No Liberty
Another Consequence of Economic Decline
by Simon Black
LewRockwell.com
Nearly 10 years ago to the day, the government of Argentina collapsed. Beset by weighty deficit spending and a completely unrealistic currency peg to the US dollar, Argentina became the poster child for the golden rule of economics: ‘that which is unsustainable will not be sustained.’ It’s reversion to the mean.
Within a matter of days, the country had burned through several presidents, the currency collapsed, inflation soared, unemployment shot up, crime rates spiked, and the government defaulted on its debt.
After limping along for most of the last decade with a socialist agenda, the government of Argentina is at it again. The economy is rapidly deteriorating, and street-inflation has surpassed 25%.
Naturally, the administration of President Cristina Fernandez insists that inflation is not a problem, despite the Argentine peso losing 25% of its value against the US dollar over the last three-years (and far more against gold).
Meanwhile, Fernandez has borrowed her plays from Atlas Shrugged. She’s imposed capital controls, raided pension funds, nationalized private property, and taken control of the media… all in a vain attempt to delay the endgame.
A few weeks ago, the government passed a package of new laws, essentially criminalizing public protest under the auspices of combating terrorism. The legislation, snuck in at a midnight session during the holiday period, provides severe punishment for various crimes under a very broad definition of terrorism.
Fernandez herself maintains that the law would -never- be invoked to restrict the legitimate rights of Argentines. This, from a woman who simultaneously passed legislation to seize control of the country’s newspaper industry.
The Rest…HERE
