Brazzil

Just the same as ALL others brazilians political parties !

Who really care about the nation secular economic growth rate, education, healthcare, poverty, jobs, infrastructure ????

Nooo One ! Not even Robbing Hook. He just hooks everyone through promises, promises and more promises. Lies, lies and more lies.
Stats manipulations time and again.
Yesssssss... that are the only things where HE truly shines and excels !
Ohhhh but also by boasting himself about HIS performances, one of the worst of ALL emerging markets during the last 6 years...since he was elected...and re-elected...on whatever growth metrics and equations !!!!!

Brazilians enjoy mediocrity ! They cant live without it. They are addicted to it !

Firstly it must be stated, that OF COURSE, I agree with the writer, that PMDB which was historically created after the Military took over the reigns of government in order to appear as the “formal” opposition party. During that period, 50% of congress seats were appointed the existing Military president and the other half of the seats were up for elections which both PMDB (which then was simply called MDB) and ARENA (a rather appropriate name) which represented the Governing Party. During those days, at least, there was some meaning for the MDB for it was the only party where those valiant few politicians, who had enough courage to oppose the government (as long as such opposition was mild and discrete), would join.

As such it is OBVIOUS that a party which never has had any specific orientation but rather represented an amalgamation of political characters bearing absolutely nothing in common except for their “acceptable” limited opposition to the government; would continue onwards without any political philosophy… thereby turning into a Super Corrupt Populist Money Grabbing “party”…

As for ch-c’s criticisms – with all due respect - 90% of which are (generally) intrinsically valid; regardless of any (alleged) underlying good intentions which may exist, I must confess that such extremely nefarious comments, after a while, inevitably become exhausting and perhaps self–defeating; indeed, our Swiss friend’s consistent, uninterrupted, patronizing, generalizing attacks on all Brazilians after all are bound to be dismissed... (After taking into account the identity of the author)

While there is NO question that most Brazilians are corrupt – one should avoid applying this (or any other) particular “quality” or “condition” it to ALL Brazilians (even if the exception represents only 1-9 % since 99% does NOT equal EVERYONE) – it is UNJUST and UNFAIR to the FEW others. Likewise, it is completely unfair to say that ALL BRAZILIANS are liars… This is an absurd statement which warrants serious HONEST revisions… Haven’t YOU ever lied, CH-C?

Please HONESTLY, are you in a position to look at yourself in the reflection of your own eyes in the mirror and HONESTLY say to yourself – “I have never lied – EVER!” . If you trust that you can honestly make such a heart-felt statement, then you are indeed allowed to call All Brazilian Liars… Yet, after further consideration, even under these revised circumstances, I’m afraid that this particular (liar) statement requires additional editing… Indeed, in the “event” you have NEVER LIED in your entire life, than your statement should, rather, more appropriate (and truthfully) have been: “ALL HUMANS (except for me) ARE LIARS… INDEED… One must NEVER loose sight that this is unfortunately and intrinsic characteristic of Human nature, which just HAPPENS to be more pronounced and VISIBLE in Politics – particularly in Third World Countries and especially in Brazil – I do concur with that… but, please do not patronize EVERYBODY holding Brazilian citizenship for the sake of enhancing your point and satisfying your immense, interminable dislike (if not outright hatred) for our country...

particularly in Third World Countries and especially in Brazil – I do concur with that… but, please do not patronize EVERYBODY holding Brazilian citizenship for the sake of enhancing your point and satisfying your immense, interminable dislike (if not outright hatred) for our country...

You read it, Mein Kamaraden?

BUT.....BUT......, I agree with you when you asked:

Who really care about the nation secular economic growth rate, education, healthcare, poverty, jobs, infrastructure ????

Lord Augustus: Does any Brasilan blogger remember Ulysses Guimarães? Probably Ch.c has heard of him.

You may also recall that Sarney was from ARENA.

Here is an interesting article for ya to read:

http://www.estadao.com.br/naci...2830,0.htm

Fortunately, you haven't forgotten your "mother tongue", "father tongue", "grandma´s tongue", etc;

Cheers

Only 2 quotes from JOAO's article (link above) suffice for reflection.

Em entrevista à revista Veja da primeira semana de fevereiro, o senador disse que o PMDB é "um partido sem bandeiras, sem propostas, sem norte" e boa parte dos filiados "quer mesmo é corrupção". O partido, chamado de "a grande noiva de 2010", se fortaleceu ainda mais após dominar o comando da Câmara e do Senado
........
Quando Jarbas começou a discursar, sete senadores do PMDB estavam no plenário, inclusive Renan Calheiros (AL). "O exercício da política não pode ser transformado em um balcão de negócios. O que se vê hoje no nosso país é um sentimento de descrença com a impunidade corroendo as bases da democracia. O poder pelo poder leva ao quadro político degenerado, que hoje vivemos no nosso país, no qual a esperteza é mais valorizada do que a inteligência e a correção ética", disse.

I URGE THE BRAZLIAN ARMED FORCES TO PUT AN END TO THIS CHARADE... BUT START THE PROCESS AT PALACIO DA ALVORADA, PLEASE!

We cannot generalize. Nor if treating to person, nor to a political party in particular. In Brazil, the majority of the parties still represents more groups linked by regional, business and personal ties of what ideological clubs. As well as it happens with the Republican and the Democrat parties, in U.S.A., or clearly whit the members of the Working Party and the Conservatives, in England, parties that are not accurately examples of raised ideological level. The PMDB can have many men who defend its proper interests, but, as MDB, in the height of the dictatorship, had many pursued and jailed members. It is the party of Ulisses Guimarães and Tancredo Neves, whose grandson, today governor of the State of Minas Gerais, is candidate to the presidency of the republic. In brazilian history, it is the party of the campaign Diretas Já and the freedom. What it was said regarding the PMDB could have been said of the PSDB of the time of the privatizations or the PT in the “mensalão” time. The PMDB is a party as any another one that, in a democratic system, it deserves to fight, in the space politician, for a place in the Sun.

Mr. Albero Lima (who ressembles Mr. Ricardo Amaral)
Unfortunately, during the past decade, it has become quite clear that, what the civilized western countries classify as a genuine, honest, and fair Democratic Multiparty government is unfortunately not applicable to Latin American nations… Indeed, notwithstanding the fact that such countries (with the possible exception of Chile) have a (fairly similar) Western cultural background (tied to Portugal, Spain, or France) they are unfortunately not in a position to systematically maintain a functioning democratic government (in spite of some “promising beginnings).

This sad state of affair is indubitably related to strong historical patterns of paternalism, neo-feudalism, and populism, embedded in a complex network composed by a largely uneducated & naive population along with a highly abusive, unethical and corrupt elite who aspires to reach politically elected positions in order to secure wealth & power (for themselves, family members and/or financially controlled supporters) within its fragile so-called democratic process.

As such, in the case of Brazil, in order to avoid the unacceptable political situation currently in place in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua or the shameful family state control found in Argentina, the only plausible solution would be the restoration of a formal authoritative (benign) control of the nation by the Armed Forces, which would surely restore order & security with peace and, eventually, prosperity…
security and a certain level of dignity to the central government.

As Mr. Fitzpatrick alluded to, the only solution is for voters to vote out the PMDB members who are corrupts or suspected of being corrupt. In a democracy you get the government you deserve. The media does a good job reporting on corruption, but ultimately it's in the voters' hands.

I also want to qualify that the main problem seems to be the PMDB of the Northeast. There are some great PMDB governors in states like Espirito Santo, Amonzonas, and Rio de Janeiro, and in general those politicians in executive positions in Brazil seem to be of much higher quality than the politicians in the legislature.

P.S. Why does this website have so many crazy moronic commenters.

Moronic are the bloggers who cannot see that volters in under developped countries, who are ignorant, naive and mostly illiterate can be compared with those in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, most of whom must have had at least the basic education.
HOW CAN ANYMOE COMPARE AND NOW I SAY "GENERALIZE???
IGNORANT VOTERS FROM THE THIRD WORLD SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO DECIDE SERIOUS ISSUES AND SURELY NOT COMPARED WITH VOTERS IN THE DEVELOPPED WORLD. THOSE WHO COMPARE AND EXPECT THE SAME BEHAVIOR ARE THE MORONS!!!

I also want to qualify that the main problem seems to be the PMDB of the Northeast.

This particular comment of "rosh" has some validity. Yesterday the ex-President of the Republic Collor (senator from AL) was elected as the Chairman of the Senate Commission for (building) Infrastructure with the backing of Renan, Sarney, etc. The lady Senator from PT lost the dispute for this post. Wouldn't be surprised if PMDB stages its own candidate for President in 2010.

that's because COLLOR was elected by a bunch of ignorant voters in alagoas to start with... Only idiots, or influenced voters (bribed by special favors) would vote for the most corrupt of all politicians, the only man ever impeached in Brazil's history
Because the OTHER IGNORANT VOTERS from Paraiba, Sergipe, R.G.Norte, Piaui, etc elected their own corrupt senators.. those in turn for some "special" corrupted reasons elected collor de mello for the post...
DISGUSTING

All right people. You are all getting very heated up.

Lets get a few FACTS straight, shall we?

Again with Brazil bashing, what is the problem with you people? I think that I am going to go and join a US dedicated blog and get on the Bush bashing band wagon!

Fact of the matter is that wherever you look there are politicians making personal gain from their elected positions. Do I really have to go into President Bush and the Florida scandal, or Tony Blair's new role in the Middle East (the man is being nominated for a Nobel! And we seem to have completely forgoten that when George Bush started the Iraq war/conflict, Tony Blair was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and sent troops!) Colin Powel and the Iraq oil... talk about short memory!

With regards to Brazil, let's get one thing straight, Brazil is and has always been considered a 3rd world country because it is convenient for the rest of the world to see Brazil as a 3rd world country. Brazil is part of the G10 (or 12, 13, 14 whatever it is at the moment! ) it has also recently (in the past 10 years) shown a great deal of improvement in helth and educational systems with the lowest incidence of HIV/AIDS, TB growth, etc not to mention that Brazil (and I said this before) exports a lot of scientists, pilots and skilled labourers to all sorts of places around the globe. Is there room for improvement? MOST DEFINATELY... There is actually a lot of room for improvement.

With regards to some comments that have been around here about every brazilian being disonest. Well, lets not be ridiculous! It's like saying that every swiss is a money grabbing, chocolate eating alcoholic!

With regards to allowing ignorant people to vote, actually in Brazil every citizen over the age of 18 HAS to vote, it is law. So get your facts straight!

It is shameful that people have such little interest in what happens to the country. Personally, and let me make this 100% clear, think that electing Lula for one term was a mistake the second term was just to cement the shame of the brazilian people. But that is my opinion, and I am very much entitled to it.

I also think that in a country with such disparity in scenery, wealth, education... etc... it is very easy to manipulate the general populus. Lula, who in my PERSONAL opinion is a scum-bag, who has leached from the system his entire life and hasn't worked a full day since he lost his pinky at the age of 19 (let's face it, how pathetic! he is just like those people in England who live on the Doll, in their track suits watching their flat screen TV's their entire lives while the rest of us works! But that will give room to a whole new blog) should be gone immediately if not sooner. He may have done some good, but the damage that he has done will take years to repair. What is worse is the damage that he has done to the minds of the poor north-eastern brazilians. It's Luizaq Erundina all over again!

I think that the problem with the political scene in Brazil is the same as in every single developed western country. The general populus is ignorant. And no I don't mean that as an offence, I mean it literaly. THEY DON'T KNOW! Augustus said it well.

I think that it is important to educate the people and allow them to vote. I wouldn't want the US Primaries in Brazil. That takes away people's constitutional right to chose their leader. They may have chosen poorly, but it is still their right. Let's aim to educate these people to think about the long term and not immediate gains. We have to find a way to teach the general brazilian population that they have to think as a whole. And perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to see a few new faces, new parties and some fresh ideas?!

So, that is my piece.

Apologies on the pypos in my previous post.

Tathiana's comments are lucid, yet over-optimistic to a certain point.
Naturally to educate the people in order for Democratic governments (at the Western European level, which is the healthiest at the moment) is the aim, but such a task, considering the impediments involved would take a least 3/4 of a century, if not a couple...
As both Brazilian and American citizen I trust I understand both countries well enough to compare; while I would never claim that the American voters are all educated (most of those are in the Northeastern states, most of the mid-west and the three Western States) even in the least advantegous regions, such as Alabama, Arkansas and Okhlahoma, for instance, most of the "hill-billies" are at least litterate, and most have obtained a High School diploma, whereas the entiredty of Northern/Northeastern Brazilian states, with the exception of the state capitals, are populated by nearly illiterate individuals, living in extreme levels of poverty and without access to basic education. As such, as bad as the situation or the educational level may be in Alamaba & Arkansas, they are far superior to Piaui and Alagoas... Therefore, although the Hill-billies are not likely to be sufficiently educated to make a sound decision at the voting booth, they are better poised to do so than their equivalent in Northern/Northeastern Brazil who are bound to be manipulated by some "Colonel" as the Local Landowners are called, into voting according to his wishes...

I think that the problem with the political scene in Brazil is the same as in every single developed western country. The general populus is ignorant. And no I don't mean that as an offence, I mean it literaly. THEY DON'T KNOW! Augustus said it well.

Great comments, Tatiana. Well said. The problem is Augustus´s honesty can be highly irritating, but he is one hell of an outspoken Brasilian. You cant change him.

In connection with the wisest of your statements...

Lula, who in my PERSONAL opinion is a scum-bag,

DITTO!!!! I wholeheartedly share your opinion... (In the unlikely event this important detail could not be automatically deciphered … )

Augustus, you better listen to her, I mean, Tatiana. Her assessment is a valid and fair one, even though I disagree with her regarding Lula. I voted for him twice and I think he has been good for Brasil.

Tatiana…. You are A PLUS in my book.

Bless you,

Costinha

PS: I bet she’s cute too!

I agree that Thatiana is very smart, sensible and well educated.
She is also a plus on my book (and i also suspect she is likely to be "pleasing to eye" ).

Now... regarding your favorite president....
While he may have at some point have had "good intentions", but now he is already corrupt to the bone.... And is BOUND to TRY to follow in the foot steps of that VENUZUELAN BEAST "RULING" his "Bolivarian Socialist serfs" in Caracas....
Mark my words, my young friend
(apenas um aviso aos "navegantes" - como teria dito a minha avo' - LOL)

It's really a frightening thought... Imagine if he follows the footsteps? After all he is personal friends with Castro, do you think he might be taking lessons? Bad, bad joke! 

I only wish that there was a way that we could unequivocally prove to the masses that he is a scum bag who hasn't ever worked and perhaps with some luck we can get someone more qualified for the job next time?! Other wise my friends, we may very well be in the poop for a very long time.

And one more thing Augustus, as they say in the land of samba; Good intentions - hell is full of them (De boas intencoes o inferno esta cheio!).

As much as Lula may have pretended to have good intentions. As much as he may have said that he had no interest in personal profit (what a pile of manure!) and as much as he may have tried to do a good job (NOT!). Although, as we all now know, personally I think that he is a scum bag (God! I never get tired of saying it) there is another important issue that cannot be neglected. HE ISN'T QUALIFIED TO BE THE PRESIDENT!

Oh poop, now I'm in trouble!

As for the rest of the people around him, ministers and the like… seriously, are they trying to dig a hole and bury the country?

Apart from all the problems that I mentioned before, and mind you those are just my point of view, there are some issues that are engrained in Brasilia. In the end we always come back to the same issues, corruption, self preservation and scum-baggage. PT like many labour political parties does very little for the actual workers.

I hope that in my life time we will see a president in Brazil (and hopefully the governors, mayors, senators, etc… will follow suit) that treats the country as a whole. With problem areas, but one country. Instead of segregation there should be a sense of unity.

It’s a fact that the north east of Brazil is challenged in many ways, but surely we can do something about it! Look at Australia as an example, where in the “outback” they have mining, cattle ranches and all sorts of profitable communities. Brazil isn’t a problem, the politicians there (Magalhaes and the alike) are the problem!

As always… that is my piece.

Thanks for the compliments!

Your previous entry represents yet another example of your interesting, well-written (and amusing) style, even though at some points, although (at some point or another) I wondered whether you meant to depict concealed criticisms about my views… I felt that there might have been a certain “je ne sais quois…” LOL (Yet, you are surely entitled to criticize – nicely - whoever you wish…)

Regarding the widely used expression "Scum bag" I consider it rather mild, when one take into account the intended target... Indeed, that shameful person, who is currently the Head of Brazilian Government, is an incompetent, deceptive, dishonest, corrupt, cynical, and nearly illiterate creature of low breed from the lowest levels of Brazilian Socio-economic Strata... In addition, because I trust this creature (who bears a pet-like name) deep inside shares the very same dangerous, totalitarian, neo-populist views of the most disgusting creature in the World arena: his good friend Hugo Chavez (who is actually smarter than Lula and appears to be manipulating him to put forth his official and hidden agenda), I fear that he poses a GREAT DANGER for Brazil’s peace, security and, most importantly, LIBERTY…

Due to one without the dedication and drive to do what was known to be needed at the time dependancy on that one elected was certain our caged creatures all died before we returned from visiting fairer spaces. The finch cage shall be disassembled and an aquarium set up in it's place. Perhaps keeping a squid therein, changing the keys and finding some way to void the rule of those who so mistakenly had caused the previously elected to be put in charge to begin with will bring better results in the future. Sorry Augustus, I admit that it CAN happen and HAS happend but totalitarianism does not necessarily equate to nor result in loss of peace, security and or LIBERTY.

TathianaBH, no, I don't think that "now" you "are in trouble" for speaking your view (although it may be quite hazardous for you depending on where the PC you are posting from is located and who is looking over your shoulder). I think other than Abe (and Costa from time to time just to be contrarian), everyone knows we are all in trouble and have been for quite some time.

There are different types of AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENTS....
Those who are NOT hypocrete and DO NOT claim to represent and reflect the views of the people (since they were not elected by the voters) CAN be BENIGN DICTATORSHIPS such as IN MY OPINION - the previous military government in Brazil (1964-1985)

Those populist liers who were elected by their ignorant citizens and CLAIM to be fair, democratic and reprent the will of the people (SUCH AS VENEZUELA are NEVER GOOD to anyone buth the rulers and their supporters

Finally, I'm sorry if I do not have the time to edit my writing to please you... looking forward to your next veil attack.

Sorry Aug, I did read TOTALitarian not AUTHORitarian as you meant to yu[r. As to you entering into my harem for the veil attack - how dare you think such much less try to get yourself an invitation from me.

With so much greed and corruption being brought to light around the world, isn’t it time to set up an International court specially to deal with this type of heinous crime. It could operated in a similar fashion to what is already practiced by the International court at The Hague.

This court should however should be located in Switzerland, as they will no doubt have easy access to all records appertaining to the transactions made by these corrupt individuals, making the process of law much faster.

This court would be available for use by any country wishing to bring its citizens to justice by having the right to use the same procedures, or similar ones as used by The Hague Court of Criminal Justice.

By having an international court of law for individuals accused of corruption, lawyers and judges in their own country would be by passed, making it harder for these individuals to bribe them selves out of the process of law.

60% of all monies or from the sale of properties accrued by the individuals would be returned to the individuals country of origin, the remaining 40% would be paid to The Hague Court.

Sentences would be served in a penitentiary colony, where they would have no contact with the outside world, have to work , perhaps something like Guantanamo bay but with out the torture.

Titles and honour what have been awarded to the individuals should they be proven guilty would be taken from them, and after sentence would not be able to have any dealings of finance or be allegeable to stand as a politician for any party or government.
I rest My Case