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Unexpectedly, Javier Milei won the presidency in Argentina. I'd been following this story because it's interesting to see a Milton-Friedman-style libertarian (or at least someone who identifies himself that way) suddenly get put in charge of an ultra-statist, pretty-screwed-up country.

I hope that he does really well and turns Argentina into a libertarian paradise where I can move someday. But I expect that it's going to be a huge disaster. Milei appears to be a bomb-thrower (like Trump or Bolsonaro) rather than a serious policy wonk, which absolutely will not help him now that he's the one in power. When he tries ending popular programs and firing government employees, people will riot. If I was him, I'd get a diverse group of really serious experts (mostly but not entirely libertarian-leaning), and see if they can come up with some sane policy changes which won't cause riots.

Any Argentinians here with an opinion? I'm not very familiar with Argentina, and I've only read a handful of articles on Milei, so my knowledge is only surface-level.

We have some people from Argentina in the Spanish Speaking section of the forum. I am from Venezuela with friends from Argentina, so I am quite informed on the situation down there in the south.
I agree with you that Milie may have some helpful ideas to raise the economy of Argentina, but the fact he behaves in such a way which is not orthodox at all and won't play in his favor. Even though he seems to have the support of the youngest generations in Argentina, he won't be able to keep that support if he suddenly withdraws all social help and programs who many are counting on to keep going and face their dire situation...

The youth from Argentina voted for him not only because he managed to appeal to them, but also because voting for the other candidate (Massa) was voting for a continuation of the current administration and they are going so bad, they were wiling to give Milie a chance, regardless of his behavior and quite exotic ideas.

I also don't know much about Argentina and that guy Javier Milei but I have heard that the guy is a Bitcoin supporter and if that's the case then maybe in his leadership he might make purchasing and holding of Bitcoin easier for the citizens of that country. If I'm not wrong then that guy is strictly against central banks or he shows that he is against central banks. That guy won the game because he was against the central banks and citizens supported him in his stance. His was against the banks and he shown the negative picture of central banks to the public of Argentina because in that country the Argentine peso has seen huge inflation in a year and that allowed him to get trust of the public.

That guy has shown that Bitcoin is the solution to solve the economical problems of Argentina and it will be a useful asset to fight against the inflation but the guy hasn't made Bitcoin a legal tender yet in Argentina, however I believe that if he stick to his words then maybe in few days to few weeks he make Bitcoin a legal tender for the country. The guy has vowed to shut down the central banks and replace the Argentinean peso with US dollar and may support the idea of decentralized finance in the country. The guy supports Bitcoin but we can't neglect his libertarian views and that's something worrisome for many citizens of the country. Although the guy is a libertarian but he's not posing strict policies himself but is trying to get votes in favor of his libertarian views.

Here's a good article about that guy written by Susie Violet Ward
 Source  (https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2023/11/20/javier-milei-is-now-president-in-argentina-with-a-pro-bitcoin-agenda/?sh=4485c0ee1761)

What is very surprising about Javier Milei is that he has only entered the world of politics since 2021 or since he was elected as a national representative representing the City of Buenos Aires for La Libertad Avanza (wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Milei)). And then now he has been elected President. I think this is really a great achievement. But looking at his educational background and who he was before entering the world of politics, he, who is better known as an economic expert, because it maybe he should indeed be able to make economic improvements there. Although there may be a big change there and of course various pros and cons will occur. But all this seems to have to be done. Because inflation is starting to get out of control and has reached high inflation levels (hundreds of percent) of course it will require slightly unusual handling. He is famous for his quite eccentric style. Maybe the leadership style will be a little the same. To be honest, this reminds me a little of the president of the Republic of Indonesia who also had an eccentric or distinctive style and later in his leadership he still maintained that style and apparently this also made him closer to the people. And now in the country where I work, namely Indonesia, the economy seems to be strengthening. In fact, several large mines that were originally controlled by foreign investors have now managed to have their shares fully controlled by this country. So, when I saw Javier Milei's style, I immediately remembered the characteristics that also exist in the president of the country where I work now.

The discussion on this topic has already been opened in the Bitcoin discussion because the president is supposedly pro-Bitcoin, and one member of the forum who is from Argentina has already written several good posts from which you can get a good insight about some things that are happening in that country.

I also think that Milei does not have nothing that can result in some changes for the better and that people voted for him only out of desperation and because he got the support of the former president.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5474720.msg63191924#msg63191924

That's a very good idea. He has 2 ways of approaching this. Either he remains 100% true to his words and starts doing as promised, in which case they're going to label him a nutjob and attack on all fronts, or thread lightly and try to slowly push as many ideas as possible, starting from the most acceptable ones.

He has to cut expenses and save money, but not at the expense of jobs. Argentina is rich in natural resources, so there's a way to make money and people will judge him on what he managed to improve.
I'd love to see him make bitcoin profits non-taxable and encourage mining. Make Argentina a safe haven for cryptocurrencies.

I am also not familiar with the Argentinians and their electoral process but the influence of Messi made me look into their headlines and I feel he must be a very tough guy with his decision making and apparently disobeying his order requires a very strict punishment.

His plans to eradicate poverty from the Argentina country is one good fact about him only just according to the media if he would allow the sales and purchase of human organs then it becomes not appealing to me, who does that and why should it be legal, I think that alone will increase the death rate in the country and many will want to use that as a means of survival, by killing and selling those organs, I'm sure those organs are very expensive.

But in this space, hands are tied and I wish the best for Him and the Argentinians, I also wish him a good stay all out his four years tenure and hope he eradicates poverty from the lives of his citizens.

You can take a look at one of the headlines from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67470549

I'm not an Argentinian, and the handful of information that I've gotten so far about their new president, is from this thread. What I have observed here is that Javier Milei, was voted for mainly because of his stance against his country's central bank's practices that has affected their currency negatively. I'm happy that he has interest in bitcoin, hopefully he makes it a legal tender in Argentina, and with the right policies to back it up, the citizens will see the beauty of decentralized digital currency, in comparison to the centralized authority that they have been used to.

I wish the new president, all the best, especially as he's hopefully bringing bitcoin, onboard his new administration, this will surely increase bitcoin, adoption in that country.

Looks like Milei has a big job ahead of him. Especially in the banking and finance arena.


Argentina's Milei says shutting central bank 'non-negotiable' (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/354305-2023-11-25-argentinas-milei-says-shutting-central-bank-non-negotiable.htm)

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https://news.yahoo.com/argentinas-milei-says-shutting-central-142529379.html?guccounter=1
The comments, in response to what he called "false rumors", come as the outsider libertarian economist races to put together his team ahead of taking office on Dec. 10, with some signs that he is picking a more moderate Cabinet that expected.

Argentina's social security administration ANSES, a key institution given Milei's pledge to slash state spending and subsidies, will be lead by economist Osvaldo Giordano from the key central Cordoba region, the statement added.

That marks a shift from a previous plan that Milei would appoint a close ally to lead the administration.

Horacio Marin, a private energy sector executive, was also confirmed as the incoming chief of state oil company YPF.

Milei faces major hurdles to implement his more radical reform plans, which include dollarizing the economy, shutting the central bank and privatizing state companies like YPF, which will take time if they can be done at all.

His libertarian coalition has a limited number of seats in Congress and no provincial governors. Milei also has to juggle demands from the more mainstream conservative bloc, whose public backing was key to him winning the run-off election last week.
... (https://news.yahoo.com/argentinas-milei-says-shutting-central-142529379.html?guccounter=1)

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8)

Can any Argentinian chip in and tell us, will Milei be able to pass any of his proposals given that his party only has a minority of seats in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies?

I feel like western media are making a big deal out of his big words. If Milei's proposals are going to be blocked or watered down by the country's legislature then what's the point?

He seems to be moving quite quickly on his promise to rid his country of central banking. I haven’t heard a ton of talk about Bitcoin from his Administration, but one would have to assume that is the direction they will be considering going. It seems like maybe El Salvador will be inspiring more countries to take this route.

Economically and politically I believe the leader of El Salvador and Argentina are different.
Javier Milei is more like a showman someone who has much charisma and is willing to use it to reach a political mean, it is similar to what Trump achieved back in 2016.

On the other hand, Bukkele does not intend to exploit his charisma, is not a showman, he jumps right into action and applies politics which are supposed to increase the security and the standard of living of the population in El Salvador. He had proven himself to be very tough against criminals in his country.
One can only hope Milie will soon stop talking too much and shows some of the same strength Bukkele has, for the good of his people.

Milei's suggested he would replace Argentinian pesos with USD while at the same time being critical of the central banks. Doesn't make sense.

For logistical reasons I suppose he isn't in a position to suggest Argentinians adopt Bitcoin, they're a cash based society more than some other western countries. Though you do not solve the problem of central banks by kicking out one and replacing it with another.

I'm not an Argentinian but I can probably infer that this proposals have the possibility of not being fully supported by the other people in the country I mean there's definitely some opposition left in the current Argentinian government so I am sure that a veto of his proposed policies can happen, that's what's happening in my country too, as long as the government contains an opposition then you know that policies are going to have a hard time being approved unanimously. Your feeling about his words is warranted because the western media is mostly sensationalist when it comes to the truth, if they feel like it's too boring then they just have to hype it up a little to generate more reactions be it positive or negative.

This is a good news to the bitcoin family by having a president that support bitcoin. I congratulate the citizens of Argentina and by this those who are pro bitcoin will be very happy and there will no restriction of the uses of bitcoin in the country. I have not heard the name of Javier Milei before and this is the first time I am hearing but from what I noticed is that, anyone who support bitcoin is a economic developer. The person adopt bitcoin because he or she wants to change the narrative of the economic situation in the country.

Therefore, for Javier Milei, he has a good plan for the country. I also heard the news in my local Television Channel and I was happy that Bitcoin supporter won a presidential election and this will set the page for others to contest in the various countries to win.

I think you forgot to mention how much he loves bitcoin and how much he's got to be an economic saver.

Regardless of how Milei pictures himself, his agenda is a classic Austrian & Chicago schools of economics, not a libertarian.

Argentina is over the top with debt, they are in hyperinflation (depending on your definition of choice for that) and is a country that is balancing precariously the need to pay in dollar with el "cepo" to the exports (yes, you are reading correctly, a country which taxes exports... what could go wrong). El "cepo" forces to buy pesos with US dollars at an unrealistic change rate.

He has moderated the song - victory was not that surprising - but the general direction of travel is:

- Get quick cash nationalising the jewels of the crown, such as YPF (oil company).
- Slashing through subsidies and handouts to nearly everything, including the massive transfers to the "provincias" (provinces).
- And the biggest gamble: dollarising the economy and pretty much removing the Central Bank of Argentina.

My view: Argentina needs to do something. Years and years of unproductive spending and massive public debt are creating all short of problems - a country that should've been rich, has around 30% of poverty, that includes people who work and are still poor.

Will Mileis programme work? If it is implemented with a mastery that I am not sure Milei's team can muster, it will probably start correcting the economy, but even in that case there is a social hell to pay. His presidency can end very quickly if he doesn't get it surgically right.

Still, correcting Argentina will take more than one mandate. His bet is an expansion of the economy, but that does not happen instantly and frankly... anyone investing in Argentina should know that... well, is "kind of risky".

https://youtu.be/H0Ff3nESRH0 (https://youtu.be/H0Ff3nESRH0)

Edit to add: For those that think that removing the Central Bank is a good idea, notice that dollarizing the economy does not shut down the Central bank, it just outsources it to a foreign central bank. I wonder if that is "freedom".

Thats a very good synopsis overall and a good comparison to Indonesia, your points
about having or taking a different approach to addressing the massive inflation are valid
and as OgNasty points out above he has already start making moves.

I think most people are afraid or concerned about extremes in politics either right or
left wing but maybe its the extreme right which will reshape the country in
this case for the better.

This was a good idea because you cannot afford to vote for the same administration ideology when you know that they don't have any goodness with them while you have the chance to change it. Thankfully, they were brave enough to vote for Milei and now they can start to establish some new rules and work on some necessary sectors to fix their nations and to stop the corruption. This has the same vibe when we had the most successful president in our country's history and surely when the top boss is just everything around him will follow him and others below them as well. It's just like a waterfall effect whenever the top is crystal clear, it won't get affected by the polluted part below until it completely clears up.

I don't know much about the newly president of Argentina,  but one thing I noticed about him is the he is a Bitcoin lover and now he has become the president of Argentina he may make bitcoin legal tender. I think the people of Argentina will really enjoy having a president like him. I read an information where he said he is going to ban the central bank in Argentina, I don't Really know how this is true.  The understanding of bitcoin this president has will Really make good difference from the previous leaders of the country.

Central banks are one of the destructive forces of Democracies and Republics. The banks are generally not controlled by the people in elections. If they were, they could be considered part of the Treasury of the country.

Since central banks are not controlled by the vote of the populace, they can do much of what they want. And what they want is to make money, like everybody else. So, they simply print it... a thing that the people can't do because doing it would be called counterfeiting.

Of course, a smart and wise central bank is careful about the amount of money they print/create at any one time. This is to keep the populous from being destroyed by inflation. So, they print only a little at a time so that the people can absorb the devaluation of their wealth without being destroyed.

In other words, they milk (steal from) the people almost like a dairy farmer milks his dairy cows... a little at a time.


Why Milei Must Shut Down The Argentina Central Bank (https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/354424-2023-11-27-why-milei-must-shut-down-the-argentina-central-bank.htm)

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https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/why-milei-must-shut-down-argentina-central-bank
Ex-president Mauricio Macri himself explained that the inheritance Milei receives is "worse" than the one he found from Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Peronism leaves a country in ruins and with a massive time bomb for the next administration.

The enormous economic problems of Argentina start with a primary fiscal deficit of 3% of GDP and a total deficit (including interest expenses) exceeding 5% of GDP. Moreover, it is a structural deficit that cannot be reduced unless public spending is slashed. Public expenditure already accounts for 40% of GDP and has doubled in the era of Kirchnerism. If we analyze Argentina's budget, up to 20% is purely political spending. The previous left-wing administration only cut spending on pensions, which were half of the adjustment in real terms, according to the Argentine Institute of Fiscal Analysis.
... (https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/why-milei-must-shut-down-argentina-central-bank)

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8)

The Right Libertarianism doesn't seek to take away people's welfare. They just need to find ways to fund it without imposing it on everyone/society.
And government employees don't need to be sacked, they could be paid their wages according to how profitable they are. If they are not profitable, then they need to do better and earn more, or shutdown. But if they are providing free well-done services that are really important to society, they can recieve voluntary donations with additional benefits or supplementary income from sustainable sources.
Besides the right libertarianism must be run on the principle of love for CREATOR and man. If you love the CREATOR you treat HIS creations esp man right.


Concerning the President, I think he won't do relatively well now until Trump takeover next year. I'm based this on what I heard about his foreign policy. Maybe he going to change to be friendly with Russia which is currently the head. You can't unjustly fight the head and expect to succeed. His country Argentina now hangs on his shoulders. If he falls, it could affect her.

People are loosing sight of what the agendas are because they are just seeing two populist that SAY they are going to change the system, challenge the status quo, give more freedom to the people.

Yet their proposals are opposite: Trump wants the US to become more isolated economically, even proposing flat 10% tariffs for imports and questioning any trade deal. Milei is proposing pretty much the opposite - transitioning from a barrier-full economy, to a fully fledged free market. Their common ground is the image of "anti-establishment" -  which in the case of Trump is like a joke.

Lol. Trump isn't an isolationist at all! He wants MAGA, just like most of the average people of America and Argentina (for Argentina).

If the world can't live with MAGA America, it's the world that has become their own isolationists.

8)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/08/22/trump-trade-tariffs/ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/08/22/trump-trade-tariffs/)


https://taxfoundation.org/blog/donald-trump-10-percent-tariff/ (https://taxfoundation.org/blog/donald-trump-10-percent-tariff/)


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-08-24/supply-chain-latest-trump-proposes-universal-10-tariff (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-08-24/supply-chain-latest-trump-proposes-universal-10-tariff)


Milei:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-14/milei-s-plan-for-argentina-dollarization-and-scrapping-taxes (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-14/milei-s-plan-for-argentina-dollarization-and-scrapping-taxes)
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/javier-mileis-plan-for-argentina-dollarisation-scrapping-taxes-and-more.phtml (https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/javier-mileis-plan-for-argentina-dollarisation-scrapping-taxes-and-more.phtml)

When a country farms its business out to other countries, the people of that country lose business. So, when Trump makes America great again through appropriate import-export taxes, he is simply bringing jobs and manufacturing back to America. It's good for the people, and it will be good for the business in the long run. Sure, there might be some upheaval in business for a while. But it's their own fault for going out of the country in the first place.

8)

Please, do not show your ignorance on this thread, you have many others to choose from.

When a country chooses protectionism it works for a while because the local industry takes over all the business. In the long term, the country looses productivity an people have to pay higher prices for the good and services. Inflation and devaluation are usual results of this.

I encourage you to just google a bit before throwing "views" and try to learn a bit about the world instead of repeating the same blabber all over the forum.

Why do you think that Ukraine is fighting? It's protectionism from Russsia.

I don't know anything about Argentina's government, except that it is civil law country, not a common law country like the US. If they have juries in the courts down there, they aren't the same kind of juries and don't have the same kind of authority as in the US. This means that the whole government operation is different, even though it might look similar.

As long as a business remains in a State of the US states, without doing business over the borders, the Federal government has very little authority over it. Federal control comes when there is cross-border business, between States or internationally. The the Federal government acts, both to get tax money, and to regulate how the businesses benefit the States.

In the US, we can make any products that exist without help from other countries. And we can make them better and cheaper than other countries if we want. We don't need other countries. And it is the same with Argentina.

Essentially all inflation and devaluation come about from the money being used across borders. Look at the prosperity of the Amish, who generally don't do that kind of business, and often barter rather than using money at all.

8)

Ukraine is fighting because it is "protectionism from Ruzzia"? do you understand what is protectionism? I mean, the definition, just the plain definition nothing deeper.

So, you think the US can make all products cheaper and better that anywhere else in the world without help from any other country?  Can you provide any supporting information for that or just one of those things you just say... you know... because "God tells you to".

Yes, I agree, you do not have a clue about Argentina, yet as usual it does not prevent you from polluting a thread about Milei with propaganda and ignorance.

Actually. Keeping in mind the ideals Trump has when comes to bringing jobs to the United States from abroad, perhaps we could agree Trump has some isolationist ideas. Politically and military is almost imposible for the United States to keep an isolationist approach. It is a nation which has for long time tried to push and support the ideal of western democracy, as soon as a country starts to deviate from it the USA gets involved. It is the case of what happened to those African countries which suffered military coups.

Also, Trump pretty much bragged about being behind the politicak assassination of that important Iran military man back some years ago.
Perhaps, Trump does not realize that companies move their factories outside of USA nor because they want to hurt the American people with less jobs, it is about saving money by hiring cheap labor in Asia, and make cheaper consumption products.

Trump is simply trying to make American jobs for Americans in America. It's other countries that want to buy and sell with the US. Trump would regulate how it was done... to keep Americans from being harmed by other-country products and services. After all, the US can make anything it needs without other countries.

Nobody really knows what has made the US powerful. But it seems that American Democracy is part of it. Other countries should be happy if they are 'forced' into American Democracy style-wise. They might become powerful, too.

The Iran military man needed to be taken out.

So, Americans are left without jobs, and other-country 'junk' is imported, and other country people are forced into slave labor because many of those countries don't have Democracy. It's been going on for  long time... even before the Federal Reserve Bank took over the US money. Sure, there were some benefits all around at the time. But the main thing that this did was to slow down the greatness of the American people. It literally brought them into forms of slavery to the US government.

8)

Are you aware that even high quality products by American technological companies are also manufactured abroad? Those products are designed in the United States but ultimately, they are made in Asia. If Trump managed to bring back those factories from Asia to USA, that would imply a important increase of the price of those products, because the salary of the workers in your country are obviously higher than a worker in Asia. Would you be willing to pay, let's say 50% more for your hardware and alike products for the sake of your co-citizens to have a good job?
It is easy to say you want more people in your country to have jobs, but it is a completely different thing when you get presented with higher prices for stuff previously done in China.

It would be a similar situation with democrats and inmigrants, it is easy to talk about letting people in, but it is another scenario to let people in your home.

Would you be willing to pay those prices, then?

Guys et all, once again we are way off-topic and dragged into and endless discussion about Trump. I would be ok if we were comparing, but you know who only wants to dump once again political propaganda.

Milei, which is the topic here, has above anything else a ultra-liberal agenda for the economy. The plan is feasible - get dollars for YPF, Aerolineas Argentinas and other state companies and dollarize the economy. If you ask me, the numbers are very difficult to match. You need a lot more US money to carry out the plan and remove the tariffs to export.

Also, the social movements may simply stop the reforms in its tracks - speaking for example of railways, transport and other unions that typically will oppose liberal reforms. There are interesting times ahead for Argentina, but I am see lots of social unrest which is quite dangerous in a country were the military had the power not long ago.

The interesting thing is that most folks seem to enjoy the ideals that Milei stands for.


Argentina Moves to Protect Itself from Leftist Violence as Javier Milei Reforms Economy (http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/355233-2023-12-15-argentina-moves-to-protect-itself-from-leftist-violence-as-javier.htm)

Click this link for a look at the comments in the article (https://www.breitbart.com/t/assets/html/disqus-30.html?udca=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Flatin-america%2F2023%2F12%2F15%2Fargentina-moves-protect-itself-leftist-violence-javier-milei-reforms-economy%2F|25733153|Argentina%20Moves%20to%20Protect%20Itself%20from%20Leftist%20Violence%20as%20Javier%20Milei%20Reforms%20Economy|).

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https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2023/12/15/argentina-moves-protect-itself-leftist-violence-javier-milei-reforms-economy/
Patricia Bullrich – Milei's onetime presidential rival, now serving as Argentina's minister of security –promised in remarks to the public that law enforcement would use "force proportional to resistance" against anyone attempting to erect roadblocks or otherwise disrupt the daily lives of Argentines and ensure that any criminal actions be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

"The law cannot be abided by halfway – you either do or you don't," she said.
... (https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2023/12/15/argentina-moves-protect-itself-leftist-violence-javier-milei-reforms-economy/)

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8)

I read and also saw those news on Television this week,.on how the government of Milie wants to make clear that the right for protest in Argentina is not the same and is not supposed to be used as an excuse to block ways and highways in the country. His supporters of course will argue that it is reasonable to think that way, while several human right organizations and also some people related to the political left have suggested it is against the constitution of the country to impose restrictions on the capacity of the citizens to peacefully protest in their cities. I have also seen some suggesting these new sets of measurements are supposed to be a foreshadowing message of what lies ahead in the future with this government, of how those new in power know they are supposed to addopt many unpopular economical adjustments in order to try to rescue the economy, so some protests and civil unrest could follow.

I believe Milie is still better than the previous administrations Argentina had and there must be a very important movement of the political left to discredit Javier before he can even reach the first 100 days of government. Regardless of what one supports, I am still skeptical he will be able to do miracles and handover a rescued country by the end of his first term. The kind of rescue plan Argentina needs is one which takes several years of economical discipline and several serious administrations.

Let things be solved in such a way that people are unable to find anything to protest about unless his policy is misunderstood or outrightly hated, in which case the protest will be shortened or legally stopped for being unreasonable or done for no justifiable reason.
In merit-based system, the right heads in government institutions/organizations can actually turn things around for good if provided the needed support. Bloated workforce is one of issues the heads could effectively tackled.
Depending wholly on profit-driven so-called private sector does not work. There will always be some sort of interventions from governments in system that's becoming immoral to make sure everyone has enough of the good things of life they need.

This is an opportunity to let the world know that libertarianism is worth considering and can actually work if done right.

You are not very familiar with Argentina, are you?

Milei speaks of liberty, but he is not a libertarian.


Of course, Argentina under "Peronists" has been creating and promoting groups (e.g. unions) and keeping the provinces happy at the cost of increasing the debt and creating a subsidized economy. As I said in previous post, there is no way you can remove the handouts and transfers without making lots of these groups very angry. And make no mistake, these are powerful groups that will act with all the means at their disposal to stop reform.

For me, Milei has now to transition from the stupid dude with a chainsaw and a structural deficit of haircutting to a President -  which is much more difficult. My question is, given the stiff opposition he will get from many fronts, who is Milei going to ally with? The uber rich? The bankers? The Jews of US? The army? Who is going to be the strong arm of Milei? Who is going to be his cash cow?

Now that I think of it, the answer will be know when the official buyer of YPF (the national oil company) is known. Whoever wins it, that is Milei's puppetmaster / intimate friend /  ally.

Edited to add: Milei has signed a 27 points mega-decree that changes the governance of many aspects in Argentina. As of now, the opponents are making themselves be heard.

They are already arguing that whatever Milei is trying to do in order to push his plan further is alledgely against the constitution of Argentina. I am not sure whether it is the case or not.
You know, that is how many times failed socialism works, it makes people to get used to cheap things in detriment of the national economy and the commercial balance, when a new administration comes in and tries to settle the things in s different way, those groups get very defensive. Even if Milie succeeded on stabilizing the value of the peso and the macroeconomics of the nation, it would still take future administrations and presidents to stick to the plan, so I am skeptical.
I had heard Milie indeed intended to sell the oil company of Argentina, but I am not sure whether that is a completely good idea, it would be ideal if he first tried to get associates in s different way than privatizing such an important sector for any country. Granted, Argentina is not Venezuela, but still oil is necessary to keep the lifestyle of the people in Argentina going, and depending on what he does with that industry, it could be the beginning of a monopoly or duopoly.

We don't need more government. We need less government. What should be done in Argentina is the same thing that should be cone in the United States. Milei should enact the best foundational laws into all of Argentine Provinces, in such a way that those enactments can't be repealed, and then shut down the Argentine Federal Government. The governors of the Provinces have the ability to govern their own Province better than the Federal Argentine Government can.


Argentina's President Javier Milei Signs Decree Slashing 5,000 Government Jobs (http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/355837-2023-12-29-argentinas-president-javier-milei-signs-decree-slashing-5-000-government.htm)

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https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/argentinas-president-javier-milei-signs-decree-slashing-5000-government-jobs
Mr. Milei, an economist, signed a decree on Dec. 26 stating that his government won't renew contracts for the thousands of government workers hired since Jan. 1, according to reports.

However, the decree, which was published in the Official Gazette, includes exceptions, such as in cases in which workers were hired as part of "quotas regulated by law or other types of special protections," including those with disabilities and personnel who are considered "indispensable," according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.

The decree also noted that other government contracts made before 2023 will also undergo an "exhaustive review" in the next 90 days, according to the publication.

Overall, Mr. Milei's government estimates that more than 5,000 workers will lose their jobs, although the Association of State Workers (ATE), a workers union, anticipates some 7,000 employees could be affected.

Union Announces Planned Protests

In a statement on Dec. 26, ATE General Secretary Rodolfo Aguiar said the union planned to mobilize on Dec. 27 in various parts of the country to protest the decree.

"The workers in all cases perform tasks that are essential to guarantee the functioning of all areas of the state, regardless of the type of their contractual relationship," Mr. Aguiar said.

The protests will include strikes, mobilizations, assemblies, and roadblocks, he added.

"We state officials are going to deepen our fight plan. We cannot be accused of attacking governance. It is clear that social peace is being broken by a government that intends to leave thousands of families on the streets. It is by being on the street that we are going to stop the government's adjustments," Mr. Aguiar said.

"If the government moves forward with these layoffs, workers and families will be directly affected, but indirectly, the entire community will be affected. In the state, any dismissal translates into a loss of rights for all our people," he added.

Mr. Milei, 53, was inaugurated as Argentina's president on Dec. 10 after defeating Sergio Massa, economy minister for Alberto Fernández's socialist administration.
... (https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/argentinas-president-javier-milei-signs-decree-slashing-5000-government-jobs)

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8)

I have not heard much complaining about how socialism "does not work" in Norway, Sweden, etc... So it must be something else. I have heard however that 30% of US population is not doing well with capitalism.

The problem is not Socialism (if you can call Socialism the EU versions of it), the problem is fiscal responsibility or lack of it. The first rule to share the wealth of a country among the people living in it is to actually be able to create such a wealth. Building pocket of captive voters by giving handouts is not socialism, it is pure negligence.

It is likely that some of the stronger measures taken by Milei are unconstitutional - such as restrictions on the right to protest.

Argentina needs a strong change, is not as much a problem of a big or small state is a problem of fiscal responsibility. Milei is using the shock doctrine manual - use a crisis to drive an agenda. He may succeed in bringing reform and a future government of opposite sign will need to undo part of it, depending on how it works.

https://twitter.com/Milei_Explains/status/1728619598159749148

Milei explains basic economic literacy -- why tariffs are anti-capitalistic and inherently against the consumer.

Isolationists over recent years think using tariffs as leverage to force concessions out of adversaries is a dangerous thought process. It will always negatively impact the local economy.

Milei's a textbook conservative -- some of these phony conservative politicians could learn a thing or two from him.

I disagree. He is a text-book ultra-liberal. Many times these horses drink on the same bucket, because they both despise socialism and social democracy, but their agendas are different. Conservatism is absolutely ok with protectionism and tariffs, while ultra-liberals leave all to market and natural price formation.

In practice the alternance between the systems tends to do quite well for wealth creation / wealth distribution. In Argentina it is clearly time for wealth creation - not much left to distribute.