There are a few things that would make Brazil a lot more stable economically (and even socially and politically) if we achieved self-sufficiency: Fossil fuels: Currently, Brazil is self-sufficient in oil, but we export petrol to buy back refined fuels (gasoline and diesel). If we were self-sufficient in fossil fuels we would be much more immune to inflation every time OPEC decides to reduce oil output. Wheat: We are…
I gope you guys are not going to copy USA & Europe in term of bread consumption, it's not worth! eat more vegetable, like peas, even quinoa, fruit, they're adapted to your climate and much more nutritive and healthy
It is nice to be self-sufficient on survival staples like grains if that is an option. If your competitors are driving a hard bargain and the downside is that you don’t get video game consoles, it isn’t the end of the world, you can call their bluff. If the downside is starvation, it is a bit tougher.
When has that happened - that a country experienced starvation because grain was withheld? Especially a country the size of Brazil?
This sounds amazing, but at the same time, I am concerned about the rain forest. Obviously more economically useful crops would accelerate repurposing the rain forest. Maybe the world would need to subsidize Brazil more to keep the rain forest? And could Brazil be expecting more subsidy with this development?
> concerned about the rain forest. then go buy some rain forest, and pay at least as much property tax on it as someone converting it to farmland would.
This sounds amazing, but at the same time, I am concerned about the rain forest. Obviously more economically useful crops would accelerate repurposing the rain forest. Maybe the world would need to subsidize Brazil more to keep the rain forest? And could Brazil be expecting more subsidy with this development?
I'd burn that entire jungle down if it brought us industry, development and prosperity in exchange. Why is it that only developed countries got to exploit their natural resources?
Well, Bolivar tried but, luckilly, failed. Good for us he was no big military genius, and a coward in battle. We don't need a Napoleon wannabe in South America, thank you very much.
Would you mind expanding a bit on the whole “no big military genius” and “coward in battle” or share some links on it? I’ve heard and read many critics of Bolivar but never any of the sort you mention (not trying to call you out or anything, just genuinely curious about it)
I've read it a couple years ago and it made a big impression on me, had to track it down now.
I misremembered it as San Martin's opinion while old and dying in France, but it appears to be the description given by Karl Marx to Engels (apparently on a letter sent on 1858-02-14, though I can't find that letter right now). This article [0] on the Metapedia explains a bit of the history on why Marz was talking about Bolivar, but also says that modern marxists don't share this view.
I'm from Spain. Lula it's closer to our current social-democratic goverment than communism. It just happens that you are so right-leaned that you don't even realize what are you looking at.
Please explain why. Otherwise its just the internet dude saying. We can go through the wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism "Variants of communism have been developed throughout history, including anarcho-communism, Marxist schools of thought, and religious communism, among others. Communism includes a variety of schools of thought, which broadly include Marxism, Leninism, and libertarian commun…
First, Lula is adept of the so-called "class conciliation", therefore he is not a communist by any means.
Second, Lula is against the idea of a revolution, with makes him a social democrat on the left spectrum, at most.
Third, you can't just use US left as a model for the rest of the world. US left (mainly the democrats) is a pale left when placed alongside the Brazillian left, for example.
There are a few things that would make Brazil a lot more stable economically (and even socially and politically) if we achieved self-sufficiency: Fossil fuels: Currently, Brazil is self-sufficient in oil, but we export petrol to buy back refined fuels (gasoline and diesel). If we were self-sufficient in fossil fuels we would be much more immune to inflation every time OPEC decides to reduce oil output. Wheat: We are…
Well, Brazil needs to stop producing oil within at most a generation. Or pay for it.
We promise to do this when at leat half of the world has stopped.
You're saying I can't call Lula, the guy who called himself a "refined socialist" not even a year ago, a communist. Really now. Guess I'm gonna insist on looking dumb then. It's shocking to me that the fact he's a communist is news to people. If you really believe this guy... Go ahead and give him your Amazon subsidies. Watch him spend it on absolutely critical matters like massive raises for the supreme court judges…
Him calling himself that for political points is extremely different than being one. Lula is not a communist, he hasn't been since his first 2 terms between 2002-2010. He embraced completely the "Third Way" of social-democracy, which means it is completely enveloped by the frame of neoliberalism. Banks made a killing during 2002-2010, how would a communist be supportive of the finance industry? It's shocking to me yo…
I really apreciate the time you're taking to argue with this guy, but I must tell you that it is a lost battle (if you already know this, sorry). Here in Brazil, the red-scare tactics are the far right's bread and butter (like anywere on the world). So, judging by his response pattern so far, there is a high chance that he is a hardcore Bolsonaro supporter. While some can be reasoned with, most are cannot be. Well, at least other readers can see a couterpoint.
> A lot of countries used to depend on Russia for various things, and they have paid a price to change this. And now they depend on US for the same things paying a much bigger price. Some countries never learn.
> And now they depend on US for the same things paying a much bigger price. What? Germany is now reporting record drops in it's energy prices. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/energy-costs-german-hou...
"However, energy prices remain well above pre-crisis levels, he added."