CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN [or] RECLAIMING THE CONTINENT

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN [or] RECLAIMING THE CONTINENT

The words below are comments written about this article, http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/11-9, which describes President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech:

"Like all good politicians, Obama is adept at paying homage to multiple, inconsistent views at once, enabling everyone to hear whatever they want in what he says while blissfully ignoring the rest."

The fact is, a permanent state of war will define the US for the forseeable future and there is and always has been a bipartisan consensus on that.

We couldn't agree more. The current administration more and more seems to be just an extension of the Bush regime, with a more eloquent speaker at the head, being the only substantive difference.

Obama's speech to the nation about surging 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan, for a pointless, immoral, and futile war, sounded very much like what would have come out of the previous adminstration.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/12/07-10

There are all the economic advisors, the men from the largest financial institutions whose greed and short-sightedness nearly destroyed the Global economy, chosen to lead the new administration in its economic policies.

And of course, the ridiculous "health care reform" which will end up costing hundreds of billions of dollars, while still leaving out most of the currently uninsured people, and further enriching the soul-less death machines we call "Health Insurance Corporations". Who put profits before all else, continually pushing the envelope in denying coverage and benefits for those in need.

But there are other countries, where Change We Can Believe In, is actually occurring. Many are in South America, where over the past ten years, more left-wing politicians have been elected, in response to the aspirations of the poverty-stricken people in their countries, who have suffered greatly from the 1960s-1990s under often fascist, repressive regimes, sponsored by this country. No longer. One of the most striking, and dynamically changing countries is the one I had the fortune of visiting for three weeks last year, Bolivia. The poorest country in South America, mainly because 65 percent of its population is indigenous, of Aymara, Inca, and Amazon tribal extraction.

Bolivian President Evo Morales, the subject of great admiration, here at the Alaska Progressive Review, was re-elected to a second five-year term this week.

Here he is last year in La Paz, at a political rally, when I was able to get within 10 metres of the stage. That's him with the flower garland around his neck.

Published on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 by BBC News

Bolivian President to Deepen Social Revolution

by James Painter
"President Evo Morales seems set to push ahead with the implementation of a new constitution to place indigenous peoples at the heart of Bolivia's government and society after his victory in Sunday's presidential election.

VP Alvaro Garcia and President Morales have been in power since 2006. (AP Photo)A poor result for the opposition suggests an easier passage for social reforms and a lessening of demands for secession by departments traditionally opposed to Mr Morales, according to analysts.
Preliminary results say that Mr Morales, an Aymara Indian and Bolivia's first indigenous president, won at least 61% of the vote, easily defeating his conservative opponents.

That is a higher percentage than he won in 2005 when he was elected for his first mandate.If his victory is confirmed, it would also be the first time in Bolivia since 1964 that an incumbent president has won a second term - an unusual event in a country often synonymous with military coups and political instability.

The key electoral battleground was for seats in the new Plurinational Legislative Assembly. In the previous Senate, the opposition had a small majority which allowed them to block new legislation.

Under the new constitution which was ratified in a referendum last year, the method of electing senators has changed.

Exit polls suggest that Mr Morales's party, the Movement to Socialism (MAS), has won at least 24 seats in the new 36-seat senate, which would give him a two-thirds majority.
However, it is unclear if the MAS has won enough seats in the new Chamber of Deputies to win a similar majority and ensure an easy passage for the 100-plus laws necessary to fully implement a new constitution.

Final official results will be known later this week.

Breakaway regions

The preliminary results suggest that the MAS has increased its vote in the wealthier eastern departments, where the opposition to President Morales has traditionally been based.
In the Santa Cruz department for example, exit polls suggest that Mr Morales' party increased its vote to 40% from 33% in 2005.

In Tarija, Beni and Pando, MAS also improved its vote significantly.
According to Oxford Analytica, a research organisation, the degree of support in these areas "means that the prospect of secession is ever more remote".

In 2007 and 2008 there was considerable speculation that Santa Cruz and other departments might break away from the highland, more indigenous, departments where support for Mr Morales is overwhelming.

John Crabtree of Oxford University says the improved performance of the MAS was due in part to the priority the party gave to Santa Cruz in its campaigning.
"Another element was the lessening of the climate of fear amongst the migrant population there," Mr Crabtree says. "It also helped MAS that the opposition was divided and had lacklustre candidates."

Likely changes
President Morales is expected to make the implementation of the new constitution his main legislative priority at the start of his second term.

Amongst the most important changes envisaged are:
* More indigenous rights and more indigenous participation in politics* A reworking of the judiciary, whereby indigenous systems of justice will enjoy the same status as the official existing system; judges will be elected, and no longer appointed by congress* Power decentralised into four levels of autonomy - departmental, regional, municipal and indigenous.

The key to Mr Morales' success has been his appeal to the 65% of the population who define themselves as indigenous and who see him as "one of theirs".

They have also been the recipients of increased social spending boosted by high international prices for hydrocarbons, and more taxes on foreign oil and gas companies.

Cash payments have been made to poor families to encourage school attendance.
Extra pension payments have been to the elderly, and pre-natal and post-natal care bas been extended to mothers without health protection.

Two women in El Alto, Bolivia, 25 NovMorales has vowed to deepen reforms focused on Indian power

Some estimates suggest that the payments reached a quarter of Bolivia's 10 million people this year.

According to recent analysis by the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), government revenue has increased by almost 20% of GDP since 2004.

The Morales government has spent massively in recent months to counteract the effect of the global recession.

CEPR says that from a fiscal surplus of 5% of GDP in early 2008 (worth several billion dollars), recent government spending meant this became a fiscal deficit in 2009.

The Bolivian economy is set to grow this year by between 2.5% and 3.5%, one of the highest anywhere in the Americas.

The IMF's director of Western hemisphere countries, Nicolas Eyzaguirre, has praised the Morales government for what he called its "very responsible" macroeconomic policies.
More state intervention?

Morales supporters say that the greater state control of the oil and gas sectors helped to boost government income.

His critics say that state intervention may work well for redistributing income, but not for encouraging investment, technical and managerial expertise and the eradication of corruption.
Government ministers say they want to attract foreign investment into new areas like the development of Bolivia's large deposits of lithium and iron ore.

"We want partners, not patrons" is the oft-repeated slogan.

"One priority for the coming years is industrialisation," says Mr Crabtree, "by which the government means adding value to raw materials by processing them."

Analysts say one key test will be whether the queue of foreign companies interested in developing Bolivia's huge reserves of lithium will turn into a concrete deal between a private company and the state.

Lithium is seen as critical for developing a new generation of battery-driven cars."
© 2009 BBC News

This is great news! Because Evo Morales' administration has truly been working to use the natural wealth of their country to ease the poverty there.
Which is very evident, travelling by train to the south of the country, poor little villages like this were a common sight. Though they all did have electricity coming in, much of which had just been done over the past few years, thanks to the Morales administration.

On my attempted climb of 6530 metre Volcan Illimani (21,230 ft), (derailed at 5600 metres by my dreaded Soroche, altitude sickness) for which I paid 450.00 USD, we had local villagers hired as porters. These young women from the village at the base of the mountain hauled up the first two 30 kg loads up to the 4400 metre low-camp on horseback. The homes in their village are of the common adobe, reed-roofed, low-walled construction, with earthen floors (though they do now have electricity!). Other than that sporadic employment, these villagers struggle to coax meagre crops of potatoes, quinoa, and other crops from the cold thin soils at 4000+ metres, as well as herding horses, sheep, llamas, and alpacas. A very arduous, difficult way of life, with little hope of improvement.

The U.S. corporate media tries to portray Evo Morales, and Hugo Chavez, of Venezuela, as dictatorial, bent on maintaining power endlessly (as "our" previously sponsored fascist regimes did!), and intent on moving their countries into Socialism along Cuba's model. Yet this is decidedly not so.

One look at the skyline of La Paz (with Illimani gracing it with her majestic presence!) tells the story. Private enterprise is very strong here, all the modern skyscrapers are occupied by banks, telecommunications industries, and other large corporations. There are large auto dealerships, supermarkets, and everything else we associate with a modern "developed" country.

The main difference though, is that this modernity is surrounded by massive poverty. The slums of El Alto, at 4100 metres (where the airport is), are cold and drafty, on the high altiplano, while the city of La Paz drops down in a canyon, 500-1000 metres lower, warmer, and protected from the wind.

Bolivia only has a population of around 11 million, but over 3 million of that is in and around La Paz. Much of it's modern growth, over the past 40 years, in the slums of El Alto and La Paz itself, has been from people in the cold villages of the high Altiplano, trying to find a better, less arduous life, in the city. Which has not worked out for most, and so many struggle working in crowded little shopping stalls, selling whatever they can, or the least fortunate, begging on the streets. A daunting challenge, for any government, willing, and trying to change and better the living conditions for these people.

Yet these people are descended from a culture that was able to build this amazing temple site of Tihuanaco, at least 4000 years ago, of massive multi-ton rock slabs, which fit together perfectly. And which were somehow hauled 100 KM to the site from the shores of Lake Titicaca.

It was hard not to feel sorry for these people, whose lives are so difficult, in comparison to ours, and who aren't able to travel like we are, and experience other cultures. Not to mention, have the basics of good food, housing, and medical care.

Most of the people I talked with in Bolivia were very much in favour of the Morales administration, and their stated goals of using the country's natural wealth, to raise the standard of living of the populace.

One thing we of European descent, in the Western Hemisphere need to understand is this: capitalism/"the market"/free enterprise/private property, are alien concepts and constructs in indigenous culture. Before their cultures were nearly destroyed by the Spaniards/Portugese, in Latin America, and other European countries, in North America, they lived more communally, sharing work, responsibilities, and the wealth of their areas together. Thus, since the Morales Administration is attempting to reflect the values of their Aymara/Inca culture more, they are and will be acting in ways that seem "Socialistic". That is their culture. The other countries in South America are and will also be changing in these ways more with time, and hopefully some day, Mexico (since it still has a large indigenous population).

The "bad old days" of corporate-sponsored U.S. subversion and control of Latin American countries are over (the U.S. embassy in La Paz looked like a bunker, with little slits for windows, surrounded by barbed wire. The only one like it, all the other countries had friendlier-looking ones). Massive popular support of the more left-leaning governments, as evinced by the thousands at this march in La Paz last year, is increasing.

The Alaska Progressive Review is greatly excited by this. Because we feel that their way, in these countries, especially Bolivia and Venezuela, of combining Indigenous culture and its more holistic World-view, with modern technology, will enable humanity to over-come the looming threats of overpopulation, resource-depletion, and climate change in the decades to come. If it were to become more widespread.

We think it's especially interesting, and ironic, that here in the amazing Salar de Uyuni (Uyuni Salt Flat), the World's biggest desert saline lake, at an elevation of 3600 metres, lies the Earth's largest, and most easily accessible source of Lithium, in the form of the salt. Which is needed if Lithium-ion battery technology for electric vehicles is to improve and become widespread, replacing internal combustion engines.

Let's hope the Morales Administration will be able to find global partners who can sustainably, and responsibly harvest this valuable resource, for the betterment of the planet.

We plan on re-visiting Bolivia when we can, as it's incredible diversity of natural beauty, interesting and friendly culture, and exciting political/social change are captivating, and worthy of reporting on. We also want and need to visit the surrounding countries of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Brasil, and Venezuela. Great things are happening in much of South America, and we need to get the word out! Cheers.