Chile's Proposed Left-Wing Constitution Could Spell Chaos

[Kamaji]

Chile's Proposed Left-Wing Constitution Could Spell Chaos

The 54,000-word draft document is a feeding frenzy of political interests looking to codify special rights and privileges.

ALYSSA VARAS, DANIEL RAISBECK, AND DANIELLE THOMPSON
8.26.2022

In the fall of 2019, a subway fare hike in Santiago, Chile, set off some of the most violent protests in Latin America's recent history. In what the media dubbed a "social outburst," rioters destroyed churches, metro stations, and toll booths.

The protests culminated in the election of the 36-year-old leftist President Gabriel Boric, who has pledged to nationalize Chile's private pension system, raise taxes, and create a more green economy.

Even before that, protesters went after the Chilean Constitution itself. In a nationwide referendum held in October 2020, 78 percent of voters opted to replace it.

On September 4, they'll return to the polls to approve or reject a new draft constitution, which, if passed, could bring a tragic and decisive end to Chile's so-called economic miracle that turned the country into a model for how free market policies can benefit the poor.

The current constitution was adopted in 1980, when Chile was still one of Latin America's poorest countries. Over the next 40 years, the government tamed inflation, privatized industries, and slashed tariffs and red tape, which caused its GDP to soar and poverty to plummet.

Extreme poverty fell drastically, and staples of modern living like TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines became a feature in almost every home.

Here's the problem: Chile's 1980 constitution was adopted during the military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet, who took control of the country in a murderous 1973 coup. Because of this, some say the constitution is illegitimate.

*  *  *

The Economist described the country's draft constitution as "a fiscally irresponsible left-wing wish list." It bans "job insecurity," expands welfare programs, mandates gender parity in all public institutions, and grants "social" rights that would expand the role of the state in health care, education, and housing.

The document permits property and asset seizures by legislative decree without compensation for rightful property owners. It constrains the mining industry, eliminates school choice, and would disband the Senate, making it easier for the executive branch to circumvent the opposition and enact its agenda.

*  *  *

Source:  https://reason.com/video/2022/08/26/chiles-proposed-left-wing-constitution-could-spell-chaos/

[LMAO]

The next Venezuela

[Hoodat]

The next Bolivia.

[Fishrrman]

Coming almost 50 years after Allende was overthrown by Pinochet, how many alive (except the old) actually remember Chile in its former communist days?

Now, they're going to vote to repeat that past.

[sneakypete]

This means tens of thousands MORE illegal immigrants that speak Spanish landing on our beaches or crossing our land borders.