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Hi Ferfal,Interesting article: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-14/dare-question-argentinas-inflation-data-prepare-go-jailJeff
Hi Jeff,
Indeed sad state of affairs
in my country.
Someone joked some time ago
in the comment section, about how the best strategy for surviving in Argentina
is leaving Argentina entirely. Well, there’s a bit too much truth to that I’m
afraid.
From ABC News
Argentina is trying again to criminally prosecute people who publish independent inflation data, just as Congress opens debate on a 2014 budget that assumes economic good times next year.The government is predicting strong annual economic growth of 6.2 percent, inflation of just 10.4 percent and a peso dropping only 10 percent against the dollar.Independent economists call these numbers wildly optimistic, and say that Argentina's growth prospects are troubling and inflation is actually running more than twice as high. They maintain that illegal currency trading reflects much greater pressure to formally devalue the currency than the government has acknowledged.As Economy Minister Hernan Lorenzino proposed the budget to Congress, Commerce Secretary Guillermo Moreno went to court, accusing four different consulting firms of criminal "speculation" for publishing inflation data that contradicts official reports.Among those Moreno targeted Thursday was economist Orlando Ferreres, who estimates inflation is rising by 23.8 percent annually. He called the accusations against him "ridiculous" in an interview with Radio La Red on Friday, and said they only make sense in "an upside-down world."Moreno also asked the judge to approve similar charges against economists with M&S, Buenos Aires City and Finsoport SA consultancies. If charged, tried and convicted of "speculation," they could face two years in prison.
It’s because of things like
these that I left. I decided to leave because this kind of governmental persecution
and overall censorship has been going on for several years.
The high levels of
crime and constant inflation didn’t help either.
People shouldn’t be afraid
to speak, but they are in Argentina and there’s a reason for it. Whenever
people have a chance to speak, either average citizens interviewed, actors or
other celebrities, they all have that fear in the back of their minds. We all
know what happens when you speak against the government in Argentina because it
happens all the time: An actor that speaks against the government doesn’t get
hired by nearly any local production company because they are all in the
governments pocket thanks to official sponsorship. A business owner that complains
gets his importations stopped, accounts frozen for investigation and auditing,
even small shop owners get harassed this way.
That is not freedom and you shouldn’t
live in constant fear of your own government.
I'll bring out my crystal ball here and predict that, while maybe not in such an obvious way, we'll see more of this happening in the developed nations soon enough.
FerFAL
2 comments:
It's happening in the developed world already. In 2008, a man named Joe the Plumber asked Obama an uncomfortable question and had his police records, tax records, etc. leaked to the media. The IRS, OSHA, and Justice Depts. of the US are constantly abusing their powers against conservative groups. The Obama admin. leaks info (propaganda) to leftwing news sources like Think Progress and MSNBC regularly.
There should no longer be any partisan sniping from either side, from ever side government is out to silence and control, red, white, blue, donkey or elephant, all the same.
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