Brazil's first assault was committed on April 22, 1500, by a Portuguese nobleman in the service of King Dom Manuel I. With a group of armed companions, he assaulted hundreds of thousands of naked native people, robbing them of their land. They called the assault "discovery."

The second robbery was committed in 1534 by Dom João III, who divided Brazil into 15 captaincies, turning them over to friends and political allies. Even today the Brazilian land remains the property of the descendants of those people and of the buyers of the lands taken in that epoch. They call this assault "private property."

Workers were needed to exploit the stolen lands. The solution was the assault of Africa in search of a workforce. For almost four centuries, millions of black people were brutally kidnapped and brought to Brazil without right to ransom. Even their children were kidnapped and subjected to a lifetime of forced labor. They called the assault "servile workforce."

After the slaves were freed, their jobs began to be kidnapped. The boss sold the worker's product for an amount much greater than the salary paid and kept the difference. They call this assault "profit."

The slaves left their slave-quarter dwellings and went to live on land they invaded, in squats, in favelas. With time, they were expelled to make way for buildings and condominiums. The assault on those areas, occupied by descendants of slaves and other poor people, was called "urban development."

To promote development and industrialization, the administrations began to spend more than they collected in taxes and to request loans. As a consequence, prices started rising. They called that assault "inflation."

But so that the assault would not affect everyone, they created protection mechanisms: monetary correction; open market; investment funds. The poor were assaulted by the inflation; the rich had protective shields. A sort of monetary condominium.

The taxes, the irresponsibly emitted money, and the loans financed the infrastructure for the rich instead of education and healthcare for everyone. That assault is called "budget."

Part of the money was transferred to entrepreneurs with the excuse of job creation. They call that assault "fiscal incentives."

The National Bank of Habitation (BNH) and the Fund of Guarantee for Time of Service (FGTS) used the workers' money to finance the construction of houses for the rich. That assault was called "habitation policy."

Many used subterfuges to avoid paying the tax they owed. That assault upon the treasury is called "tax evasion."

To create scientific and technological infrastructure, they created public universities for the children of the upper classes. The impoverished graduates of the public schools do not pass the Vestibular college-entrance exam. It is as if the private school students were assaulting the public-university placements. They call that assault "competition."

Besides that, part of the cost of private education is paid with public money, in the form of an income-tax deduction. That assault is called "educational discount."
Thanks to these policies, Brazil successfully achieved a rapid economic growth, with one part of the population appropriating the product. That assault is called "income concentration."

Brazil also succeeded in producing all the petroleum that it needs, depleting its reserves, which will run out in 20 years. That assault upon future generations is called "self-sufficiency."

These invisible assaults were called "economic growth." And this is what is provoking the visible assaults, those that occur daily in our cities. Those that lead to jail.

Cristovam Buarque has a Ph.D. in economics. He is a PDT senator for the Federal District and was Governor of the Federal District (1995-98) and Minister of Education (2003-04). You can visit his homepage – www.cristovam.com.br – and write to him at cristovam@senador.gov.br.

Translated from the Portuguese by Linda Jerome - LinJerome@cs.com.

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