Neoliberalism in check

He was born handsome, like a movie star. Strong as an iron lady.
Margaret Thatcher in Europe, Reagan in the USA.

He continued his journey through Latin America, working with the Mexican Salinas, Menem in Argentina, Pinochet in Chile, and in Brazil, Collor and FHC.
All committed to the core to the dogmas of the global right wing and without a drop of social sensitivity.

It's worth noting that some Latin American leaders, such as Lula, Correa, Evo Morales, and Chavez, who subscribe to the catechism of the left, have taken other paths and raised the standard of living for the poor in their countries.

The neoliberal argument was very nice: The state withdraws and the market takes care of things.
The famous "trickle-down" theory, the "trickle-down" effect where wealth flows from the richest to the poorest, would distribute income, reducing social inequalities.

But it seems that finally the worshippers of the market god have given in and admitted that this neoliberalism story was just a load of nonsense, a way to fill their pockets at the expense of the poverty and misery that has spread throughout Europe, the USA, and Latin America.

Indeed, on the eve of the World Economic Forum, a report from the organizers speaks of "a new agenda for growth and development"; and that it is necessary to place "median living standards – that is, the people – at the center of national development strategies and international economic integration."

Neoliberalism concerned with the people? Unbelievable! It's more like Porto Alegre than Davos.

There's more: the Forum was opened by Xi Jinping, leader of the Chinese 'continent,' whose economy is heavily monitored by the state and who doesn't give a damn about this 'nonsense' of democracy, invented by the economic elite to maintain control over the political power of almost all Western countries.

Even the creator of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, has been giving up: "It's clear that, today, things aren't going well for this open and pragmatic vision of progress. Leaders have been demonized as 'the elite'. Anti-globalization rhetoric is threatening the collaborative economy and trade structures..."

The stark truth is that neoliberal rhetoric has only deepened the social divide worldwide. According to OXFAM, a British NGO with branches in over 90 countries, just 8 billionaires concentrate half of the world's wealth (up from 62). These super-rich individuals put in their bank accounts the equivalent of what 3,6 billion people put in their pockets to survive.

In our country, this number drops to 6 Brazilians pocketing US$78 billion, which corresponds to the income of 100 million poor and destitute people who will live together for the next 20 years in unprecedented social hardship in the country's history.

And there, in the cold of the Swiss Alps, while the event's host, Klaus Schwab, acknowledges the failure of the neoliberal project, and the FME itself refreshes its discourse with proposals of social scope, Minister Henrique Meirelles carries with him the message from the Temer government of more privatizations, economic austerity, and the suffocation of the most vulnerable segments of Brazilian society.

Memories of Brazil during the Collor and FHC eras!