Trip Reports Primavera en Buenos Aires (Spring in Buenos Aires)

[TripMe]

Primavera en Buenos Aires (Spring in Buenos Aires)

Microcentro, Recoleta, San Telmo, Puerto Madero and Palermo neighborhoods.

2024 January right after Milei’s election- it was an interesting time to visit. Inflation was still out of control but things otherwise were very calm. Without knowing about the politics or economic troubles, the constant hum of commerce and daily life in the city didn’t give a hint of any troubles on the surface. However, below the surface there were signs of poverty and crime that are a constant in many areas is the world, not just South America.

Interestingly enough, the people were extremely friendly and really give you brownie points for using their accent. The city itself (in certain neighborhoods) is beautiful and similiar to European capitols and Mexico City, while also being wholly unique.

You can truly see the bones of a country that was once an economic powerhouse in the classical buildings and European style parks and neighborhoods. The people themselves still carry themselves with that pride while also wearily looking at what will come in the years ahead.

 

[Flamingo]

I am still amazed how civilized the locals are in the face of all of this horrible economic mess. I recently went to San Francisco and my cousin lives in Oakland and we saw blocks and blocks of car windows smashed. Scary to think how bad it is in some parts of the United States and how calm it is in Buenos Aires!

 

[MikeRoss]

I am still amazed how civilized the locals are in the face of all of this horrible economic mess. I recently went to San Francisco and my cousin lives in Oakland and we saw blocks and blocks of car windows smashed. Scary to think how bad it is in some parts of the United States and how calm it is in Buenos Aires!

Oakland is like the zombie apocalypse right now. They are closing all the restaurant places by the airport as people are all getting robbed in the drive-through. Look on Tik Tok and you can literally see what has become of that area.

 

[Che Vos]

Oakland is like the zombie apocalypse right now. They are closing all the restaurant places by the airport as people are all getting robbed in the drive-through. Look on Tik Tok and you can literally see what has become of that area.

Yes it true. My friend lives in San Francisco and she has friend in Oakland. She visited her the other day and said all the businesses closing. She said even her favorite burger place there forever closed down. She say all the places close because people robbing the store everyday. It amazing to me that economy in USA so good and so much crime and things in Argentina are so bad but we don't have these kind of things.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7327501596831599915

 

[StatusNomadicus]

It amazing to me that economy in USA so good and so much crime

it's not good. it's expensive and wages haven't gone up, and taxes are minimum 40% gross. you just have no clue, because you've never been. ever wonder why some people here are leaving "such a good economy" right now, for a Post-Peronism country that doesn't have as many luxuries?

 

[Larry]

it's not good. it's expensive and wages haven't gone up, and taxes are minimum 40% gross. you just have no clue, because you've never been. ever wonder why some people here are leaving "such a good economy" right now, for a Post-Peronism country that doesn't have as many luxuries?

I have been to the US many times and the economy there is much better than Argentina. Unemployment is low and banking system works well.

 

[fetch rover]

it's not good. it's expensive and wages haven't gone up, and taxes are minimum 40% gross. you just have no clue, because you've never been. ever wonder why some people here are leaving "such a good economy" right now, for a Post-Peronism country that doesn't have as many luxuries?

To be fair, there aren't many coming to Argentina. We asked our company and they said there aren't many corporate executives that have moved to Argentina. It seems like some digital nomads and tourists but you can't argue that the economy in the USA is bad vs. Argentina. Unemployment is very low here. Stock market is at all time high. Everybody around the world is trying to illegally come to the USA as the economy is so good. Not the other way around.

In fact, my husband works with high level oil executives that work with the US government and they tell him that they are allowing millions of illegal aliens into the USA because we dont' have enough of a workforce in the USA to handle all the agricultural and blue collar jobs that are needed. That's the reason why they are allowing so many illegals into the USA.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

Unemployment is low and banking system works well.

unemployment is low according to the Federal Government, but not in real life. ever tried turning off the TV "news"? check this out (bet you won't Larry) -

LISEP Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity

LISEP’s mission is to help achieve shared economic prosperity for all Americans, particularly for middle- and low-income families. Our focus is fact-based economic and policy research.

www.lisep.org

there aren't many coming to Argentina

whaaaaaa? i never considered moving to Argentina until the USA started becoming a super shithole! i've seen several USA folks Nov2023-Feb2024. ask @Coffee Enjoyer how their experience has been, so far

there aren't many corporate executives that have moved to Argentina

if you're a Managerial Class upper executive with fuckaround money, you would live close to the company in a gated community. this is true, worldwide, from Iraq to USA to Argentina.

regular people like me and @Canada Goose are looking-in to Argentina because of the safety and quality of life, compared to shithole cities in Canada and the US. of course the top 0.1% aren't moving...they just vacation in Buenos Aires, not live here! lol

you can't argue that the economy in the USA is bad vs. Argentina

sure i can; i'm in Argentina and not the USA.

Unemployment is very low here.

according to "government statistics" or real life? why are 70-year-olds coming out of retirement and working as Wal-Mart greeters? see my lisep.org link above.

Stock market is at all time high.

yes, just like in 2007. that's not a good thing: https://www.schiffsovereign.com/lif...you-buy-stocks-at-their-all-time-highs-15677/

Everybody around the world is trying to illegally come to the USA as the economy is so good. Not the other way around.

sure; if i lived in North Africa, i would try my hardest to get my family to the USA, Canada, Sweden, Germany, etc. - that doesn't mean middle- and upper-class people in South and Central America want to come to the US where the cost of living is unbearable. both of these things can be true, not mutually-exclusive

That's the reason why they are allowing so many illegals into the USA.

because gov't regulations made it too hard to hire and retain people. and then there's the illegal voting factor to try to get the DNC guy to win in November

https://twitter.com/x/status/1717702822651629648

 

[Vince]

I wouldn't say the USA is a sh*thole but it is true many cities have been struggling since COVID. It has become very expensive but then again I don't think it has been affordable in many large metropolitan cities for a while. My folks live in NYC and it has been expensive there for a long time. Their biggest complaint now is it is chock full of illegal migrants that are brought from all around the USA. I don't know what is going on with all of these millions of migrants but interesting to hear about not enough workers. Something is definitely going on.

But I have brothers and sisters that live in the USA and visit them each year. They are quite happy in the USA.

 

[Scottishgaucho]

Life here goes on as normal because living with high inflation has been the norm for years and years in Argentina. The younger generation have never experienced low inflation!!

 

[Betsy Ross]

Life here goes on as normal because living with high inflation has been the norm for years and years in Argentina. The younger generation have never experienced low inflation!!

This is true. It would be more abnormal for Argentines if things ever stabilize. They are accustomed to constant high inflation in Argentina. That is normal for them. Hopefully that changes in the near future.

 

[Danielsan]

I wouldn't say the USA is a sh*thole but it is true many cities have been struggling since COVID. It has become very expensive but then again I don't think it has been affordable in many large metropolitan cities for a while. My folks live in NYC and it has been expensive there for a long time. Their biggest complaint now is it is chock full of illegal migrants that are brought from all around the USA. I don't know what is going on with all of these millions of migrants but interesting to hear about not enough workers. Something is definitely going on.

But I have brothers and sisters that live in the USA and visit them each year. They are quite happy in the USA.

It isn't just since COVID. Many cities have been on a downward spiral for a while. I just got this email from one of my blogs I follow. I was reminded of it reading these posts.



One of the things that amazes me is the absolute decline of American cities. San Francisco is a sh*t hole, and has been for a long time. It’s not just post Covid. I took my kids there when they were in high school and it was a sh*t hole then. It wasn’t as bad as it is now, but still.
NYC became a sh*t hole under DeBlasio. Guiliani cleaned it up. Bloomberg kept it in stasis, but Bloomberg cow towed to the people Guiliani wouldn’t and it started to fray around the edges.

Chicago became a sh*t hole under Lightfoot. It frayed around the edges under Rahm Emanuel. The current mayor is a clown. He is merely a place holder for the powerful head of Cook County, Toni Preckwinkle, and the Chicago Teacher’s Union machine.

Joe Biden echoes all of the above. He’s a placeholder President. His staff lets the border run amok, the budget run amok, and our standing in the world degrade. He lays down and prostates himself in front of horrible people like Xi and the Iranian mullahs but tries to act tough with a horrible person like Putin. Why? Because he’s probably covering up something in Ukraine he doesn’t want out. Hunter spent a lot of time there and mined a lot of money there, and in China.
The Democratic Party parrots the line to stay in power. The Republican Establishment goes along with them so they might pick up crumbs left behind. For what it’s worth, this strategy didn’t work in places like Illinois and California that had vibrant Republican parties. They even won statewide races. Sacre bleu can you imagine that happening today?

In Illinois, look at one term Senator Patrick Fitzgerald. He was the Illinois Donald Trump, albeit nicer. He was chased out of town by Dennis Hastert and the Establishment.

Why you might ask do people in power deliberately run places down? What’s their goal?

Cities and states that are deliberately ripped apart by bad public policy crush the people who live there. Yet, the chumbalones continue to vote for it. Even if they don’t vote for it, the machines are so strong it doesn’t matter if they vote. Change agents enter to try and make things better, like Garry Tan in San Francisco or Paul Vallas in Chicago. But, they try and work through the Democratic Party which is bought and paid for by the radicals so they have no chance.
Again, what’s the end game?

The people that run those machines don’t care a lot about money. They want enough, and they want to use taxpayer dollars to have the trappings that free-market entrepreneurs have. Hence you see them on trips to the Super Bowl or on some nice official trip, all on the taxpayer dime.
No, their currency and their economic desire is power. Pure power. The power to tell people what to do. The power to make people who don’t agree with them to kneel before them. That’s how they keep score.

Once you understand that it’s not about the pursuit of a normal free enterprise system company that engages in the free arms-length exchange of providing a good or service for something of value that improves human life and about the pursuit of raw power, eyes should be opened.
At that point, you can apply every single classical economics theory that you use to analyze the free market system to the political system. For example, the concept of elasticity of demand and supply, consumer versus producer surplus, where the marginal cost equals marginal revenue takes on whole new meanings when the utility derived is not economic profit, but power.

• How much is a person willing to pay in tax without leaving the marketplace?
• How much crime will a person endure?
• How many civilized inconveniences will a person do without?
• How much corruption will a person tolerate?

Looked at through the lens of economics, you can derive supply and demand curves for each. The powerbrokers who seek to gain power aren’t as sophisticated as PhD economists, but in their guts, they instinctively have a pretty good idea how far they can go, and how far they can push.
They also know that once they push to a certain limit, the market adjusts and people get used to it. Then, they can push again. Eventually, it’s totalitarianism.
They try to get you to tolerate things against your nature. That’s why there is such a push for transgenderism now. It is also why intuitively, people support Trump. The editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal don’t understand it but average citizens do. Trump will call out and highlight the bad actors. People like Haley will play nice, and don’t. They work on the far edges. Trump bulldozes them head-on.
The abortion crowd has also pushed the limits. You can now murder your baby in some states after it has been born. Here is Democratic California governor Gavin Newsome outlining what the pro-abortion crowd supports.

The people who have supported the Republican Party over the years have reached the end of their elasticity of demand rope. For them, it’s time to fight. The market price of the current situation is one they refuse to pay. It’s time to adjust the market.
Dan Proft made a terrific point on Twitter the other day.

Jones: mandate Chicago businesses hire security guards https://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=1231&GAID=17&GA=103&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=143314&SessionID=112&fbclid=IwAR0Crk5DYiR8HIdF951eG1dfrB5IVX3a0mKZrL2rHD0GgBz3pD57_Z6aF50&mibextid=l066kq…

Stava-Murray: charge parents with child abuse if they oppose mutilating their kids https://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10300HB4876&GA=103&SessionId=112&DocTypeId=HB&LegID=152735&DocNum=4876&GAID=17&SpecSess=&Session=&print=true…
Yang-Rohr: mandate climate change propaganda in high schools https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/654775408-state-rep-yang-rohr-bill-would-mandate-illinois-high-schools-teach-climate-change…

Flowers: mandate the DEI in med schools https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/654775619-state-rep-flowers-il-med-students-must-be-instructed-in-effects-of-institutional-racism-in-health-care…

Ortiz: make is easier for illegals to get in-state tuition for college https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/654775391-state-rep-ortiz-bill-would-lower-standards-for-illegal-aliens-to-qualify-for-illinois-in-state-tuition

Show this list to the next C-suite dipshit who tells you "I'm a fiscal conservative and social moderate. The GOP needs to stay away from the social issues." (bold is mine)

Instead of a free market capitalistic society that empowers individual freedom and thought, a feudal system not dissimilar from the Middle Ages takes hold. Instead of a familial monarchy, there is an “elected” official ruling.

So, Dan is correct. If you want to win as a Republican, you have to wade into the social issues. If you want to aspire to a small government society, yes, you have to wade into social issues and say what people are doing is wrong. It will piss them off. They will hate you. They will attack you. But, what’s the alternative?
You get fired from a job for not taking a vaccine that is proven not to work. You get to wear a mask in public when you know it doesn’t do any good. You mind your speech in order to not offend someone by using the “wrong pronouns” that we have used since the dawn of human speech. You kneel and take it and after they whip you the next thing you do is kneel and take it some more.

I think that Buck did a good job of setting the table for my thoughts in this essay. A lot of us on the right consider ourselves to be “libertarian”. We want small government, individual empowerment and to be left alone. But, as Buck correctly states, Libertarian societies are the same as communist societies in that neither are able to be achieved. There is no utopia.

He writes:
Decentralization goes beyond politics, obviously. Corporate monopolies, oligopolies, and cartels must be broken up so that authentic, competitive marketplaces can return. A greater number of smaller competitors might also rid us of global-celebrity CEOs who have more power and influence than do many heads of state - power and influence that they are using to pursue suppression of personal and economic freedom.
What is interesting about the points in the essay is a simple search shows that there are a lot of academics talking about decentralization vs libertarianism. It’s a real point of debate.

There is one place where people can view the push and pull between the concept of centralized government, and decentralized government. It is in cryptocurrency and tokenization. Professor John McGinnis of Northwestern Law asks “Will the government allow competition to its own fiat currency that it controls, and gives it some control over its citizens?”
You might call crypto bunk and a bunch of tulip bulbs. But, there are some real things being built of value and it will be interesting to see if they cause people to be free of the economic ties that bind them to a centralized government. The old feudal Lords and Duke’s would never have allowed a private currency on their property either.

America is simmering. It reminds me of the 1850s.