Javier Milei

[Erica Mena]

I fucking love this guy

[Shen Li]

I fucking love this guy

I think I like him too.

[Herman]

Javier Milei is extremely scary. That's what legacy media have decided.

[deport_liberals]

Mean TWEETS?

[Herman]

Mean TWEETS?

That proves he is evil.

[Lokmar]

Dude is Super Sayan Trump Mode.

[JOE]

I fucking love this guy

Argentina is in dire straits Erica.

[DKG]

Argentina is in dire straits Erica.

That's what decades of Peronist socialism does too a once wealthy nation.

[DKG]

That proves he is evil.

So, what are his deeply frightening positions? He has called for vast cuts to Argentina's government — a necessity, since Argentina has defaulted on its debts three times since 2001, has a $43 billion outstanding loan to the International Monetary Fund and now faces another default. It received a $57-billion bailout just five years ago. Thanks to out-of-control spending, Argentina has had to print pesos hand over fist, which is why, according to the Ministry of the Economy, total money supply in Argentina skyrocketed 30.7% a year from 2007 to 2022. The poverty rate in the country is 40%.

Milei's media appearances may be colourful, but that all serves a purpose — a determination to make massive change to Argentina's economic trajectory. Milei has promised to slash and burn his way through government, cutting 11 of 19 departments of the government; he campaigned with a chainsaw he pledged he would use on the "parasitic state." He wants to draw closer to the United States and Israel and away from China. He wants to dollarize the economy.

All of this should be treated as good news. Argentina's trajectory has been a total disaster area for decades. In fact, the markets are treating Milei's election as they should.  Argentine stocks and bonds have jumped on Milei's election, mainly because he is the first leader of Argentina in generations who has a plan to actually avoid economic default.

So, why the heartburn?

The reality is there are many in the United States and Europe, particularly on the political Left, who somehow feel more comfortable with the socialist radicalism of Lula De Silva, Gabriel Boric and even Nicolas Maduro than with anyone who smacks of libertarianism or conservatism. That's because Argentina is a living example of what happens when corporatism and social democracy are taken to their limits — the substitution of governments for markets, the overregulation of industry in pursuit of social redistributionism, the attempts to create autarky via tariff protections and trade restrictions, the endless populist promise that if all power is given to the government to protect "the people," then all will be well. That promise always results in privation and misallocation, in tyranny and poverty.

Now the media and the political Left will attempt to shovel all of Argentina's failures on Milei's shoulders. Milei still faces a partly Peronist legislature, as well as a court system stacked in favour of leftist foolishness. Supreme Court magistrate Horacio Rosatti recently said any attempt to dollarize would be unconstitutional. This means his power may be curbed; he still faces entrenched economic problems and he will require an infusion of foreign capital in order to right the ship in Argentina. If he comes up short, capitalism and economic liberalism will be blamed for the failures of Peronism. That's always the pattern — corporatists ruin economies and then capitalism gets the blame.

[Herman]

So, what are his deeply frightening positions? He has called for vast cuts to Argentina's government — a necessity, since Argentina has defaulted on its debts three times since 2001, has a $43 billion outstanding loan to the International Monetary Fund and now faces another default. It received a $57-billion bailout just five years ago. Thanks to out-of-control spending, Argentina has had to print pesos hand over fist, which is why, according to the Ministry of the Economy, total money supply in Argentina skyrocketed 30.7% a year from 2007 to 2022. The poverty rate in the country is 40%.

Milei's media appearances may be colourful, but that all serves a purpose — a determination to make massive change to Argentina's economic trajectory. Milei has promised to slash and burn his way through government, cutting 11 of 19 departments of the government; he campaigned with a chainsaw he pledged he would use on the "parasitic state." He wants to draw closer to the United States and Israel and away from China. He wants to dollarize the economy.

All of this should be treated as good news. Argentina's trajectory has been a total disaster area for decades. In fact, the markets are treating Milei's election as they should.  Argentine stocks and bonds have jumped on Milei's election, mainly because he is the first leader of Argentina in generations who has a plan to actually avoid economic default.

So, why the heartburn?

The reality is there are many in the United States and Europe, particularly on the political Left, who somehow feel more comfortable with the socialist radicalism of Lula De Silva, Gabriel Boric and even Nicolas Maduro than with anyone who smacks of libertarianism or conservatism. That's because Argentina is a living example of what happens when corporatism and social democracy are taken to their limits — the substitution of governments for markets, the overregulation of industry in pursuit of social redistributionism, the attempts to create autarky via tariff protections and trade restrictions, the endless populist promise that if all power is given to the government to protect "the people," then all will be well. That promise always results in privation and misallocation, in tyranny and poverty.

Now the media and the political Left will attempt to shovel all of Argentina's failures on Milei's shoulders. Milei still faces a partly Peronist legislature, as well as a court system stacked in favour of leftist foolishness. Supreme Court magistrate Horacio Rosatti recently said any attempt to dollarize would be unconstitutional. This means his power may be curbed; he still faces entrenched economic problems and he will require an infusion of foreign capital in order to right the ship in Argentina. If he comes up short, capitalism and economic liberalism will be blamed for the failures of Peronism. That's always the pattern — corporatists ruin economies and then capitalism gets the blame.

I aint no super small government libertarian, but he don't seem so scary to me.

[Adolf Oliver Bush]

Dammit DKG, if you're gonna channel your inner Ben Shapiro, at least let us know... like with a link to the original text.

Remember... you're better than Joe Biden. 

[DKG]

Dammit DKG, if you're gonna channel your inner Ben Shapiro, at least let us know... like with a link to the original text.

Remember... you're better than Joe Biden. 

I have been told to do that. I used to do that. I should start doing that again.

[JOE]

That's what decades of Peronist socialism does too a once wealthy nation.

I've often noticed that Latin cultures/nations aren't very good at the administrative side of things or running economies very well. And their societies are a mess. ie - Mexico has plenty of wealth but corruption is rampant and the society is run by the drug lords. Their water is still undrinkable because they don't bother to fix it even tho they have the money

[Brent]

I've often noticed that Latin cultures/nations aren't very good at the administrative side of things or running economies very well. And their societies are a mess. ie - Mexico has plenty of wealth but corruption is rampant and the society is run by the drug lords. Their water is still undrinkable because they don't bother to fix it even tho they have the money

You have never been to Mexico or any other Latin American country.

[JOE]

You have never been to Mexico or any other Latin American country.

Been to Mexico Brent.

Mazatlan, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Tijuana

that's about it.

Wasn't too impressed.

Everytime I went, I got stomach flu

For all its flaws, USA is still a better place to visit.

At least their drinking water is somewhat acceptable.

USA is more like Canada. If I had to choose 2 countries to visit, I'd still choose the states.

that bug must be in everything they eat down there.

Reason I don't think I could ever live in Mexico.

Probably be sick i the stomach all the time.

Bad water, eh. too 3rd worldish imo