We toured Argentina for 2 weeks this past January. Like others have said the country used to be among the world's wealthy and now is not. I came to the conclusion that this is due to the power of the Catholic Church, large land holdings in the hand of a few, and socialist politics. It is a bad mix.
While we were there the finance minister declared that "export agriculture is a poor fit for Argentina because it leaves too many people behind." What can you do with that kind of thinking? At the same time the government came out with an program to assist impoverished 18 to 24 year olds. Say what??
Oh, and voting is allowed at age 16 and is mandatory at 18. Rural areas show many decades of neglect. Roads and electricity are scarce and mostly supplied by the landowners. Otherwise in the pampas there is 3 feet of black soil, 40 inches of rain, and a 250 frost free days. Big production potential. However a third of the 40 million population lives in Buenos Aires and they are the major political power.
While we were there the finance minister declared that "export agriculture is a poor fit for Argentina because it leaves too many people behind." What can you do with that kind of thinking? At the same time the government came out with an program to assist impoverished 18 to 24 year olds. Say what??
Oh, and voting is allowed at age 16 and is mandatory at 18. Rural areas show many decades of neglect. Roads and electricity are scarce and mostly supplied by the landowners. Otherwise in the pampas there is 3 feet of black soil, 40 inches of rain, and a 250 frost free days. Big production potential. However a third of the 40 million population lives in Buenos Aires and they are the major political power.
Comment