Update: "New clashes in Chile as two die in protest violence".
Louis de Grange, president of the state Metro S.A. company, told Canal 13 the "brutal destruction" of Santiago's metro service had caused more than $300 million in damage.Per Mrs. Paco, it was a fabulous metro system, clean and efficient. Now large parts of it are apparently scrap.
9 comments:
Increasiing the gasolne tax by 4 cents per gallon here in the states is a lot, on an annual basis. But as I don't have a feel for the cost of living in Chile, would you or the missus explain how a 4 cents increase of a ride (if I read the article rightly) could possibly justify rioting?
I know, the commies are good are making mountains out of molehills. But their rationalization (such as it is) escapes me.
Thank you!
Increasiing the gasolne tax by 4 cents per gallon here in the states is a lot...
It's gone up here in CA by 80 cents a gallon over the last month. Once the "carbon tax to Save the Earf" is fully implemented, it will never be below $5 a gallon ever again. Gas stations will probably start selling by the liter, like they do in Europe, so it won't seem so bad...
By the way, 91 octane, our alleged "premium", is well north of $4 a gallon already.
My Acura Legend Coupe is designed to use 95 octane, so 91 is barely adequate. I've tried mixing 100 octane unleaded racing gas (it's still street legal here - the 110 leaded racing gas is not) with the 91 to get the equivalent of 95, and I noticed a significant difference (as in "no need to downshift") going up over Cajon Pass on I-15. The problem is 100 was $8.99 then, and $10.99 now.
Not to diminish the taxation woes Kalifornia imposes on people, Spiny, but that's an extreme example in the states. Washington State gas taxes are less than Kalifornia's, but more than most of the country, and even here, a 4 cents per gallon is painful. I'll be buying gasoline in Oregon more often than not. I'll drive further, but I'll end up paying less over all.
Which is why I asked Paco and his missus for some context of the cost of living in Chile.
Jeff: Chile has perhaps the strongest economy in South America. GDP growth has been healthy, inflation is low. Among the stated reasons for the protests are increases in health care costs and overall spikes in the cost of living. Hardly the sort of thing - certainly by comparison with some of the neighboring countries - that would normally lead to riots in the streets. That is why Mrs. Paco's family believes these things are mostly pretexts for left-wing (specifically, communist) agitation. "Malditos comunistas", says one of her nieces. And this could be true. Recollect that Chile historically had a strong political left, which ultimately gave rise to Salvador Allende and his Popular Unity Front. There is economic disparity in Chile, as there is everywhere, but, again, there has been nothing like the chaos one sees periodically in Argentina, for example, or Venezuela.
Yeah, I thought the story sounded more excuse than justification. Thanks.
Good luck to Chile -- they need to stomp on the commies, hard.
I read a thing yesterday about how Venezuela is not only not being beaten down, they are exporting their socialist bullshit to their neighbors?
Guyana was part of the old British West Indies Jonah. Very different culture and population from its neighbour Venezuela. Guyana already tried extreme socialism in the 1960s and no one wants to go back to those days of extreme poverty and social engineering (forced intermarriage of different races by Forbes Burnham).
The other neighbours are Brazil and Colombia - which seems to be getting over the cartel problem and prosper too.
JeffS,
Good luck to Chile -- they need to stomp on the commies, hard.
I wonder if ordinary Chileans know it's the communists behind the "unrest", and are waiting for the government to stomp on them, too.
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