[Milei WINS!] Javier Milei, Austrian econ. prof. & ancap, runs for president of Argentina

[swissaustrian]

Meet Javier Milei, the rockstar Austrian economics professor running for Argentinian president



Milei is supportive of the Austrian School of economic thought and considers himself to be a "short-term minarchist", although "philosophically an anarcho-capitalist". He believes that Argentina is a tax hell and advocates for a fast reduction in government spending in order to balance the budget.

He owns five English Mastiffs, the progenitor being Conan, whom he regards as his "son", and four of Conan's pups called Milton (for Milton Friedman), Murray (for Murray Rothbard), Robert and Lucas (both for Robert Lucas)

And here is his final campaign event with a rockstar entrance
His youtube channel has 651000 subscribers and on TikTok he has 2.1 million followers

[acptulsa]

Well, if we don't hear anything more about Argentina we will know it's going well, and he's setting a good example.

[Brian4Liberty]

Interesting. And of course, the WEF has a profile of him...

https://www.weforum.org/people/javier-gerardo-milei

[Brian4Liberty]

Milei is supportive of the Austrian School of economic thought and considers himself to be a "short-term minarchist", although "philosophically an anarcho-capitalist". He believes that Argentina is a tax hell and advocates for a fast reduction in government spending in order to balance the budget.

He owns five English Mastiffs, the progenitor being Conan, whom he regards as his "son", and four of Conan's pups called Milton (for Milton Friedman), Murray (for Murray Rothbard), Robert and Lucas (both for Robert Lucas)

And here is his final campaign event with a rockstar entrance
His youtube channel has 651000 subscribers and on TikTok he has 2.1 million followers

And I wondered if he wrote and/or sang that song. Seems like a possibility:

He also sang in the band Everest.
...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Milei

Not so fun:

He is also a member of the B20, the Economic Policy Group of International Chamber of Commerce (an advisor to the G20), and the World Economic Forum.
...
Since 2016 he has been trying to merge Austrian economics concepts with Monetarism concepts, as he understands Ben Bernanke was the greatest central banker ever.
...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Milei

On the positive side:

Milei is a believer in the far-right conspiracy theory of cultural marxism. On global warming, Milei denies its existence, saying that it is an invention of cultural marxism. Milei also relates cultural marxism with the Ministry of Women and says that if he is elected president he will close that ministry. He has also mentioned cultural marxism to refer against the LGBT movement.

[Anti Federalist]

https://twitter.com/DylanMAllman/sta...36660740792320

[Anti Federalist]

An in depth, albeit biased, report:

Young people’s anger fuels far-right populist as Argentina’s election nears

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/505...youth-support/

[Anti Federalist]

Bariloche, here I come.

[Occam's Banana]

Javier Milei delivers blow to Argentina’s main coalitions in primaries
Libertarian lawmaker emerges as candidate with most votes in initial results from PASO primaries; With 61% of polling stations reporting, Milei has 32.57%, trailed by Massa on 20.64%; Bullrich has large lead over Rodríguez Larreta in Juntos por el Cambio primary, with coalition on 27.57% in total.
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/arge...rimaries.phtml
Buenos Aires Times (13 August 2023)

Libertarian lawmaker Javier Milei rocked Argentina’s political establishment on Sunday, emerging as the most-voted-for presidential candidate in a key primary election.

Initial results from a ballot defining the candidates for the October 22 presidential election showed the outspoken La Libertad Avanza leader had taken 32.57 percent of all votes with 61.21 percent of polling stations reporting. He held a five-point lead over the combined vote total of the opposition Juntos por el Cambio coalition.

In second place was Economy Minister Sergio Massa, the frontrunner to win the ruling Unión por la Patria coalition’s presidential nomination for October with 20.64 percent. His party rival, social leader Juan Grabois had 4.84 percent, lifting the ruling alliance’s tally to 25.48 percent.

Trailing in third and fourth were Patricia Bullrich and Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, the candidates for the opposition Juntos por el Cambio coalition.

Bullrich, a former security minister who represents the hard-line right of the opposition centre-right alliance, had 17 percent. Rodríguez Larreta, the mayor of Buenos Aires City, the nation’s capital, had 10.57 percent, a disappointing tally for the once-presidential frontrunner.

Speaking to the press upon arrival at her party's bunker in Costa Salguero, Bullrich said that her rival had called her to congratulate her on winning the primary.

Government officials warned that voting was running slow in some districts and that final results could still take some hours to arrive.

Speaking to the TN news channel prior to the publication of initial results, former president Mauricio Macri said that voters backing Milei were expressing their anger.

"We are going to have many surprises tonight. Milei’s growth demonstrates that there is anger with politics," anticipated the PRO leader.

Córdoba Province Governor Juan Schiaretti confirmed on Sunday that Milei had topped voting in the influential central region, congratulating the libertarian lawmaker and highlighting that his ‘third way’ ticket had finished second, pushing the nation’s two main coalitions into third and fourth place.

Right turn?

Citizens went to the polls amid a deep economic crisis that has fuelled scepticism among voters towards traditional politicians. A decisive victory for Milei would shake up Argentina’s political establishment and hint at a rightward turn for the country in the coming years.

The outspoken economist has vowed to deliver a “complete reform of the state” if elected, cutting public spending, closing down government ministries, privatising state-owned companies and eliminating the Central Bank. On the campaign trail, he railed against the “political caste” and promised sweeping change, including the dollarisation of the economy.

Underlining the sense of apathy, election authorities reported Sunday that only 68.5 percent of the electoral roll had cast a ballot by the time polls were closing at 6pm – the second-lowest tally since the PASOs were introduced in 2011.

Argentines nationwide were voting for their preferred candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The PASO primaries determine which parties will take part – and who their hopefuls will be – in the general election set for October 22.

Citizens in Buenos Aires City also chose their preferred mayoral candidate while voters in the country’s most-populous region, Buenos Aires Province, selected a gubernatorial hopeful. Candidates for governor were also selected in Entre Ríos Province.

Turnout in the 2021 primaries reached only 67.78 percent, but only legislative posts were being chosen and the Covid-19 pandemic was still ongoing.

Voting in Buenos Aires City was also affected by failures with the single electronic ballot system. Federal Judge María Servini to issue a resolution extending voting hours at polling stations with queues until 7.30pm. According to reports, at least four schools had long lines of voters waiting to cast their ballots.

In a statement, Servini said that more than 200 voting machines had not functioned. The judge also expressed concern over the “degree of improvisation” in the handling of the machinery.

Apathy and anger

Argentina’s economic turmoil dominated campaigning. Year-on-year inflation is running at 115 percent, the economy is expected to enter a recession this year, poverty has soared, and the value of the peso has plummeted. The government, battling dwindling foreign reserves, has imposed strict currency controls and slapped businesses with higher import taxes to shore up dollars.

Unpopular President Alberto Fernández chose not to seek re-election, but polls didn’t point to a clear favourite to succeed him. Voter apathy, as well Milei’s candidacy and anti-system rhetoric, drew the attention of political observers.

"I want a government that restores the economy, but I know it will take time. We have a lot of debts and it will not be easy to recover everything that was lost by other governments," said Agustina Rossi, a 16-year-old student, as she arrived at a polling station.

Suffrage in Argentina is extended to those of Rossi's age and older.

With 35.4 million citizens eligible to vote, the presidential primary can be a strong predictor of who will win the election if one candidate soars. Not voting incurs a fine, but analysts had already anticipated a lower turnout than usual amid increased apathy.

"Argentina has been in economic decline for more than 10 years, in a crisis that is slowly worsening. There is a growing disaffection of the electorate in a country that had clear political identities," said Juan Negri, a professor of political science at the Torcuato di Tella University.

Dissatisfaction with the current government, as well as the opposition coalition, has opened up space for non-traditional candidates such as Milei

Heading to the presidential election unchallenged, as his party's only candidate, Milei – an outspoken lawmaker and economist with a soft spot for former US President Donald Trump and Brazil's ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro – had lashed out at the “political caste” for their failures on the campaign trail.

Milei "reflects the disenchantment that has caused many voters to disbelieve in political parties," said Negri, especially those who have drifted further right after former president Mauricio Macri's tenure from 2015 to 2019.

"I think it's time to try someone new: Milei. I like him because he says a bit what we all think," Carlos Reyes, a 66-year-old electrician, said before casting his ballot.

Primary candidates must garner more than 1.5 percent of the vote to advance to the general presidential election.

[Occam's Banana]

https://twitter.com/RealSpikeCohen/s...54980797124608
& https://twitter.com/RealSpikeCohen/s...54984316162048

[Occam's Banana]

Argentine Presidential Primary Voters Propel Far-Right Outsider to Surprise Win
Javier Milei has pledged to dissolve central bank, slash spending in a country hammered by inflation, poverty and a moribund economy
https://www.wsj.com/articles/argenti...e-win-ec24e5b4
[archive link: https://archive.li/VlMvH]
Ryan Dubé (14 August 2023)

Javier Milei, a far-right outsider in Argentina who has pledged to close ministries and slash spending if elected president, rocked the political establishment Sunday by beating out conservatives and the ruling Peronist coalition in a primary vote ahead of October’s elections.

With more than 80% of ballots counted, Milei, a congressman who says he would dollarize Argentina’s economy and dissolve the central bank, had 31% of the vote as he capitalized on anger against the political class. The country of 46 million people is living through its worst economic crisis in a generation, hobbled by inflation at 116%. Four of every 10 Argentines live in poverty, struggling to survive with a currency that is increasingly worthless.

“If we don’t change today, the only destiny will be to turn into the biggest slum in the world,” Milei said to his supporters in his closing campaign rally on Aug. 7. “I don’t want your vote so you give me the power, but to give you back your freedom so you can be the architects of your own destiny and we can end this state that makes us poor, with inflation and crime, and put the country on the path to growth.”

Milei, a long-haired, 52-year-old economist, rails against the ruling class in interviews and darts across the stage in speeches, promising to wash away both institutions and the politicians who are in office. He calls himself an anarcho-capitalist who would slash spending, cut taxes and end a bloated state.

“If the central bank emits money, it causes damage, if they move to control money, they cause damage,” he told The Wall Street Journal in an interview last year. “The only way for it not to cause damage is to do nothing, so why would I want them? I’d close it because it’s a risk if it’s operating.”

Milei stunned pollsters by receiving more votes than the traditional political coalitions on the left and right that have governed in recent years and failed to solve Argentina’s grinding economic problems.

“There is a generalized sense of disbelief at how well he did,” said Nicolás Saldias, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit who closely tracks Argentina.

The center-right opposition coalition, Together for Change, received about 28% support. Voters on Sunday selected Patricia Bullrich, a hard-on-crime conservative and former security minister, as the coalition’s candidate in the October election, which serves as the first of two rounds for Argentines to select their next leader.

The ruling Peronists, which have governed Argentina for most of the last 75 years, received 26.69% support. The movement’s candidate will be the economy minister, Sergio Massa, who is considered more centrist and business-friendly than President Alberto Fernández and his vice president, Cristina Kirchner.

Milei attracted young voters in the poor barrios around cities such as Buenos Aires who are angered over the lack of jobs and constantly rising prices for food and clothes. Argentina has been unable to tame inflation and stop the peso currency’s fast depreciation after taking on a $44 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in 2018 to avoid a currency crisis.

“I voted for Milei because, like a majority of Argentines, I am tired of the same so I opted for resounding change,” said Aldana Gómez, an out-of-work office cleaner who calls herself “another of the unemployed majority.”

“I simply expect a change,” said the 22-year-old Gómez, who lives with her parents in a working-class district outside the capital. She said past governments “had their opportunity and that’s why the country is like it is—a disaster.”

Asked why he voted for the upstart Milei, César Vargas, a businessman, said: “It’s simple. I’m tired of being defrauded.” He said life has only gotten worse for Argentines in recent years. “I’m hoping for a more just Argentina, in the short-term, like the Chilean or Uruguayan model,” he said.

The results Sunday raise uncertainty for Argentina’s political system, which, despite the country’s economic upheaval, had been relatively stable in recent years while its neighbors were battered by social unrest and the rise of political outsiders.

“Argentina is famous for its economic chaos, but to some degree earned this reputation as having a fairly predictable political system, and that’s no longer the case,” said Benjamin Gedan, an Argentina expert and director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center.

Milei was able to tap Argentine anger though polls show that many voters don’t necessarily agree with his policy proposals, which include eliminating public education, creating a market for selling organs, expanding gun ownership and outlawing abortion.

“The reality is that he channels the almost-universal anger in Argentina right now,” said Gedan. “And it has nothing to do with his policies.”

Milei faces an uphill battle to become president. His main rival in October appears to be Bullrich, pollsters say. She could attract many conservative and centrist voters in the general election who are concerned that Milei would go too far in overturning the country’s political and economic system, analysts say.

Milei could also face pushback from investors who would be concerned about his ability to govern and pass overhauls needed to curb public spending and bring inflation down. Milei would likely struggle to pass legislation in an opposition-controlled Congress.

And on the streets of Buenos Aires and other cities, he would face robust opposition from powerful unions and social movements who are quick to protest.

“If reforms are not carried out cautiously, you could have enormous social upheaval,” said Gedan. “There is a lot of discomfort among investors about Milei. The reality is that markets don’t like uncertainty.”

If no candidate wins outright in October, the top two candidates will go to a runoff in November. A second-round vote without a leftist, Peronist candidate, as analysts expect, would be unheard of in Argentina.

“A runoff between Milei and Bullrich would be unprecedented,” said Sergio Berensztein, a pollster in Buenos Aires. “It’s a vote against inflation, and business as usual.”

[Swordsmyth]

Argentina Devalues Peso, Jacks Interest Rates After Shock Win Of Right-Leaning Libertarian


https://www.thefinancialtrends.com/2...g-libertarian/

[acptulsa]

https://twitter.com/SallyMayweather/...54472567037954

[Occam's Banana]

https://twitter.com/SallyMayweather/...54472567037954

This is the same kind of problem Ron Paul would have faced had he become POTUS (or Rand, Massie, et al. would face if they did).

If Milei wins, don't expect him to be able to work wonders. He almost certainly will not.

Their system will not "go gentle into that good night". They will do everything in their power to stymie, undermine, sabotage, and destroy any serious or significant challenges to their authority and control (up to and including doing massive damage to themselves and others, if they become desperate enough - as long as they still get to be in charge of whatever is left).

Milei's victory is certainly a heartening harbinger, and that is no small thing - but much more is required than just one man being elected to a single "top-down" position on the basis of a grab-bag of vague, inchoate, and often contradictory popular resentments (however deep or intense those resentments may be).

[Anti Federalist]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1692123292411244594

[Occam's Banana]

https://twitter.com/jeffdeist/status...61844469735541

[acptulsa]

Their system will not "go gentle into that good night". They will do everything in their power to stymie, undermine, sabotage, and destroy any serious or significant challenges to their authority and control (up to and including doing massive damage to themselves and others, if they become desperate enough - as long as they still get to be in charge of whatever is left).

Absolutely right.

There are so many things that people just don't believe psychos will do because they couldn't imagine doing it themselves. They seem them do things just as bad. They ultimately come to understand that these facts are true. They say, my God, there's something wrong with these monsters! And then they turn around and refuse to believe the next revelation.

Hello? Yes, they're still just as psychopathic as they were last week!

That's why nothing gets done about 9/11.

[Occam's Banana]

Is Javier Milei Argentina's Ron Paul Moment?
On this episode of Radio Rothbard, Ryan McMaken and Tho Bishop are joined by Mises Summer Fellow Manuel Garcia Gojon to discuss the recent strong performance by Argentinian libertarian presidential candidate Javier Milei. The three discuss the economic conditions of Argentina fueling the self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist's political rise, what separates him from other populist figures, and some of his proposed policies - such as abolishing the country's central bank.

Recommended Reading:

"Will Argentina's Next President Be a Rothbardian?" by Manuel García Gojon: [see this post - OB]

"An Anarchist’s Pragmatic Plan of Government for Argentina" by Manuel García Gojon: [see this post - OB]

https://odysee.com/@mises:1/is-javie...9;s-ron-paul:7

[Occam's Banana]

Will Argentina's Next President Be a Rothbardian?
https://mises.org/wire/will-argentin...be-rothbardian
[audio version (MP3 file): https://cdn.mises.org/1209-gojon-amw-20220711.mp3 via Audio Mises Wire]
Manuel Garcia Gojon (04 July 2022)

Argentina has provided the prime example of counterproductive policy for most of the past century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was one of the wealthiest countries in the world; now it is one of the poorest. More taxation, regulation, and inflation than most other countries experienced have eaten up a large part of the capital that was generated during the era of Argentine capitalism of yore. Though the administration that ruled before the present was indeed inclined toward the Right, its era ended in disappointment, as the necessary market reforms were not achieved because the coalition included socialist groups.

Out of this situation emerges Javier Milei. Born in 1970, he decided he wanted to be an economist at twelve as he experienced hyperinflation. Around 2014, he became an Austrian almost overnight after reading Murray Rothbard’s monograph on monopoly theory, which prompted him to read everything that he could get his hands on by Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, and other Austrians. From 2014 to 2021 Milei appeared regularly on television as an economist defending libertarian ideas, at a time when calling someone libertarian was seen as an insult in Argentina.

In the 2021 elections, his group became the third strongest in the country and obtained four of the 257 seats in the Chamber of Deputies in its first showing. Milei is now a member of the Congress of Argentina and is openly campaigning for the presidential election that will take place in 2023. His exponential rise in popularity has prompted Milei and his opponents to take the possibility of his victory very seriously. He wants to cut down the number of ministries from twenty to eight, of which he already has four working as shadow ministries: economy, foreign relations, welfare, and infrastructure.

In his youth, Milei was a semiprofessional soccer player and a rock band member. His supporters treat him like a star, and many have become as passionate as he is about the moral case against the state. Young people are his core supporters. Even middle schoolers all throughout Argentina are now reciting the nonaggression principle. His support progressively growing as youths infect their parents and grandparents with the ideas of liberty.

Milei is currently the leading presidential candidate. A recent survey by the University of San Andrés shows that in scenarios with named candidates, Milei is the only one with more than 20 percent of the vote for the first voting round. If no one wins more than 50 percent of the votes, this scenario would result in a second voting round between the top two candidates. The consensus is now that if Milei were to appear in a second round, he would win it because the other two main coalitions' supporters are less opposed to Milei than they are to each other.

[image hidden to save space]

 

Milei is being very transparent about his reform plan, which appears to be very prudent and can expect to obtain broad support. It's a convergence process that would have Argentina catching up to the US in terms of gross domestic product per capita in a period of thirty-five years, with two-thirds of the growth happening in the first third of the period. The plan is structured in three generations of reforms that are to be deployed in a specific sequence.

The first generation includes a fiscal, labor, trade, and monetary reforms. The fiscal reform will result in strong reduction in public spending, taxation, and tax varieties. The labor reform will increase flexibility for future employment contracts, making it easier to hire and fire employees. The trade reform will establish unilateral free trade, with no tariffs, quotas, nor import-export restrictions.

The monetary reform will take the financial system from fractional reserves to a clear separation between demand deposits, which will have to be on full reserve, and investment banking, which will include time deposits and other products, effectively making the system immune to bank runs. It will also eliminate regulations and increase competition. The central bank will be liquidated, and the Argentinian peso will cease to exist. It will become legal to make transactions and denominate contracts in the money of anyone’s choosing.

The second generation of Milei's plan includes pension and welfare reforms. The pension reform will privatize pensions and will allow federal employees to retire early to increase employment in the private sector. The welfare reform will restructure welfare to incentivize employment. The plan's third generation includes healthcare and education reforms. The healthcare reform will push for increasing privatization of the healthcare system and eliminating regulations. The education reform will grant freedom to every school to adopt its own curriculum and will transform establish a voucher system for educational spending to incentivize school competition.

We are still over a year away from the election. Conditions and trends are subject to change. Nevertheless, if the current trend continues, Argentina is in for some big changes in the right direction. It's always impossible to predict how someone will govern after being elected, but after a century of ruinous statist policies, one can hope that a Milei administration will begin to undo Argentina's disastrous past.



"Will Argentina's Next President Be a Rothbardian?" by Manuel Garcia Gojon is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0

[Occam's Banana]

An Anarchist’s Pragmatic Plan of Government for Argentina
https://mises.org/power-market/anarc...ment-argentina
Manuel Garcia Gojon (16 August 2023)

The Argentine primary elections were held on August 13 and only one presidential candidate had presented a government plan in detail. The candidate is Javier Milei, economist and current member of congress. He is a self-described anarcho-capitalist, and he got 30 percent after he was expected to get around 20 percent of the total vote. There was reason to believe that he is more competitive than the polls showed, as they do not account for the level of energy in each voter group and their willingness to show up to the voting booth when the day comes. In all, a Milei win in the general election is now the most probable scenario.

While he had already described major elements of his plan, it was on August 2 that Milei presented a detailed plan. The main issues addressed by the plan are the economy and crime. Argentina suffers from an overwhelming state burden and rampant criminality. Around half of its population is currently below the poverty line. The plan itself is nothing if not pragmatic from an anarchist point of view.

The first measure consists of an organizational reform of the government, going from 18 to 8 ministries. The ministries to be included are interior, foreign relations, defense, economy, justice, security, infrastructure, and human capital. No career bureaucrats are to be fired initially, but they will be reassigned. The political appointees will not be renewed and will be kept to a minimum. All government employee privileges, such as bodyguards and drivers, will be eliminated, except in the cases in which they are absolutely necessary for security reasons. This measure also includes initiating the privatization or closure process of all state-owned companies.

The second measure consists of a significant reduction in public spending. For the first budget, they seek to eliminate expenditure items amounting to 15 percent of GDP, taking it from a deficit to a surplus. On the revenue side, they seek to eliminate 90 percent of taxes, which only raise an amount equal to 2 percent of GDP but have a distortive effect. There is also an intention of lowering the taxes that remain.

The third measure consists of a flexibilization of labor regulations. Firing an employee is currently very costly in Argentina between litigation and compensation. This measure is geared toward reducing those costs by making it easier for companies to fire new employees. The balancing side of this measure is the implementation of a private unemployment insurance scheme. With this measure they seek to take formal employment in the private sector from 6 million positions to 14 million positions.

The fourth measure consists of a liberalization of trade. The goal of this measure is unilateral free trade in the style of Chile. This includes the elimination of all import and export tariffs and the reduction of regulatory restrictions.

The fifth measure consists of a monetary reform. This measure includes allowing the use of any commodity or foreign currency as legal tender and the liquidation of the central bank, which would result in the elimination of the Argentine Peso. There are alternative plans for the implementation of this measure, but the leading one is the one developed by Emilio Ocampo and Nicolas Cachanosky. In terms of timing, it would take between nine and 24 months. The conversion would be made at the market exchange rate. Once two thirds of the monetary base has been converted, a countdown for the last date to convert would be triggered.

An additional challenge for this measure is that the central bank has remunerated liabilities three times the size of the monetary base. These are like the Federal Reserve’s program of paying interest on reserves in order to sterilize increases in the quantity of money. The central bank does have some commodities and foreign currencies in reserves but most of the assets consist of government bonds that currently trade at a third of their face value. To access the necessary liquidity to liquidate the central bank, the bonds would be transferred to a fund which would acquire the necessary line of credit using the bonds as collateral. The line of credit has already been confidentially agreed upon. The bonds are guaranteed to increase in price if the budget deficit is eliminated as specified in the second measure.

The sixth measure consists of an energy reform. This measure intends to eliminate all subsidies to energy providers through a recalibration of the financial equilibrium to lower costs to keep the companies profitable and minimize the impact on the cost to the consumers. This measure opens a door to subsidies on the demand side for vulnerable households. They also seek to improve the energy infrastructure through a scheme of public interest declarations for projects which would be financed and executed by the private sector, but for which the government might provide a minimum revenue guarantee.

The seventh measure consists of fostering investment. This will be done through a special legal arrangement for long term investment with a focus on mining, fossil fuels, renewable energy, forestry, and other sectors. In order to foster investment, they will also aim to eliminate foreign exchange restrictions and export fees.

The eighth measure consists of an agrarian reform. This includes the elimination of the foreign exchange spread between the official exchange rate and the market exchange rate through the liquidation of the central bank, the elimination of all export fees and retentions, the elimination of the gross revenue tax, the elimination of all restrictions to foreign trade including quotas and the need for authorization, the promulgation of a new seeds law, and the improvement to road infrastructure through private enterprise.

The ninth measure consists of a judicial reform. This measure includes the designation of a Minister of Justice with the consensus of the judicial branch, as well as the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice without political affiliations to fill the present vacancy, prohibiting members of the judicial branch from engaging in partisan politics, and promoting the budgetary independence of the judicial branch. Furthermore, they will seek to implement jury trials and oral proceedings throughout the country.

The tenth measure consists of a welfare reform. Current welfare benefits will be initially maintained. They aim to move in the long term towards a private system in which users pay for the health and education services they consume. In the short term they aim to provide income protection programs to mitigate extreme poverty, nutritional programs, parental educational programs about cognitive stimulation, greater coverage for preschool, incentives for graduation, programs for the integration of people with disabilities, the promotion of access to private credit, and the elimination of all middlemen in the provision of welfare.

The eleventh measure consists of an educational reform. They aim to move towards a greater degree of freedom to choose the curricula, methods, and educators. The measure also includes launching a school voucher pilot program. They will also establish an evaluation criterion for schools so that they may compete for incentives.

The twelfth measure consists of a health reform. They aim to transfer the subsidization of healthcare from supply to demand to allow for greater freedom of choice and competition. This measure includes providing the existing healthcare benefits as vouchers so that there is no restriction to a specific provider.

The thirteenth measure consists of a security reform. This measure includes reforms to the homeland security, national defense, and intelligence laws, as well as a reform to the penitentiary system to incorporate public private hybrids and intensifying the prosecution of drug trafficking.

[Occam's Banana]

https://twitter.com/LibertyAnders/st...34913540763770

I think that the big problem in Argentina is a cultural problem. This is a society infected by socialism, and what we need to achieve is to remove socialism from people's minds, and the main promoters of these ideas are the politicians.

I suggest you take a look at what Graciela Camaño's statements were. She is supposed to be one of the best leaders in Argentina. Do you know who they are against? Against the libertarians, because we libertarians are the only one who dare to confront the politicians and tell them that they are not the solution, that they are the problem.

The politicians are a sort of sociopaths who want to make us believe that we are mentally invaded and invalid in every sense, because we cannot live without them. But in reality, those who cannot live without us are them. In other words, if the country were divided between those who produce on one side and, on the other side, the $#@!ing politicians, the syndicalists, the whole bunch of parasites, they would sink and die.

Let's separate Argentina into northern Argentina and southern Argentina. You know, those of us who are willing to work will go to the poorest part of the country, we'll leave Vaca Muerta for them. Even if they end up with everything, these rats will sink becaude they're useless. On the other hand, those of us who produce and know how to make a living will thrive.

We are decent people, hardworking people, and we don't advocate for envy, hatred, theft, or unequal treatment under the law. That abomination of social justice is the most unjust thing that exists, because it means stealing the fruits of someone's labor and giving them to others just because I feel like it. And in that whole process, not only did they destroy the economy, they impoverished people.

From 1970 to now, the size of the state tripled, and the number of poor people multiplied by six. And you know who the only ones who really prospered were? The politicians. So, you know what? If you want to stay in this country, you have to identify the enemy, and the enemy is the politicians.

We have to go after the politicians; they are our enemies They are the ones dragging us into poverty, they are the ones who prospered with this whole idea of social justice and income redistribution. The real income redistribution was from what we produce to the political parasites.

The libertarianism was born to free us from the oppressive rulers. Let's say this caste we have is like the monarchs, they don't even see the need to inherit. They're the same ones who were here in 2001; none of these thieves left, the all stayed, and there are more, because they multiply, they bring in their relatives, they bring in their mistresses' families, and it grows and grows, and the pocket of those who produce becomes smaller and smaller.

It can't be that in a country, the parasites of politics do better than the productive people. You shouldn't do better by being a political parasite who produces nothing and only causes harm when you do something, because every time the state intervenes, it creates what's called the state's failure, you see? Look at this, the plans against poverty made people even poorer. That the Argentine case.

[Brian4Liberty]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1692123292411244594

Beat me to it...

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/sta...24414593478923

[Occam's Banana]

https://twitter.com/BowTiedMara/stat...61800330453359

[Occam's Banana]

Milei Promises Argentina Can Be Saved With Libertarian Economics
- Presidential contender pushes for a free-market overhaul
- Candidate wants to downsize the state after years of chaos
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...rian-economics
[archive link: https://archive.li/75Bv6]
Juan Pablo Spinetto (17 August 2023)

Self-described libertarians seem to pop up in political circles in every corner of the globe. But few mean it quite like Argentina’s Javier Milei.

On Wednesday, he flashed his zeal for unleashing the powers of free markets on the ailing country during a two-hour interview in Buenos Aires. He vowed to slash government spending, shutter the central bank, replace the beleaguered peso with the US dollar and restore credibility to the famously unstable economy.

And with Milei now in a good position to pull off a stunning victory in October’s presidential election, libertarian economics might be about to get its most high-profile real-world test yet.

The country has been in economic turmoil for so long — headed to its sixth recession in a decade amid triple-digit inflation and an ever-weakening currency — that it’s easy to see how proposals that might be seen as radical in other contexts come off as eminently reasonable here.

“One of the biggest thieves in the history of humankind is the central bank,” he said. “We should try to get out of the blinders that the statist indoctrination imposed on us.”

Milei, 52, sees these goals not just as smart economics, but a moral imperative. Everything is made better with competition, he believes, so it’s worth seeing what happens when Argentines can choose the currency to use.

Based on that, the free market will pick the dollar, which is “not even a good currency” in his view, because it’s at least more stable than the peso. Years of money printing and policy mismanagement wiped out 99% of the peso’s value over the past two decades, helping push the inflation rate up to 113% at the latest reading.

Milei wants to run almost everything in Argentina through his libertarian framework, and cited the economists Friedrich Hayek, Murray Rothbard and Gary Becker to explain his vision. He dismisses concerns over the high percentage of citizens who work in the informal economy — “people should decide if they enter to the market or not.” He has no patience for subsidies to industry — “don’t pick the winners.”

The intellectual logic behind his ideas, which he’s keen to passionately debate, sets him apart from fellow populists like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. He appears eager to show himself to be serious, engaged and ready to lead the country. In times of economic hardship, his message resonates with voters who don’t have much time for theoretical discussions.

Of course, he also wants to win the election, and so seems to be willing to compromise on his vision for a libertarian paradise in South America. He says he won’t end the popular social programs that support millions of people in a country where almost 40% of the population is impoverished, despite the staggering cost.

“Those who receive social programs, are victims, not the victimizer,” he said, adding that ending that type of welfare will take as long as 15 years. “We will redesign them and take out the intermediaries.”

He even toned down some of his most controversial proposals, such as blowing up the central bank. “That was metaphorical,” he said.

The one-term congressman took almost a third of the vote in Sunday’s primary election. The mainstream center-right coalition got 28% of ballots, compared with the ruling party’s 27% support, leaving Milei the clear front-runner ahead of the presidential vote. His direct competitors in the Oct. 22 election will be Economy Minister Sergio Massa and Patricia Bullrich, a hard-line former security minister from the market-friendly opposition coalition.

Given the three-way race, it’s likely the presidential vote will go to a runoff in November, which happens if the top candidate doesn’t receive 45% of valid votes in the first round, or fails to clinch 40% while holding onto a 10 percentage-point lead over the runner-up.

A victory for Milei, an economist trained at Belgrano University in Buenos Aires, would be a more dramatic version of the pro-business government of former President Mauricio Macri. He tried to introduce market reforms after taking office in 2015 only to face political opposition and run headfirst into a financial crisis that ended with the country calling back the International Monetary Fund for yet another rescue package.

Macri’s successor, the Peronist Alberto Fernandez, struggled to fix the economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic and a severe shortage of hard currency that’s now left the country vulnerable to another debt default. He’s so unpopular that he chose not to run for reelection this year.

Milei said he’d make every effort to avoid a default on overseas bonds, but investors are skeptical, in part because of fears his policy proposals could be blocked by Congress and trigger social unrest. Argentina’s assets slumped this week.

There is still a long way to go until the election, and Argentina’s politics are as volatile as its economy. In fresh claims that echo those of Trump and Bolsonaro, Milei says he should have gotten five percentage points more in the primary election if it wasn’t for dirty tricks by his rivals that day that skewed the results.

There’s also a risk that as Argentines get to know Milei better, they’ll be less enthused about voting for an outsider who promises major change. But for now, he’s on a mission to use his newfound celebrity to preach the gospel of free-market economics.

Right after the primary win, Milei wasted no time in redoubling the strategy that worked so well for him until now, giving extensive interviews in several radio and TV shows that go viral on social media. He receives so many requests that he turned his phone off during the hours he spent at the Bloomberg bureau.

“It’s ringing all the time,” he said. “It’s very irritating.”

[acptulsa]

[Occam's Banana]

I think that the big problem in Argentina is a cultural problem. This is a society infected by socialism, and what we need to achieve is to remove socialism from people's minds, and the main promoters of these ideas are the politicians.

I suggest you take a look at what Graciela Camaño's statements were. She is supposed to be one of the best leaders in Argentina. Do you know who they are against? Against the libertarians, because we libertarians are the only one who dare to confront the politicians and tell them that they are not the solution, that they are the problem.

The politicians are a sort of sociopaths who want to make us believe that we are mentally invaded and invalid in every sense, because we cannot live without them. But in reality, those who cannot live without us are them. In other words, if the country were divided between those who produce on one side and, on the other side, the $#@!ing politicians, the syndicalists, the whole bunch of parasites, they would sink and die.

Let's separate Argentina into northern Argentina and southern Argentina. You know, those of us who are willing to work will go to the poorest part of the country, we'll leave Vaca Muerta for them. Even if they end up with everything, these rats will sink becaude they're useless. On the other hand, those of us who produce and know how to make a living will thrive.

We are decent people, hardworking people, and we don't advocate for envy, hatred, theft, or unequal treatment under the law. That abomination of social justice is the most unjust thing that exists, because it means stealing the fruits of someone's labor and giving them to others just because I feel like it. And in that whole process, not only did they destroy the economy, they impoverished people.

From 1970 to now, the size of the state tripled, and the number of poor people multiplied by six. And you know who the only ones who really prospered were? The politicians. So, you know what? If you want to stay in this country, you have to identify the enemy, and the enemy is the politicians.

We have to go after the politicians; they are our enemies They are the ones dragging us into poverty, they are the ones who prospered with this whole idea of social justice and income redistribution. The real income redistribution was from what we produce to the political parasites.

The libertarianism was born to free us from the oppressive rulers. Let's say this caste we have is like the monarchs, they don't even see the need to inherit. They're the same ones who were here in 2001; none of these thieves left, the all stayed, and there are more, because they multiply, they bring in their relatives, they bring in their mistresses' families, and it grows and grows, and the pocket of those who produce becomes smaller and smaller.

It can't be that in a country, the parasites of politics do better than the productive people. You shouldn't do better by being a political parasite who produces nothing and only causes harm when you do something, because every time the state intervenes, it creates what's called the state's failure, you see? Look at this, the plans against poverty made people even poorer. That the Argentine case.

https://twitter.com/lpnevada/status/1693415384144351543

[Occam's Banana]

[CCTelander]

I LIKE this guy.

[Occam's Banana]

I LIKE this guy.

I know, right?

Javier Milei is certainly not a "natural born citizen" (or any other kind of citizen) of the U.S. - but if he ran for POTUS, I'd support him over Ramaswamy and all the rest (and I don't know if the guy has ever been outside of Argentina, or if he even speaks English).

[TheTexan]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1692123292411244594

[Occam's Banana]

Javier Milei is certainly not a "natural born citizen" (or any other kind of citizen) of the U.S. - but if he ran for POTUS, I'd support him over Ramaswamy and all the rest (and I don't know if the guy has ever been outside of Argentina, or if he even speaks English).

"¡Afuera!"

https://twitter.com/AP4Liberty/statu...15375047745802