Finally Augusto Pinochet is dead at 91. While some in Chile actually mourn Pinochet's death, many more celebrate it. Personally I have mixed feelings. On one hand, the world is a better place after his death. On the other I can't help but feel a bit sad that he wasn't made to suffer more. Oh I guess that is not the proper thing to say, given how I strongly reject the tooth for a tooth argument. Then again, some people are so evil you just can't help but think this way for a minute or two.
On a different note, let's hope the mainstream media (I'm not holding my breath, especially with the recent death of Milton Friedman) reject the wingers claim of the so-called economic miracle in Chile. See this article, or this post, or at least read the next paragraph (I know you can do that):
... So what was the record for the entire Pinochet regime? Between 1972 and 1987, the GNP per capita fell 6.4 percent. (13) In constant 1993 dollars, Chile's per capita GDP was over $3,600 in 1973. Even as late as 1993, however, this had recovered to only $3,170. (14) Only five Latin American countries did worse in per capita GDP during the Pinochet era (1974-1989). (15) And defenders of the Chicago plan call this an "economic miracle!"
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