true.
He .q.u.a.l.i.f.i.e.d. this claim though and this is the part you don't hear at all because the overlords of the public discourse are unwilling to let the sheeple know the following about Kant's open borders idea:
1) No vivitor from abroad shall come at the expense of the people visited.
2) The right to visit other countries is limited to - - - two weeks, - unless the visited country is explicitly willing to expand it.
3) All (!) costs of the visit are to be paid by - - - the visiors.
I mean - come on! - That would do just fine as the basic law of a Global World Order, wouldn't it!? -
PS
Now let's talk about the cost for the tow-back, hehe.
The Alarmist
Friday - January 26th 2024 12:55AM MST
PS
Appropo my last comment....
“STUDENT Tories were slammed tonight after inviting guests to quaff port while arguing small boats should be sunk in the Channel.”
source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/politics/25451700/student-tories-slam-sink-migrant-boats/
TPTB lifted their skirts and shrieked about an attack of the vapours, so the youth modified their adver of the event. Still, one can only hope to hear more sound reason from the youth of Britain as their elders loose their death-grip on British societ and die off under pillows administered by their migrant caretakers.
Appropo my last comment....
“STUDENT Tories were slammed tonight after inviting guests to quaff port while arguing small boats should be sunk in the Channel.”
source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/politics/25451700/student-tories-slam-sink-migrant-boats/
TPTB lifted their skirts and shrieked about an attack of the vapours, so the youth modified their adver of the event. Still, one can only hope to hear more sound reason from the youth of Britain as their elders loose their death-grip on British societ and die off under pillows administered by their migrant caretakers.
The Alarmist
Friday - January 26th 2024 12:43AM MST
PS
The Alarmist would start sinking the damned boats. Humanely, of course: Tow them back to their origin, and tell the occupants they have ten minutes to abandon ship. Except for that German-sponsored NGO water taxi... that MFer should be sunk with extreme prejudice.
The Alarmist would start sinking the damned boats. Humanely, of course: Tow them back to their origin, and tell the occupants they have ten minutes to abandon ship. Except for that German-sponsored NGO water taxi... that MFer should be sunk with extreme prejudice.
Dieter Kief
Friday - January 26th 2024 12:33AM MST
PS
Greetings Adam! - -
Italy - like other southern countries decided/slipped into this modus vivendi: To consume more than their taxes would yield - since decades. And - for reasons that are highly complex, they somehow get away with this modus - and bring in results for the middle class that are somehow slightly better even than for the German middle class, which is vastly more rpoductive! - when we look at the medium possessions like houses, apartments, - money in the bank - - -lots (!) European countries nobody would think so do better in this regard than Germany which lies well (!) below the medium in these stats.
Well, the Italians .s.e.l.l. their membership in the EU and in NATO basically and get revenues for that in the form of considerable cash influx via sigh - a highly complex system with which they achieve this money influx to - seen from a market perspective, pretty irrational conditions. Hans-Werner Sinn and Thilo Sarrazin tell this story to the German public, but don't get really across - for a myriad of reasons - lots of which are tragically comical, I must say... But not raitonal, to make this explicit.
Never ever would somebody give Italy this amount hundreds of billions of Euros to these conditions were it not for - all kinds of reasons having to do with politics - and not with the market. Ms. Meloni - as all Italian politicians left or right, surfs these waves too.
But - Ms. Meloni has also installed a family affordance program and - done away with universal basic income. - These are real world political achievements.
There are also losses: Like the unconditional but (this .i.s. the Italian style!) economically completely empty (!) support for Ukraine - and Israel. She - as practically all politicians - is also peddler.
Greetings Adam! - -
Italy - like other southern countries decided/slipped into this modus vivendi: To consume more than their taxes would yield - since decades. And - for reasons that are highly complex, they somehow get away with this modus - and bring in results for the middle class that are somehow slightly better even than for the German middle class, which is vastly more rpoductive! - when we look at the medium possessions like houses, apartments, - money in the bank - - -lots (!) European countries nobody would think so do better in this regard than Germany which lies well (!) below the medium in these stats.
Well, the Italians .s.e.l.l. their membership in the EU and in NATO basically and get revenues for that in the form of considerable cash influx via sigh - a highly complex system with which they achieve this money influx to - seen from a market perspective, pretty irrational conditions. Hans-Werner Sinn and Thilo Sarrazin tell this story to the German public, but don't get really across - for a myriad of reasons - lots of which are tragically comical, I must say... But not raitonal, to make this explicit.
Never ever would somebody give Italy this amount hundreds of billions of Euros to these conditions were it not for - all kinds of reasons having to do with politics - and not with the market. Ms. Meloni - as all Italian politicians left or right, surfs these waves too.
But - Ms. Meloni has also installed a family affordance program and - done away with universal basic income. - These are real world political achievements.
There are also losses: Like the unconditional but (this .i.s. the Italian style!) economically completely empty (!) support for Ukraine - and Israel. She - as practically all politicians - is also peddler.
Adam Smith
Thursday - January 25th 2024 10:08PM MST
PS: Good evening, Dieter!
"The controlled opposition term does not say too much..."
No. It doesn't.
I really don't follow European politics and I don't know how the Italian bureaucracy works and I don't really know what I expected of Miss Meloni. It seems to me that while she talked a big game about restricting the migrant invasion she hasn't been able to follow through. (This may not be for her lack of trying. I have no idea who she is, what she is up against or what her true intentions are.)
I guess I'm saying that I'm disappointed in Miss Meloni.
I hope in time she can score bigger wins than signing an agreement with Albania (!) to house up to 36,000 migrants while they await their asylum hearings.
(Maybe one day she'll ask herself, "What would the Alarmist do if he were the prime minister of Italy?")
Until that day comes, I don't know of any other solution to the problems posed by Sailer's 𝑀𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑.
And as long as you bring it up...
Why are most of the the nations on earth basically broke?
(Anyway...)
I hope you have a great morning, Dieter. ☮️
"The controlled opposition term does not say too much..."
No. It doesn't.
I really don't follow European politics and I don't know how the Italian bureaucracy works and I don't really know what I expected of Miss Meloni. It seems to me that while she talked a big game about restricting the migrant invasion she hasn't been able to follow through. (This may not be for her lack of trying. I have no idea who she is, what she is up against or what her true intentions are.)
I guess I'm saying that I'm disappointed in Miss Meloni.
I hope in time she can score bigger wins than signing an agreement with Albania (!) to house up to 36,000 migrants while they await their asylum hearings.
(Maybe one day she'll ask herself, "What would the Alarmist do if he were the prime minister of Italy?")
Until that day comes, I don't know of any other solution to the problems posed by Sailer's 𝑀𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑.
And as long as you bring it up...
Why are most of the the nations on earth basically broke?
(Anyway...)
I hope you have a great morning, Dieter. ☮️
Moderator
Thursday - January 25th 2024 4:16PM MST
PS: Alarmist, I know why Mr. Milei picked the US dollar as a currency for Argentina to peg or aspire to, but WHY NOW?! Label makers are really cool too, but I'm not buying any more stock.
"A “bad” system with a high-IQ, low-time-preference, strong-impulse-control people will have decent outcomes." Then there's Russia. I kind of agree about Scandinavia, but I think you need good people AND a good system, but you without good people you can't HAVE a good system.
"Regarding capitalism: Globohomo simply is actually existing capitalism."
If the definition of Capitalism is big business throwing around big bucks, in cahoots with big government powerful elites, it is. I tend to think of a free market system as Capitalism, but our current version of an "ism" wants nothing to do with independent private businesses.
"A “bad” system with a high-IQ, low-time-preference, strong-impulse-control people will have decent outcomes." Then there's Russia. I kind of agree about Scandinavia, but I think you need good people AND a good system, but you without good people you can't HAVE a good system.
"Regarding capitalism: Globohomo simply is actually existing capitalism."
If the definition of Capitalism is big business throwing around big bucks, in cahoots with big government powerful elites, it is. I tend to think of a free market system as Capitalism, but our current version of an "ism" wants nothing to do with independent private businesses.
Dieter Kief
Thursday - January 25th 2024 3:42PM MST
PS
Giorgia Meloni just scored a political victory: The lower chamber of the Italian parliament accepted that asylum seekers would be brought to Albania (!) to do the paperwork.
If carried out, that would make a difference bracause under EU law, everybody who manages to set foot on EU soil and says the word asylum has a guarantee to stay - with the possiblity to go wherever he pleases.
The controlled opposition term does not say too much Adam. She depends on big money though, because Italy is basically broke. And she knows that and tries to figure out ways that hurt the least to get her immigraiton restriction program going and keep the international money flow into Italy at a high level.
Giorgia Meloni just scored a political victory: The lower chamber of the Italian parliament accepted that asylum seekers would be brought to Albania (!) to do the paperwork.
If carried out, that would make a difference bracause under EU law, everybody who manages to set foot on EU soil and says the word asylum has a guarantee to stay - with the possiblity to go wherever he pleases.
The controlled opposition term does not say too much Adam. She depends on big money though, because Italy is basically broke. And she knows that and tries to figure out ways that hurt the least to get her immigraiton restriction program going and keep the international money flow into Italy at a high level.
Adam Smith
Thursday - January 25th 2024 12:38PM MST
PS: Good afternoon, gentlemen,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgw3Ko-jcf8
I hope I'm wrong, but I think Javier Milei, like Giorgia Meloni, is controlled opposition.
Cheers! ☮️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgw3Ko-jcf8
I hope I'm wrong, but I think Javier Milei, like Giorgia Meloni, is controlled opposition.
Cheers! ☮️
MBlanc46
Thursday - January 25th 2024 12:12PM MST
PS Theories don’t run countries, people do. The “best” system with a low-IQ, high-time-preference, low-impulse-control people, will be a hellhole. A “bad” system with a high-IQ, low-time-preference, strong-impulse-control people will have decent outcomes. Scandinavians made social democracy work. Brits could not (too class-stratified). Regarding capitalism: Globohomo simply is actually existing capitalism.
Dieter Kief
Thursday - January 25th 2024 4:28AM MST
PS
Will he side with BRICS - I guess so.
Will he lay all his eggs in one bucket?
I hope not.
Will he side with BRICS - I guess so.
Will he lay all his eggs in one bucket?
I hope not.
The Alarmist
Thursday - January 25th 2024 2:19AM MST
PS
Sure, but he kissed the NY Bankers’ … err … rings, so I take his spiel at Davos as just that: Schauspiel (play acting).
Sure, but he kissed the NY Bankers’ … err … rings, so I take his spiel at Davos as just that: Schauspiel (play acting).