Brazzil

And the wholesome, clean, honest and healthy alternative is?

Please answer I would really like to know.....

The last 30 years of TV have been full of the most outrageous crimes against the people of Brasil by its leaders, and they are by all accounts just scraping the surfice. Lula has been in power just 4 years trying to govern one of the most corrupt countries in the world run by an incomptent civil service and a criminal polictical class.

So please who is this white knight who is going to save Brasil from Lula and Brasil from its leaders?

Simply what Janer say is that he could fortell what is happening now? Is he working yet? Important intelectuals were politically engaged whitin a party, expelling the virtues of a responsible socialism and that is simply a sign of undevelopment?

Many intelectual from USP write critical articles against this populist government, publishing in sp newspapers.

- Brazil is a dynamite not a dynamic nation due to policies voted by people You....the society......elected. You have been betrayed, betrayed and betrayed, not only Lula but also by his predecesors.
- We are not yet in the midst of the 21st century......from what I know ! smile
- You say you had written highly critical articles in Brazilian newspapers since 1975. This was just the middle term of the Junta. Could a journalist write highly critical articles....during those days ? Rather strange....but please clarify !

- You are unfair against Lula (although I hate him) for having increased, but not initiated, the government help to your tens of millions of poor citizens. It was sad that Brazil started so late to do so. Even with the increase from Lula..... Your country still has 22 % of the population BELOW the poverty line. The poverty line being US$ 2.- per day and per capita ! And you have another group also composed of tens of millions.....earning barely above that minimum....but no longer officially recognized as poor, since they are just above those US$ 2 per day and per capita.
When one look at your country GDP per capita, you are not considered poor by the stats compared to other developing countries.

It remains unfortunately that Brazil has the World Highest Poverty Rate when compared to the GDP per capita.

And this is exactly what is the worst insult when Brazil says it is fighting its poverty.

FAR MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE AND FAR MORE CAN BE DONE TO REDUCE YOUR POVERTY STATS IN VIEW OF YOUR GDP PER CAPITA !
This reality is the reason why Brazil is rated as one of the country with the highest wealth inequality on this planet !

your 2006 government budget was approved on April 19. Here is an extract of an article that appeared in the News side of this site also on April 19 :

"As approved, the budget estimates government net revenues of 455.6 billion reais (US$ 215 billion). Expenditures will be 104 billion reais (US$ 49 billion) with payroll and related expenses; 162 billion reais (US$ 76 billion) for social security expenses; 90 billion reais (US$ 42 billion) for state entitlements; executive branch investments are to total 20 billion reais (US$ 9.4 billion): and there is to be a primary surplus of 48 billion reais (US$ 22.6 billion)."

- As you can see, more than 50 % of the total budget is directed to salaries of the government employees and the social security.
- the Primary surplus doesnt include Interests, for which you have the highest interest rates in the world. Your total government debts are above 1 trillion Reais. assuming an average interest rate of around 14 % or 140 billions, your nominal surplus become a deficit of around 70 billions Reais (140 minus 4.

- And while you have around 40 millions citizens (23 %) below the poverty line, ONLY LESS THAN 2 % of Federal Government Budget is allocated to your poors, the Bolsa Familia budget being only 8 billions Reais for 2006 for 45 millions citizens or the equivalent of reais 14.80 per month per person. Or around US$ 7.- per month for each of these 45 millions poorest citizens !

This doesnt take in account yet the corruption money that reduces the effective real disbursments !

Very very little !
This demonstrates that in Brazil, the finances of your government is not only very badly managed, but this also penalizes your future since your total government debts increase at over 15 % per year, meaning the debts are QUADRUPLED....EVERY DECADE !!!

Just think about it.

Everyone can predict what will happen, ONCE MORE, in the not too distant future, with Lula or not at the helm of the country !

The finances of the USA government are very conservative and safe....when compared to the finances of Brazil !!!

ch.c, you are completely right... Not only this. I think that Brazil will never ever finally become a "country of the present" simply because its people aren't very smart on the average. (Although there can be SOME very smart Brazilians.)

One proof for that is, for example, that no Brazilian, from a HUGE country of 180 million people, NEVER EVER won a Nobel. Brazilians are just plainly too stupid on the average, with best results they can ever hope for being samba and football.

Conclusion - things will get WORSE, not better in Brazil. Conditions of living are just DETERIORATING there (of which examples of Rio and SP show so clearly, with their increasing favelization, impunity, and corruption). If you go and visit Corcovado these days, you're likely to be shot by some IQ-60 thug, who can't even speak Portuguese or count to 5. And such scum/lowlifes are increasing in numbers there.

HARD TRUTH: Brazil is a hopeless case.

I wholeheartedly agree with Janer.
The Bolsa Família doesnt do much to empower the poor, rather than giving cash, incentives through monetary rewards giving poor families access to primary, and secondary good schooling and healthcare would, in the long run, begin to help families climb the social ladder. In fact the Bolsa Família encourages people to have more children in order to get cash from the state... The Bolsa Família plan just seems to amount to keep people's heads above the water and at the same time fix them right there, instead of empowering them.

Therefore the metaphor is apt, father of the poor and mother of the bankers, Lula simply uses so called social reforms for populist ends, in order to solidify his electoral base among Brazil's dispossed. A few populist crumbs to people who are barely surviving seems alot when you are in such a state, and have no time nor the means to understand Lula's betrayal of them.

This is extremely dangerous and saddening.

i think that you are doing a great job!
keep it up!

how was Brazil before Lula?
Quoting the "author-translator-lawyer-philosopher-journalist": "But what about the preceding years, madam? You didn't have a TV set or you had it but didn't feel astonished?"