Milei faces biggest protest yet as students march over budget cuts

[Quilombo]

I can only speak for myself, but I'm glad there are Brazilian med students here, some stick around, work here, pay taxes here, raise a family here, etc. and the last couple times I've gone to the doctors I've been attended by Brazilian and Venezuelans doctors, Paraguayan nurses, etc. and while it's empirical they tend to be the nicest/best to deal with.

Of all the problems Argentina has, I don't think Brazilian med students are even in the top 100, but because Milei and LLA aren't (and never were) about economics, rather just being the right wing version of Cristina, it's all these people like to talk about now.

 

[sergio]

These foreign students have to pay. They can not be studying for free in our land.

I do not mind financing their education as a doctor but then going and serving in interiors of Argentina, once you have your degree for a few years. Otherwise, what does my country gain here by letting you study for free?

And I do not understand why these University deans going anti-president and not ready to reduce the budget and start charging fees!!!

I do not see how Argentina students have gained with free education. I do not see them making a name worldwide as eminent scientists making some new world-famous App or becoming famous doctors in the USA etc etc. I only see them becoming English translators Psychologists, nutritionists, or personal trainers. or unemployed lawyers.

What I do see is most of these free seats are empty for foreign students to come and study here. Take free education and go back!

I agree that foreign students should pay but I don't know how you can compel a foreign medical school graduate to remain in Argentina and work in an impoverished place in the interior. In theory it's not a bad idea. I know an Argentine doctor who sought Canadian citizenship. A condition was that she would have to work a number of years in a remote area where doctors were needed. As for free education for Argentines, a means test could be implemented but I suspect it would be hard to carry out. There would almost certainly be cheating. It's true that the well-off should pay something but many others couldn't afford to pay much, if anything. In terms of achievements by graduates, I'd say that there are many able doctors, scientists, architects etc. however opportunities are limited in Argentina. Many wind up working below their levels. It's true that there are too many psychologists and lawyers. There is a need to change the focus of education to adjust to current realities.

 

[Ceviche]

I agree that foreign students should pay but I don't know how you can compel a foreign medical school graduate to remain in Argentina and work in an impoverished place in the interior. In theory it's not a bad idea. I know an Argentine doctor who sought Canadian citizenship. A condition was that she would have to work a number of years in a remote area where doctors were needed. As for free education for Argentines, a means test could be implemented but I suspect it would be hard to carry out. There would almost certainly be cheating. It's true that the well-off should pay something but many others couldn't afford to pay much, if anything. In terms of achievements by graduates, I'd say that there are many able doctors, scientists, architects etc. however opportunities are limited in Argentina. Many wind up working below their levels. It's true that there are too many psychologists and lawyers. There is a need to change the focus of education to adjust to current realities.

nailed it! expressed it better than me and exactly what I wanted to say.

 

[sergio]

nailed it! expressed it better than me and exactly what I wanted to say.

Argentines are stuck in an early to mid 20th century European mindset that considers success associated with professions like medicine, law, and engineering. The obsession with titles (have you ever met so many "doctors" and "engineers") reflects this thinking. Argentines can be entrepreneurial but the government has worked against their interests with excessive taxes, complicated labour law, many regulations and lack of capital. This is an area that needs change but the process cannot occur overnight nor can it be achieved by going from one extreme to the other overnight as is currently happening.

 

[Stephano]

Argentines are stuck in an early to mid 20th century European mindset that considers success associated with professions like medicine, law, and engineering. The obsession with titles (have you ever met so many "doctors" and "engineers") reflects this thinking. Argentines can be entrepreneurial but the government has worked against their interests with excessive taxes, complicated labour law, many regulations and lack of capital. This is an area that needs change but the process cannot occur overnight nor can it be achieved by going from one extreme to the other overnight as is currently happening.

Well said Sergio! What is really jarring of the changes the government has pushed so far is the speed at which they move. Off topic but yet somewhat related: Subte is going to increase 500% in the next 3 months, to get the fare closer to the real cost of transportation. Is it really necessary to go that fast?

 

[sergio]

Well said Sergio! What is really jarring of the changes the government has pushed so far is the speed at which they move. Off topic but yet somewhat related: Subte is going to increase 500% in the next 3 months, to get the fare closer to the real cost of transportation. Is it really necessary to go that fast?

Is it really necessary to cover 100% of real costs? Where in the developed world is this the case? And where are the efficiency measures one would expect from a free market capitalist?

 

[Stephano]

Is it really necessary to cover 100% of real costs? Where in the developed world is this the case? And where are the efficiency measures one would expect from a free market capitalist?

Yes, good point about covering the full cost. I was just pointing out the unnecessary (in my opinion) speed at which things are moving

 

[sergio]

Yes, good point about covering the full cost. I was just pointing out the unnecessary (in my opinion) speed at which things are moving

Yes it's all too fast. If this is his idea of capitalism it will alienate the population. Patience will not last indefinitely. First of all, pure capitalism doesn't exist anywhere. The US, which he apparently admires, is far from a laissez faire capitalist state. Unfortunately power seems to have gone to his head.

 

[FrankPintor]

Is it really necessary to cover 100% of real costs? Where in the developed world is this the case? And where are the efficiency measures one would expect from a free market capitalist?

I think that in most of the developed world things like education and public transport are considered social goods that don't repay their investment directly, but benefit a country in other ways: better educated people do higher value work, and public transport reduces pollution and traffic. It's not expected that they be self-financing or run at a profit.

Milei's claimed ambition for Argentina to be like Ireland makes me laugh, Ireland provides free education through university.

As for the efficiency measures one would expect, this is to me one of the most shocking aspects of this government. I've never seen such a bunch of work-shy ministers in my life. The minister for health surfaces after 3 months to tell us not to wear shorts because of dengue. The education minister (whoever he/she is) threatens the universities with audits, why wasn't this being done already? All his tarotist minister without portfolio does is troll at every opportunity and take free trips in the presidential jet (yes, normal airlines are no longer good enough anymore), his defence minister got some selfies in an F16, and Milei himself prefers trolling and spewing hate on Xitter to actually governing.

I watched Milei's "cadena", it was nothing more than a gabbled monologue. A number salad. No attempt to explain his project, plan, or relate to the people who elected him. Zero empathy. Crowing over a primary budget surplus that might as well be a rounding error. At least he didn't mention the "caste", that was the one positive takeaway I got.

One of the comments on social media explained it like this: you receive your salary, and declare you're not going to pay your rent, gas, electricity, credit card bills, so you believe you have a surplus. Substitute pensioners, provinces, education, health, subsidies for transport for the previous list and you've encapsulated Milei's project.

 

[Ceviche]

It's not so simple. There are many professors employed by the previous government who never show up for work and get free salaries from state funding. Its quite complicated.