Regarding barter clubs, I partially disagree. Although barters are saving thousands of people from starvation or violence, they are a closed circuit reduced to elementary goods and services, very far from any possibilities of a recovery of our economy. We have to consider that Argentinean industry is still exporting cereals and food products to all the world, cars to Brazil, tubes to the U.S., oil ducts and petroleum-related installations to the far East, and nuclear reactors to Argelia, Egypt and recently Australia ! (Not to mention the hundreds of billions of Argentinean-origin funds which are motorizing the economies of the world, very far away from our coasts). If we lived of a few farm products, then bartering would not be so far from the original economy, but presently it is not more than an aspirin for an interne of the NYCFTTS(*).

I beleive that the best opportunity for Argentina could be based in:

1) Serious integration with Brazil, in a common currency, common rules and objectives

2) Serious application of the laws to provide for at least a partial recovery of funds that were stolen, and demand to all local and foreign banks to honor their obligations with the common people.

3) Suspension of relations with the International Monetary Fund

4) Favor the export activities for everything that we can produce. Now our prices are tremendously competitive. We can sell anything at one third of its normal value. We can't take vacations in Miami, not even in Brazil, but our products at these prices, will be more than welcome in any part of the world, even when the big countries threaten to boicott Argentina products if we don't get an agreement with the IMF, because .. business are business, and customers in the world are willing to make bargains, even against the IMF wishes.

But.. they didn't name me to Economy Ministry. Only offered the Dogs Division, but I'm going to refuse. It is said that the food is lousy.

Un abrazo - Andrés (*) Neil Young Center For The Terminally Screwed, an institution I admire and knew of here at Mudcat